Canada: Open and employer-specific work permits

Understanding the route

Open and employer-specific work permits are different pathways. Open permits are available only to eligible categories; employer-specific permits are normally restricted by the employer, job and conditions stated. This is not a choice based on preference: start with the applicant’s actual status and proposed employment.

Eligibility questions to resolve

For employer-specific permission, review the job offer and whether an LMIA or an exemption is relevant. An open permit requires a qualifying legal category. A spouse’s or student’s documents do not automatically establish eligibility without checking that category. Professional history, job conditions and passport validity must also align.

Your starting document checklist

This is a preparation list, not a replacement for the authority’s personalised checklist. Evidence should be valid, legible and relevant to your circumstances.

• ✓Passport and current permits
• ✓Job offer and employer details
• ✓LMIA or exemption evidence where applicable
• ✓CV and occupational qualifications
• ✓Evidence for the open-permit category if relevant

Planning this application carefully

Break the offer into verifiable elements: legal employer name, work location, duties, pay, hours and start conditions. Connect your qualifications to the actual duties; similar job titles do not necessarily share immigration requirements. For regulated work, list professional licensing separately from immigration permission. Plan separate evidence and funding for dependants. If moving from an existing status, check permit expiry, contract commencement and the lawful start of activity together. Payment by itself does not verify an offer or establish that a permit will be issued.

Preparation and application steps

1. Initial review: establish purpose, nationality, residence country, dates and application history. Identify the route before opening a form.
2. Personal checklist: match each requirement to evidence and the person responsible for obtaining it. Names, dates, translations and originals should agree.
3. Pre-submission review: read the file as someone who does not know you. Resolve ambiguity with genuine explanations and records, not by omitting facts.
4. Submission and follow-up: use the official process, retain receipts and track reply deadlines. The next step may involve further uploads or attendance.
5. After the decision: read the decision and document conditions. Align travel or activities with the permission granted and set reminders for later deadlines.

Costs and timing

Separate the budget into official application charges, third-party expenses such as translations or centre services, and agreed support fees. Charges and processing vary by route, location and current conditions, so a fixed universal price or guaranteed date is not given. Before paying, verify the official charge and obtain written scope and cancellation terms. Document or appointment delays may change the timeline; consider this before making non-refundable bookings.

A mistake to avoid

Do not assume you may start work or change employers before establishing the required permission. An offer for sale or an approval promise is not a substitute for verifying the employer.

How Nova supports your preparation

Nova Visa Group helps organise initial information, identify the right questions, prepare a checklist and coordinate agreed steps. Scope, responsible provider, fees and exclusions should be clear before work begins. Where immigration, legal or professional advice requires authorisation, an appropriately qualified practitioner must be identified. The relevant authority makes the final decision; a document review or internal quality score does not guarantee approval.

Putting the route into practice

Turn a job offer into a verification sheet: legal employer name, role, duties, work location, contract duration and proposed permit type. Identify who supplies the LMIA-related evidence or the basis for an exemption. For an open permit, first identify the qualifying category. Wanting flexibility to change employers, or simply having a job offer, does not itself establish eligibility for an open work permit.