Who qualifies for a Canada work permit?

A worker with a genuine job offer from a Canadian employer who holds a positive LMIA from Service Canada, or whose offer is LMIA-exempt under the International Mobility Program (intra-company transfer, trade agreements, Global Talent Stream after its own LMIA, or a significant-benefit code). The worker must meet the job's education and experience requirements and show they will leave Canada when the permit ends.

Employer side: CAD 1,000 per position for the LMIA, which cannot be recovered from the worker, or CAD 230 employer compliance fee for an LMIA-exempt offer filed through the Employer Portal. Worker side: CAD 155 for the work permit, CAD 85 for biometrics and CAD 100 extra if the permit is open.

How long does it take from India?

IRCC's tool showed about 11 weeks for work permits filed from India in late October 2026, after biometrics. The LMIA itself takes Service Canada several weeks to a few months by stream; Global Talent Stream LMIAs are targeted at two weeks.

Who pays the LMIA fee in Canada?

The employer, CAD 1,000 per position. The fee cannot be passed to the worker directly or indirectly; doing so is an employer compliance violation with penalties and bans.

What is the high-wage threshold for an LMIA in 2026?

The provincial or territorial median hourly wage plus 20 percent, applied to applications since 8 November 2024 with updated regional figures in 2026. Offers below it fall into the low-wage stream, which is not processed in high-unemployment metropolitan areas.

Can I change employers on a Canadian work permit?

Not on an employer-specific permit without a new LMIA or exemption and a new permit. Workers already in Canada can start the new job once the new permit application is submitted and the public-policy request is approved.

Does a Canadian work permit lead to permanent residence?

One year of skilled Canadian experience (TEER 0 to 3) qualifies you for the Canadian Experience Class in Express Entry, and from 3 November 2026 high-wage Canadian experience earns extra CRS points. Several provincial nominee streams also target current work permit holders.

How does Vistolane handle Canada work permits?

Work routes go to a licence-checked immigration partner on Vistolane who handles the employer's LMIA file and the worker's permit together; employers get a compliance check before the offer letter is issued.

Canada visaTemporary foreign worker

Canada work permit for Indian applicants: LMIA and employer-specific permits

Most Indian applicants reach Canada on an employer-specific work permit backed by a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment. The employer pays CAD 1,000 for the LMIA and must offer at least the median wage plus 20 percent to use the high-wage stream; the worker pays CAD 155 for the permit and CAD 85 for biometrics.

7 min read Verified 29 October 2026 against canada.ca · How we verify

Canada work permit: quick answers

Who qualifies for a Canada work permit?: A worker with a genuine job offer from a Canadian employer who holds a positive LMIA from Service Canada, or whose offer is LMIA-exempt under the International Mobility Program (intra-company transfer, trade agreements, Global Talent Stream after its own LMIA, or a significant-benefit code). The worker must meet the job's education and experience requirements and show they will leave Canada when the permit ends.
What does it cost?: Employer side: CAD 1,000 per position for the LMIA, which cannot be recovered from the worker, or CAD 230 employer compliance fee for an LMIA-exempt offer filed through the Employer Portal. Worker side: CAD 155 for the work permit, CAD 85 for biometrics and CAD 100 extra if the permit is open.
How long does it take from India?: IRCC's tool showed about 11 weeks for work permits filed from India in late October 2026, after biometrics. The LMIA itself takes Service Canada several weeks to a few months by stream; Global Talent Stream LMIAs are targeted at two weeks.

Canada Work permit (LMIA and employer-specific)

At a glance

Item	Detail
Permit	Employer-specific (closed) work permit tied to one employer, role and location
LMIA fee	CAD 1,000 per position, paid by the employer only
Employer compliance fee (LMIA-exempt)	CAD 230 per worker
Work permit fee	CAD 155 per person; open work permit holders add CAD 100
Biometrics	CAD 85 per person
High-wage threshold	Provincial or territorial median hourly wage plus 20 percent
Low-wage stream	Not processed in census metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6 percent or more; 8 weeks of advertising
Processing from India	About 11 weeks (IRCC tool, late October 2026)

Who can apply and what the employer must do first

The sequence is employer first, worker second. Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program the employer advertises the role, applies to Service Canada for an LMIA, pays CAD 1,000 per position and receives a positive LMIA letter with a number the worker quotes in the permit application. Under the International Mobility Program the employer skips the LMIA, submits the offer through the Employer Portal with the exemption code and pays CAD 230.

Since November 2024 the high-wage stream requires the offered wage to be at least 20 percent above the provincial or territorial median hourly wage; everything below runs in the low-wage stream, which Service Canada refuses to process in census metropolitan areas where unemployment is 6 percent or higher and which now requires eight consecutive weeks of advertising across at least four channels. Employers in those regions must raise the wage into the high-wage stream or use an LMIA exemption.

The worker proves they meet the job requirements in the LMIA (education, experience, licensing where the occupation is regulated), has no criminal or medical bar and will leave at the end of the permit. Spouses can apply for an open work permit only when the principal worker is in a management, professional or priority-sector occupation with at least 16 months left on the permit.

Fees on both sides

Item	CAD	Paid by
LMIA application	1,000 per position	Employer; non-refundable once processing starts; not charged when Service Canada refuses to process
Employer compliance fee (IMP, LMIA-exempt)	230 per worker	Employer, through the Employer Portal
Work permit (including extensions)	155 per person	Worker
Open work permit holder fee	100 per person	Worker, only for open permits
Biometrics	85 per person; 170 per family	Worker
Restore status as a worker	401.25	Worker; restoration plus a new permit within 90 days

Recruiters may not charge the worker for the job offer or the LMIA; a fee paid to a recruiter for 'LMIA processing' is a warning sign for both the worker and the employer's compliance record.

