Work permits
Work Permits for Workers and Employers
Work permits are where Canadian immigration gets technical. The right permit depends on your job, your employer, your family situation and, more than people expect, on timing. I handle both sides of this equation: workers who need status, and employers who need people.
For workers
Which permit fits you
LMIA-based permits
Your employer obtains a Labour Market Impact Assessment, and the permit ties you to that job. Strong option, strict paperwork.
Open work permits
Freedom to work for any employer. Available in specific situations: spouses of some workers and students, recent graduates, and several programs with their own rules.
Post-Graduation Work Permits
For graduates of eligible Canadian programs. The eligibility list is frozen for 2026, and degree graduates have an easier path. If you are still choosing a study program, check the study permit page first, because PGWP eligibility is decided the day you enrol.
Extensions and status
Permits expire faster than plans do. I handle extensions and restorations of status, and the earlier you come, the more options you have.
A note for couples: spousal open work permit rules tightened sharply in 2025 and 2026 and now depend on the principal applicant’s occupation or program level. Do not assume; check.
For employers
Hiring from abroad, done properly the first time
Hiring from abroad is a process with real steps: LMIA applications, compliance, offers of employment, and in some cases provincial nomination support. I help Ontario businesses do this properly the first time, because fixing a refused LMIA costs more than preparing a strong one.
What you get with me
An honest read on which permit fits, documents prepared by a licensed consultant, and one person answering for the file from start to finish.
Related services
OINP
Keeping a valued worker in Ontario permanently.
Express Entry and PR
Turning Canadian work experience into permanent residence.
Study Permits
Where the PGWP story begins.
Permit expiring, or hiring from abroad?
Both are easier to solve early. One conversation is usually enough to see the path.