Citizenship and Immigration Canada
www.cic.gc.ca
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Working temporarily in Canada: Arriving
Find out about
- Presenting your documents
- Medical and health insurance and workers’ compensation in Canada
- Getting a social insurance number
- Your family members working in Canada
- Staying in Canada
- Employment and labour standards
Presenting your documents
When you enter Canada, explain to the immigration officer that you have come here to work.
Be prepared to show supporting documents, such as your letter of offer of employment. If you have the confirmation number for your offer, give it to the immigration officer.
If you have a letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada saying that you are authorized to come to Canada to work, bring it with you when you come to Canada. This letter is not a travel document and it is not your work permit, but it can help support your entry to work in Canada. Once the immigration officer has checked your documents, the officer will print the actual permit for you.
Medical and health insurance and workers’ compensation in Canada
Your employer is responsible for making sure you are covered by medical and health insurance and workers’ compensation when you arrive in Canada.
Getting a social insurance number
You must have a social insurance number (SIN) to work in Canada.
You can pick up an application form for a SIN at the point where you enter Canada. You can also download the form from the Service Canada website. To access that site, go to the Related Links section at the bottom of this page. You can mail the completed application form and the necessary identification, or you can submit it in person. Instructions are given on the form. When you receive your SIN card, give the number on it to your employer.
If your family members want to work in Canada
Your spouse or common-law partner may apply for an “open” work permit that will allow her or him to accept any job with any employer, if:
A. You are authorized to work in Canada for six months or longer and the work you are doing while you live in Canada meets a minimum skill level (usually work that would require at least a college diploma). Specifically, your job must be listed in Skill Level 0, A or B in the National Occupational Classification;
Or
B. You are authorized to work in Canada and the work you are doing while you live in Canada is included in a list of eligible occupations in participating provinces.
Your spouse’s permit will be valid for the same period as yours. Find out more…
Your dependent children may also apply for an “open” work permit in certain provinces, subject to the same conditions (excluding B) mentioned above for spouses. This type of work permit is currently available in Ontario and Alberta on a trial basis. Your child’s permit will be valid for the same period as yours. They must also meet the age requirements for the province in which they live. Find out more…
Staying in Canada
Read your work permit carefully. It sets out all the conditions for working in Canada. If you do not follow those conditions, you could be asked to leave Canada.
You can apply to change the conditions of your work permit or to renew it. For more information, go to Work permit: Extending your stay in the Related Links at the bottom of this page.
Employment and labour standards
Each province and territory has standards to protect employers and employees.
Labour standards include rules about minimum wages, overtime, holidays, vacations, hours of work, rest periods and days of rest.
If you have any questions about labour standards or if you think your employer is not meeting the standards, contact the ministry responsible for labour or employment standards in the province or territory where you work.
To find out more about employment standards and your rights, see Temporary foreign workers — Your rights and the law in the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
Contacting a provincial/territorial labour standards organization
To find out how to contact the office responsible for labour or employment standards in the province or territory where you work, select the appropriate link below.
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories
Nova Scotia
Nunavut
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon
