Canada work visa in 2026: how a foreigner can get one

Work permits with and without a labour market assessment, the Global Talent Stream and open permits: conditions, fees, timelines and the path to permanent residence

Canada has no work visa as a separate document: a foreigner gets a work permit, and citizens of visa-required countries are issued an entry visa with it. There are two kinds of permit. A closed one is tied to a single employer and job; an open one lets you work for almost any employer but is given only to certain groups.

In most cases the employer first obtains a labour market impact assessment: confirmation that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident was found for the job. Intracompany transferees, professionals under trade agreements, French-speaking workers and participants in youth programmes come without one.

In 2024-2026 Canada cut its intake of temporary workers: assessments for low-wage jobs are not issued in cities with high unemployment, and spouses' right to work was restricted. Below are all the options in one table, then the steps, fees, family, refusals and the path to permanent residence. Amounts are converted to US dollars at the Central Bank of Russia rate on 7 October 2026.

Work visas and permits for Canada: comparison

Term is how long a permit is usually issued for. A closed permit is valid only for the named employer, job and location.

A permit with a labour market assessment

This is the main route for hiring from abroad. The employer advertises the job, proves it found no worker in Canada, pays a fee of about $710 and receives a positive assessment. It is valid for 6 months, during which the worker applies for the permit.

Jobs are split into high-wage and low-wage by salary: the line is the provincial median wage plus 20 per cent. High-wage permits are issued for up to 3 years. Low-wage permits last up to 1 year, such workers may make up no more than 10 per cent of the workforce, and in metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6 per cent or more assessment applications are not processed at all. The list of such areas is updated every quarter.

For work in Quebec you also need the province's acceptance certificate for temporary work.

The Global Talent Stream

This is a fast-track assessment for technology companies. The employer is either referred by a designated organisation as a high-growth company or hires for a job on the list of in-demand occupations: software developers, engineers, data analysts, cybersecurity specialists. The assessment and the permit are each processed in about 2 weeks, and the salary must be at least $57,000 a year and no lower than the market rate for the occupation. Details are on the page Global Talent Stream.

Work without an assessment and open permits

No assessment is needed for employees an international company transfers to its Canadian entity after a year of work abroad, for professionals from the US and Mexico in occupations listed in the trade agreement, and for French-speaking workers in jobs outside Quebec. The employer submits the job offer through the department's portal and pays a fee of about $170.

Open permits go to graduates of Canadian universities and colleges for up to 3 years, spouses of some workers and students, participants in youth exchange programmes from countries that have an agreement with Canada, and people who have already applied for permanent residence from inside the country. With one you can change employers without new applications.

How to find an employer

Jobs are found on the government job bank, where employers flag their willingness to hire foreigners, on industry sites and through recruiters. Offers are easiest to get in technology, healthcare, skilled trades, agriculture and food processing.

By law the employer pays the assessment fee, and charging a worker for recruitment is prohibited. If an intermediary sells an assessment or a job offer, it is fraud: the department will refuse and can ban entry for 5 years for misrepresentation.

Documents and degree recognition

• passport and photo, biometrics
• the job offer and the number of the labour market assessment or of the exemption from it
• diploma and proof of qualifications; for regulated professions, a provincial licence
• CV and letters from previous employers stating duties and dates
• proof of funds for the first weeks
• a police certificate if the department asks, and a medical exam for work in healthcare, with children and in agriculture

Doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, electricians and other regulated professions need a provincial licence or certificate. Documents not in English or French are filed with a certified translation.

Step by step: from job offer to entry

On entry an officer checks the approval letter, the job offer and your documents and issues the permit itself. Check its term and conditions on the spot.

Family

A spouse and children can come with the worker. Children attend school without a separate permit. Since January 2025 a spouse gets an open work permit only if the main applicant works in a managerial or professional job, or in certain in-demand occupations, and their permit is valid for at least another 16 months. Other spouses need their own employer and permit.

Changing employer

A closed permit does not let you work for another employer. To move, the new employer obtains its own assessment or exemption and you apply for a new permit. If you apply to extend before the permit expires, you can stay and keep working on the same terms until the decision.

If you lose your job, your status lasts until the date on the permit, but you cannot work until you have a new permit.

Fees and timelines: what a work visa for Canada costs

Amounts are per adult. The medical exam, translations, degree assessment and provincial licence are paid separately. Our consultant will work out the total for your family in the chat.

Common reasons for refusal

• the officer is not satisfied that you will leave at the end of your stay
• experience and education do not match the job
• the employer breached the terms of past hires or is on the list of non-compliant employers
• insufficient funds for the first weeks
• false information in the application, which brings a 5-year entry ban
• a failed medical exam or security check

We check the job offer and the employer, prepare an explanation of your ties to home and your plans, and assemble the documents so that the officer is left with no questions.

Other routes without an employer

A skilled professional can get permanent residence in Canada straight away, with no temporary stage, through the selection system or a provincial nomination. Business founders and investors use the provincial and Quebec programmes, and those working for a foreign employer can come as visitors: see remote work from Canada.

Every route is covered on the page how to get residency in Canada.

Restrictions for certain nationalities

A work permit is open to citizens of every country. Citizens of visa-required countries, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, China and India, get a visa and give biometrics along with it; citizens of visa-exempt countries need only an electronic travel authorisation.

Some routes without an assessment are open only to citizens of particular countries: professional permits under the trade agreement to citizens of the US and Mexico, and youth exchange programmes to citizens of countries that have an agreement with Canada. People on Canada's sanctions lists are barred from entry.

Path to permanent residence

A year of skilled work in Canada within the last 3 years lets you apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class in the selection system. A language test is required, and points are awarded for age, education, language and experience; the extra points for a job offer were removed in March 2025. The second route is a nomination from the province where you work.

While the permanent residence application is processed, you can get an open work permit. Citizenship comes after 3 years of living in Canada; see our guide to Canadian citizenship, and on tax the page taxes in Canada.

This topic in other countries

Work visas in other countries:

• US work visa in 2026: how a foreigner can get one
• Poland work visa in 2026: how a foreigner can get one
• China work visa in 2026: how a foreigner can get one

More on this country:

• How to get residency in Canada: every route
• Canada: all programmes and moving
• Canadian citizenship
• Taxes in Canada
• Cost of living in Canada
• Toronto: districts and prices
• Vancouver: districts and prices

Visas for strong professionals and founders - talent and start-up visas.

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