Closed Work Permit in Canada: Requirements, LMIA, and How to Apply

A closed work permit in Canada, formally called an employer-specific work permit, authorizes you to work for one named Canadian employer in a specific job for a set period, and sometimes only in a specific location. Most temporary foreign workers coming to Canada hold this type of permit rather than an open one. To get it, you need a genuine job offer from a Canadian employer, usually backed by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), and you apply online through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

What the Permit Locks In

Your permit spells out three conditions: the employer you can work for, how long you are authorized to work, and often the location where you can work.¹ You cannot freelance, pick up shifts with a different company, or switch to a new role at the same company without a new application. If a city or province is named on the permit, that restriction applies too.

An open work permit removes those conditions and lets the holder work for almost any employer anywhere in Canada, but open permits are only available in limited situations such as spouses of certain skilled workers or graduates of Canadian programs. If you are coming to Canada on a job offer, expect a closed permit.

The Job Offer and the LMIA

Every closed work permit starts with a real job offer from a Canadian employer. In most cases, that employer must first get a Labour Market Impact Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada. The LMIA is the government’s confirmation that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available for the role, so hiring a foreign worker is justified.² The employer applies for the LMIA and pays the fees. Once approved, the positive LMIA becomes part of your work permit application.

Not every job needs one. Employers can hire through the International Mobility Program without an LMIA if a recognized exemption applies. Common exemptions cover intra-company transfers, professionals entering under free trade agreements like CUSMA, and roles that bring a significant economic or cultural benefit to Canada.² Even without an LMIA, the employer still has to submit a formal offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal and include the correct exemption code.

What Else You Need to Qualify

Beyond the job offer, you have to meet Canada’s general admissibility rules. You must show you intend to leave Canada when the permit expires, prove you have enough money to support yourself, have no serious criminal record, and be in good health. Depending on your citizenship or the work you will do, you may need a medical exam, which can add three or more months to processing.³

How to Apply

Fees

The processing fee is CAD $155 per person.⁴ Most applicants also owe a biometrics fee of CAD $85, with a family maximum of CAD $170 for families applying together.⁵

Documents and Submission

You apply online through IRCC’s portal. Standard supporting documents include a valid passport, the job offer letter, a copy of the positive LMIA if one is required, an employment contract, educational credentials, and proof of financial capacity.⁶ An incomplete application gets returned without processing, which resets the clock entirely.³

Biometrics

After you submit, IRCC sends a biometrics instruction letter. You then have 30 days to provide your fingerprints and photo in person at an authorized collection site.⁷ Book that appointment right away, because missing the deadline can delay or derail the application.

Processing Times

Processing times vary widely by country of application. Applications from outside Canada have recently taken roughly five to fourteen weeks depending on the country, while applications from inside Canada have taken considerably longer. IRCC publishes live estimates on its processing time tool, and the numbers shift often, so check before committing to any start date.⁸

One note if you are already in Canada: the practice of driving to a land border and coming right back to get a new permit issued on the spot, known as flagpoling, ended December 23, 2024. If you are inside Canada, apply online.⁹

Extending Your Permit

If your job continues past the expiry date, apply for an extension. IRCC recommends filing at least 30 days before your current permit expires.¹⁰ The extension fee is the same CAD $155.⁴

If you file the extension before the permit expires and stay in Canada, you keep working under the same conditions until IRCC decides. This is called maintained status (previously implied status). You have to stay with the same employer and the same role listed on the expiring permit during that period.¹¹ File one day late and you lose that protection.

Restoring Status If the Permit Expired

If your permit already expired and you did not apply in time, you have 90 days to apply for restoration of status. IRCC must receive the application within that window.¹² The fee is CAD $401.25, which covers the $246.25 restoration charge plus the $155 work permit fee.⁴

To qualify, you must have complied with the conditions on the expired permit and cannot have held a temporary resident permit. Miss the 90 days and your only option is to leave Canada and reapply from abroad. Foreign workers with a support letter from a participating province or territory are not bound by the 90-day deadline.¹²

Changing Employers

Because the permit is tied to one employer, switching jobs means applying for an entirely new work permit. The new employer usually needs a fresh LMIA or an LMIA-exempt offer, and you submit a new application with the updated details.

A temporary public policy lets you start working for the new employer before the new permit is approved, but only under specific conditions. You must be physically in Canada with valid temporary resident status, have already submitted your new employer-specific work permit application, and then request authorization through the IRCC web form.¹³ IRCC emails you to confirm whether you are authorized to start.¹⁴ Do not start the new job until that email arrives.

Your Rights on the Job

Being tied to a single employer creates a real power imbalance, and Canadian law addresses it directly. Temporary foreign workers have the same workplace protections as Canadian citizens and permanent residents.¹⁵

Your employer must:

Provide a signed copy of your employment agreement on or before your first day
Pay you as stated in the agreement, including any overtime it covers
Make reasonable efforts to keep the workplace free from physical, sexual, psychological, and financial abuse
Obtain and pay for private health insurance covering emergency medical care until you qualify for provincial coverage
Provide access to health care if you are injured or become ill at work

Your employer cannot:

Force you to do unsafe work or tasks outside your employment agreement
Punish you for reporting mistreatment, unsafe conditions, or cooperating with a government inspection
Take your passport or work permit
Threaten to have you deported or to change your immigration status
Make you reimburse recruitment fees they paid to hire you

You also have the right to refuse dangerous work, and your employer cannot fire you or hold back pay for exercising that right.¹⁵

The Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers

If you are being abused or are at risk of abuse connected to your job, you can apply for an open work permit for vulnerable workers. It removes the employer restriction and lets you work for any eligible employer in Canada.¹⁶ The abuse can be physical, sexual, psychological, or financial. You do not need to have reported the abuse to police to apply. Every closed permit holder should know this option exists before they need it.

Bringing a Spouse or Partner

If you hold a closed work permit in a high-skilled occupation, your spouse or common-law partner may qualify for a spousal open work permit. The principal worker must be employed (or have an approved offer) at a TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupation, or in select TEER 2 or TEER 3 occupations, and the work permit must be valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives the spouse’s application.¹⁷

Since January 2025, eligibility for spousal open work permits has narrowed. Workers in lower-skilled TEER categories generally no longer qualify to sponsor a spouse for this permit, and the rules differ depending on whether you are on a pathway to permanent residence. Check current eligibility on the IRCC website before assuming your spouse can obtain work authorization, because this area of policy has been changing rapidly.

1
Government of Canada. Work Permit
2
Government of Canada. Find Out If You Need a Labour Market Impact Assessment
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Work Permit: After You Apply
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees: Fee List
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Government of Canada. Biometrics
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Work Permit: How to Apply
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Find Out If You Need to Give Biometrics
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Check Application Processing Times
9
Canada Border Services Agency. Ending Flagpoling for Work and Study Permits at the Border
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Extend or Change the Conditions on Your Work Permit
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Can I Keep Working If My Permit Expires?
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Restore Your Status and Get a Work Permit
13
Government of Canada. Extend or Change the Conditions on Your Work Permit
14
Government of Canada. Temporary Public Policy to Exempt Foreign Nationals in Canada From Certain Requirements When Changing Employment
15
Employment and Social Development Canada. Temporary Foreign Workers: Your Rights Are Protected
16
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers Who Are Victims of Abuse
17
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Open Work Permits for Family Members of Foreign Workers