This page is for people who want to work in Canada, whether they are abroad with a job in view, students about to graduate, or workers already here who need to keep their status. A work permit is rarely the destination on its own: for most of our clients it is the step that builds Canadian experience on the way to permanent residence.
Two kinds of work permit
Every Canadian work permit is one of two types:
| Employer-specific | Open | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you can work for | One named employer, in the job described | Almost any employer |
| What it usually needs | A job offer, normally with an LMIA or an LMIA exemption | Eligibility under a specific measure |
| Common examples | Skilled workers recruited from abroad | PGWP, spousal open work permit, bridging permit, IEC Working Holiday |
You cannot choose an open permit simply because it is more flexible. You qualify for one only through a measure that IRCC offers, and each has its own conditions.
Job offers and the LMIA, in brief
Most employer-specific permits start with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), in which the employer shows that hiring a foreign worker will not harm Canadian workers. Some offers are LMIA-exempt. Either way, the process starts with the employer and a real vacancy.
A genuine job offer is never something you buy. Since 25 March 2025, a job offer no longer earns points in Express Entry, a change IRCC made partly to stop the buying and selling of LMIAs. For employer-driven routes to work and permanent residence, see Job offers and employer-driven PR.
The Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)
International graduates of eligible Canadian programmes can apply for an open PGWP within 180 days of confirmation that they completed their programme. It lasts up to the length of the programme for programmes of eight months to under two years, and up to three years for programmes of two years or more; a master's of at least eight months can give up to three years. You get one PGWP only, and it cannot run past your passport. Graduates now need CLB 7 (university) or CLB 5 (college), and non-degree graduates must have studied in an eligible field. The details are on Study in Canada.
Spouses and partners: open work permits since January 2025
Since 21 January 2025, family open work permits are much narrower:
- Spouses of students qualify only if the student is in a master's programme of 16 months or longer, a doctoral programme, or a listed professional degree.
- Spouses of workers qualify only if the worker is in a TEER 0 or 1 job, or a selected TEER 2 or 3 occupation, and the worker's permit has at least 16 months left when the spouse applies. IRCC publishes the list of selected occupations.
- Dependent children no longer qualify under the high-skilled worker measure.
- Spouses of PGWP holders are not eligible under this measure.
Families of workers on a permanent-residence pathway (such as a provincial nominee or the Atlantic Immigration Program) and spouses covered by free-trade agreements are not affected in the same way, and permits issued before the change stay valid. If your spouse is your sponsor in Canada, see Sponsoring a spouse or partner.
Bridging open work permit
If you have applied for permanent residence from inside Canada, a bridging open work permit can let you keep working while IRCC decides. It is available to principal applicants under the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programmes, the Provincial Nominee Program (Express Entry or base), the Quebec Skilled Worker programme, the Agri-Food Pilot and some others. The Home Care Worker Immigration pilots launched in 2025 are not eligible.
You must be in Canada, hold a valid work permit (or be on maintained status, or eligible to restore it), and your PR application must have passed the completeness check (Express Entry) or the eligibility assessment (base PNP). Timing matters: apply before your current permit runs out.
Maintained status: apply before your permit expires
If you apply to extend your work or study permit before it expires, you may stay in Canada and keep working or studying under the same conditions until IRCC decides. This is called maintained status. It lasts only while you remain in Canada, and the application must be submitted online before midnight UTC on the expiry date. IRCC advises applying at least 30 days before expiry. An application made after the expiry date does not give you maintained status.
International Experience Canada (IEC)
IEC offers Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op permits to young people from countries that have a youth mobility agreement with Canada. India does not have such an agreement, as reported in the published partner lists, so IEC is generally not a direct route for our clients from Kerala. People from countries without an agreement may sometimes take part through a Recognized Organization.
Fewer temporary residents in 2026
Canada's 2026–2028 levels plan cuts new temporary-resident arrivals to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in each of 2027 and 2028. For workers, that means 170,000 a year through the International Mobility Program and 60,000 through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in 2026 (50,000 in 2027 and 2028). The aim is to bring temporary residents below 5% of the population by the end of 2027. The plan also includes a one-time measure to move up to 33,000 work-permit holders to permanent residence in 2026–2027.
The message for workers is plain: a permit is easier to plan for than to rescue. Know when yours expires, and know which PR route it is building toward.
How Polinsys helps
Joy Stephen, RCIC (CICC licence R419719), first checks which permit you actually qualify for and whether it leads anywhere you want to go, and tells you honestly before any fee is charged. We prepare employer-specific, PGWP, spousal and bridging applications, track expiry dates so you apply on time, and plan the step from work permit to permanent residence. Bring your questions to our free Friday Q&A: FREE Webinars: Resource Guides and AR Q&A.
Official sources
Rules change often. These are the government pages this page was checked against on October 2, 2026.
Related pathways
Ask about Work permits
Tell us a little about you. Our authorized representative's team replies — and an honest assessment comes before any fee.