How the application runs, step by step

1
Employer advertises and files the LMIA
Job Bank posting plus other channels for four weeks (eight for low-wage), then the LMIA application with the CAD 1,000 fee. Global Talent Stream employers skip advertising.
2
Positive LMIA or Employer Portal offer
Service Canada issues the LMIA letter and annex; for exempt offers the employer submits the offer and pays CAD 230 and gives the worker the offer number.
3
Worker files the permit from India
In the IRCC account: LMIA number and copy, contract, qualifications, experience letters, passport, photo. Pay CAD 155 plus CAD 85 biometrics.
4
Biometrics, medical and any request
VAC appointment within 30 days; a medical exam is required for healthcare, childcare and agricultural roles and for stays over six months.
5
Letter of introduction and arrival
Approval brings a port-of-entry letter and a TRV; the permit is printed at the airport. Start work only after it is issued, and only for the named employer.

Timeline for an employer-sponsored hire

Stage	Typical time
Advertising	4 weeks high-wage; 8 weeks low-wage
LMIA decision	Several weeks to a few months by stream; about 2 weeks for Global Talent Stream
Work permit decision from India	About 11 weeks after biometrics (late October 2026)
Passport back and travel	1 to 2 weeks

Plan five to seven months from the offer letter to the first day of work for a standard LMIA hire, two to three months for Global Talent Stream.

Changing employers, extending and the route to permanent residence

An employer-specific permit allows work only for the employer, job and location printed on it. Changing jobs means a new LMIA or exemption and a new permit, though a public policy lets a worker already in Canada start the new job once the new application is submitted. Extend before expiry; status is maintained while a timely extension is processed.

Canadian work experience in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 counts towards the Canadian Experience Class after one year. From 3 November 2026, Express Entry awards up to 150 points for Canadian experience in a high-wage occupation and up to 100 points for a qualifying job offer at twice the median wage, and no LMIA is needed for the offer to count. The work permit itself still needs the LMIA or exemption.

Document checklist: from the employer

Document	Standard the officer applies
Positive LMIA letter and annex, or Employer Portal offer number	The LMIA number goes in the application; the annex lists the wage, hours and location
Signed employment contract or offer letter	Job title, NOC or TEER code, wage matching the LMIA, start date, duration, location
Employer's business documents on request	Registration and proof the business is active, usually already assessed by Service Canada

Your qualifications

Document	Standard the officer applies
Degree and diploma certificates with transcripts	Matching the education the LMIA requires; an ECA is not mandatory but helps when the officer compares credentials
Experience letters	On letterhead with duties, dates, hours and salary; the duties must match the NOC lead statement
Licence or registration for regulated jobs	Provincial nursing, engineering or trades registration, or the eligibility letter
Language test if the LMIA or province asks	IELTS General or CELPIP; required for several provincial streams

Identity, health and character

Document	Standard the officer applies
Passport valid beyond the permit period	The permit cannot outlast the passport
Digital photo	IRCC specification
Medical exam receipt (IMM 1017)	Required for healthcare, childcare, teaching and agricultural roles and for stays over six months
Police clearance certificate	From every country lived in for six months or more since age 18, when requested

Family and funds

Document	Standard the officer applies
Family information form IMM 5707	All family members listed even if not travelling
Spouse's documents for an open work permit	Marriage certificate and your permit details; only for eligible occupations and durations
Settlement funds	Statements showing enough to live until the first salary; no fixed figure for workers

Why applications on this route get refused, and the fix

Not qualified for the job offered

Education or experience letters did not match the requirements in the LMIA or the NOC duties; the officer doubted you could perform the work.

The fix. Obtain detailed experience letters that mirror the NOC lead statement and main duties, add an educational credential assessment and any licensing eligibility letter.

Genuineness of the job offer

The employer's size, revenue or history did not support the role, or the wage was below the stream threshold, so the officer questioned whether the job existed as described.

The fix. Employers should keep the LMIA file complete (business registration, payroll, premises) and offer at least the median wage plus 20 percent; workers should request a copy of the full LMIA before filing.

Not satisfied you will leave Canada

Weak ties, family in Canada and no explanation of plans after the permit.

The fix. Declare dual intent, then document ties and a plan: property, dependants, savings and the employer's statement of the contract term.

LMIA expired or refused to process

The LMIA was used after its six-month validity or Service Canada refused to process a low-wage application in a 6-percent-unemployment region.

The fix. File the permit within the LMIA validity window; employers in affected regions move the role to the high-wage stream or an exemption category before re-advertising.

Misrepresentation

A recruiter supplied an experience letter the employer did not issue, or an earlier refusal was not declared. Section 40 findings bring a five-year ban.

The fix. Verify every letter with the issuer, declare all refusals and never pay a recruiter for an LMIA; report demands for payment to Service Canada.

Official sources

Canada work permit questions

Temporary foreign worker · government fee

₹10,525

Official fee: CAD 155 per person
LMIA fee: CAD 1,000 per position, paid by the employer only
Biometrics: CAD 85 per person
High-wage threshold: Provincial or territorial median hourly wage plus 20 percent

Start the Canada work route Check my eligibility

Government fees are charged at the official IRCC rate.

Long-form guideCanada Work permit: the step-by-step guideWritten from the same IRCC pages, with the month-by-month plan.Refused before?Every Canada refusal reason, with the fixAll 5 Canada routes on one page, grouped by theme.

Other Canada routes

Temporary resident visa

Visitor visa (TRV)

CAD 100 per person

Read the route

International student

Study permit

CAD 150 per person

Read the route

Permanent residence

Express Entry (permanent residence)

CAD 1,590 principal applicant

Read the route

Family class

Spousal and partner sponsorship

CAD 1,260 per spouse

Read the route