A work permit is one of the more common routes into Canada. It is a temporary authorisation that lets a foreign national work for a Canadian employer. It is not permanent residence, and it does not become permanent residence on its own. What it does is build Canadian work experience — and that experience is what several permanent residence programmes are built around.
Below: what a work permit is, the types that exist, how to apply, how extension works, the documents needed, and the routes from work experience to permanent residence.
What a Canadian work permit is
A work permit is legal authorisation issued by the Canadian government allowing a foreign national to work in Canada temporarily. With one, you can work for a Canadian employer in a specific, genuine position.
A permit is normally issued for the length of the employment contract — a year, two years. It is extended only if the contract is. Thousands of people arrive each year on this basis, through job offers, family open work permits or provincial programmes.
The types of work permit
| Type | What it is | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Open work permit | Not tied to one employer | Eligible graduates, protected persons, and certain family members of workers and students |
| Employer-specific (closed) work permit | Valid for one employer and one position only | People holding a genuine job offer from a Canadian employer |
| PGWP | Post-Graduation Work Permit | Graduates of eligible Canadian programmes |
| BOWP | Bridging Open Work Permit | People with a permanent residence application already in progress |
| Family open work permit | Open permit for a spouse or common-law partner | Restricted since 21 January 2025 — see below |
| IEC | International Experience Canada | Young people from countries with a youth mobility agreement with Canada |
The family open work permit is the one most often described out of date, so it is worth stating precisely. Since 21 January 2025 only spouses and common-law partners of certain workers may apply. The principal worker must be employed in any TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupation, or a select TEER 2 or 3 occupation. Their own authorisation must still be valid for at least 16 months when IRCC receives the spouse’s application. Dependent children are no longer eligible under this measure. Spouses of students face a separate and similarly narrowed test.
Note also that Canada retired the old NOC “0, A, B” skill levels in 2022. Eligibility is now expressed in TEER categories, and any guidance still using the old letters predates the change.
How to apply
For an employer-specific permit, the foundation is a genuine job offer setting out the duties, the salary, the skill level required and the other terms. Depending on the route, the employer may need a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment, or the position may fall under an LMIA exemption. The permit is then issued for the term of the employment.
Two things then decide most files: whether the job offer is genuine and properly documented, and whether the occupation requires a medical examination.
Medical exams, and a correction worth making
You will hear that you cannot take a job offer in healthcare, school teaching or childcare. That is not right. Those occupations are not closed to foreign workers — they are occupations where an immigration medical examination is required.
The exam is done by a physician IRCC has approved — a panel physician. It establishes that you are not a danger to public health or an excessive burden on health services. It is also required, whatever your occupation, if you have lived six months or more in a designated country during the previous twelve. Applicants for an open work permit who intend to work in those fields need the exam too, even though they have no job offer.
Results go from the panel physician straight to IRCC. Without them a permit may be refused or issued with conditions, and the same exam is required for many permanent residence routes.
Extending a work permit
| Step | What it involves | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Check the expiry date | Start at least 30 days before it expires | Your UCI and the expiry date on the current permit |
| Sign in to IRCC | Use your IRCC secure account | Your own username and password |
| Choose the application type | “Extend or change conditions on your work permit” | Form IMM 5710 |
| Complete the forms and upload documents | Online forms plus supporting documents | As set out in the documents table below |
| Pay the fees | CAD 155 | Payment receipt |
| Biometrics, if required | CAD 85 | Payment receipt |
| Wait for the decision | Under implied status you may stay and keep working | IRCC’s acknowledgement of receipt |
Applying before the current permit expires is what puts you on implied status. If it has already expired, the restoration period is the only remaining route, and it is time-limited — act quickly rather than waiting.
Documents
Have these translated and ready to upload.
| Document | New work permit | Extension |
|---|---|---|
| Application form | IMM 1295 | IMM 5710 |
| Valid passport | At least 6 months validity and two blank pages | At least 6 months validity and two blank pages |
| Job offer letter | Required | Required for an employer-specific permit |
| LMIA or LMIA-exemption letter | Depends on the route | If applicable |
| Language test | Required | Not required |
| Proof of funds | To cover the first months | Not required |
| Medical exam | If the occupation is designated, or you have spent 6 months or more in a designated country in the last 12 | Not required |
| Police certificate | Required | In some cases |
| Fee receipts | Required | Required |
| Family documents | For a spouse and children | If extending for the family |
Requirements vary by permit type. Check the specific route on IRCC’s own pages rather than assuming this list is complete for your case.
From a work permit to permanent residence
Canadian work experience feeds several permanent residence routes:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC), within Express Entry. It needs at least one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada.
- Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), where a province nominates workers in occupations it needs.
- Express Entry more broadly, where Canadian experience and language ability both raise a CRS score.
- Regional pilots — the Atlantic Immigration Program, plus RCIP and FCIP. Those two replaced RNIP in January 2025; RNIP had stopped accepting new applications on 31 August 2024.
What tends to make these routes viable is work experience in a TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupation, strong English or French, and a genuine job offer. None follows automatically from holding a work permit. Each has its own requirements, and meeting them is the applicant’s responsibility.
Timing, and who may be paid to help
Two practical points are worth more than any amount of strategy.
The first is timing. Start an extension at least 30 days before the permit expires. Applying in time is what preserves your right to keep working while the decision is pending; applying late removes that protection.
The second concerns paid help. IRCC recognises only three kinds of representative. Lawyers in a provincial or territorial law society — and paralegals, in Ontario only. Notaries of the Chambre des notaires du Québec. And immigration consultants who are members of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Anyone else taking a fee is not an authorised representative, and every one of those bodies keeps a public register you can check before signing.
Common questions
- Can I still extend after my permit has expired? Watch the expiry date. If it has passed, you may still apply while you are within the restoration period — but do it as early as you can.
- How long does an extension take? Typically in the region of 60 to 120 days, depending on the type of application and where you are. Check IRCC’s current processing times rather than relying on a figure from an article.
- Can I keep working while the extension is assessed? Yes, if you applied before the current permit expired. That is implied status.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and it describes published official rules rather than any individual case. Hadi Imani is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, licence R522575, practising in Toronto; that licence covers Canadian immigration only.
