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Canadian Work Permit

Canada’s enviable standard of living, spectacular scenery, first class education system and abundant job opportunities make it an extremely popular choice for potential migrants. Combine that with its relative proximity to Europe compared with other migration hotspots, and it's clear why so many people are looking to Canada to start a new life.

If you are interested in emigrating to Canada, your first step should be to see if you qualify by completing an online assessment.

• Get an immediate understanding of your Canadian visa opportunities. Complete an Online Assessment for Migration to Canada.

Canadian Work Permit Stages

The process for obtaining a Canadian Work Permit consists of three distinct stages;

1. Obtain a valid offer of Arranged Employment from a Canadian Employer.
    
2. The Canadian employer must then apply for an LMO (Labour Market Opinion).
   For further information on this, see below.
   
3. You then apply for the work permit through CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada).

Being in Canada on a work permit makes applying for permanent residency through the skilled migration route much faster and simpler. To see if you would qualify for a permanent residency visa, with or without an offer of employment, complete our Skilled Visa Assessment form.

 Take our online Skilled Visa Assessment to get started on your Canadian Work Permit application today

LMO (Labour Market Opinion)

It is the employer's responsibility to obtain the LMO on the employee's behalf and one must be obtained before the foreign worker may apply for a work permit. The purpose of the LMO is so that the Department of Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSCD) can verify that the job offered to a foreign national could not have been filled by a Canadian Citizen.

This usually means that, amongst other things, the employer has gone to reasonable efforts to advertise the position to Canadians before offering the job to a foreign national. The processing time for a standard LMO is 3 to 4 months.