What is an Open Work Visa ?

Canada is one of the few countries in the Western World that is actively looking for immigrants, with over 250,000 new immigrants arriving in Canada every year . Independent immigration to Canada used to take a long time to process, meaning directly sponsoring a migrant worker was often the only viable option. However, in January 2015 Canada overhauled their immigration and work permit rules by launching the Express Entry system for hiring skilled long term workers, and reformed the rules for hiring temporary workers too.

Now there are 2 main options for employers who want to hire migrant workers in Canada:

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program / International Mobility Program

  The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP) are very similar visa categories, which allow employers to hire migrant workers to fill short term labour and skill shortages. Which program you use is determined by whether you need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA); those who do should apply under the TFWP, while those that don't should use the IMP.
  To find out if you need an LMIA you can review the Canadian government's list of LMIA exemption codes yourself, which can be a complex and lengthy process. Alternatively, our in house Canadian immigration specialists can handle the entire application for you.
  Once you know which visa category to apply for you can make the candidate an official job offer, after which they can apply for a Canadian work permit.

• Express Entry (Permanent Residence for Skilled Migrants)

  Express Entry is aimed at skilled workers, and allows employers to select potential employees from a pool of candidates. The system ranks potential migrants according to factors such as their skills, work experience, English and French language ability, and education.

  This category of Canadian work visas is split into three subcategories :

  • The Federal Skilled Worker Program is frequently used by employers to bring in highly educated and skilled workers, managers, executives and the like.
  • The Federal Skilled Trades Program is designed for skilled tradespeople, such as construction specialists, natural resources industry technicians, and manufacturing supervisors.
  • The Canada Experience Class is for migrants with previous Canadian work experience, such as international students, who often apply while already in Canada.