Founder and Principal Consultant
Introduction to Closed Work Permits
What this page covers
- What does it actually restrict?
- How does the employer obtain one?
- Where do employers and workers get caught?
- Why would you accept one?
If you stop working for the named employer you have not lost your status. You simply cannot work for anyone else until you hold a permit that allows it. That distinction matters more than almost anything else on this page.
What Does an Employer Specific Permit Actually Restrict?
A closed permit, properly called an employer-specific work permit, names your employer, your work location and your occupation, and lists numbered conditions on the document itself. You may work only within those terms until it expires. Understanding the boundary matters, because stepping outside it is a status problem, not an administrative one.
What Is Fixed on the Permit:
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The named employer, and you cannot work for another without a new permit
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The work location, where one is specified
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The occupation, and materially different duties can fall outside it
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The expiry date, after which you must have applied to extend or you lose authorization
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Any additional numbered conditions, including medical or occupational restrictions
Changing employer, and in many cases changing role with the same employer, requires a new work permit. You may begin the new work only once it is issued, not when the application is submitted.
How Does the Employer Obtain One?
The route depends on whether the job requires a Labour Market Impact Assessment or falls under an LMIA-exempt category of the International Mobility Program.
The LMIA Route:
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The employer applies to ESDC and pays the $1,000 fee per position requested
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A positive assessment is valid for a maximum of six months, reduced from twelve on 1 May 2024
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Low-wage positions support employment of up to one year, high-wage up to three years
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Since 1 April 2026 low-wage advertising runs eight consecutive weeks and must include youth recruitment
The LMIA-Exempt Route:
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The employer submits an Offer of Employment through the Employer Portal
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A $230 employer compliance fee applies
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Common categories include intra-company transfers, free trade agreement professionals and significant benefit cases
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No advertising or recruitment is required, but the exemption must genuinely apply
Where Do Employers and Workers Get Caught?
Enforcement has intensified sharply. In the 2025 to 2026 fiscal year ESDC conducted 1,488 inspections, found roughly twelve per cent non-compliance, banned thirty employers and issued $10.2 million in penalties, more than double the previous year. Penalties reach $1 million per employer per year and bans run from two years to permanent.
Points Worth Knowing Before You Sign:
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Low-wage applications are refused outright in census metropolitan areas with unemployment at or above six per cent, which currently includes Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo
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Check the public list of non-compliant employers before accepting an offer
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A worker on a closed permit is exposed if their employer is found non-compliant
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A visitor in Canada can no longer apply for an employer-specific work permit inland, as that public policy ended on 28 August 2024
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Flagpoling to obtain a work permit at the border ended on 23 December 2024, with limited exemptions
If your circumstances have changed, or the job is not what was described, an open work permit may be available to you instead. Where the issue is abuse or the risk of abuse, see our page on the open work permit for vulnerable workers.
IRCC Processing Time
Work Permit from outside Canada
10 weeks
Current IRCC processing time for Work Permit from outside Canada from India is 10 weeks.
As per IRCC, last updated 2026-09-16 00:39:20, refreshed weekly
Processing times for all countries
| Country of application | Processing time |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | No processing time available |
| Albania | No processing time available |
| Algeria | 8 weeks |
| Andorra | No processing time available |
| Angola | No processing time available |
| Anguilla | No processing time available |
| Antigua and Barbuda | No processing time available |
| Argentina | 6 weeks |
| Armenia | No processing time available |
| Aruba | No processing time available |
| Australia | 7 weeks |
| Austria | No processing time available |
| Azerbaijan | No processing time available |
| Bahamas | No processing time available |
| Bahrain | No processing time available |
| Bangladesh | 7 weeks |
| Barbados | No processing time available |
| Belarus | No processing time available |
| Belgium | 2 weeks |
| Belize | No processing time available |
| Benin | No processing time available |
| Bermuda | No processing time available |
| Bhutan | No processing time available |
| Bolivia | No processing time available |
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | No processing time available |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | No processing time available |
| Botswana | No processing time available |
| Brazil | 5 weeks |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | No processing time available |
| Brunei | No processing time available |
| Bulgaria | No processing time available |
| Burkina Faso | No processing time available |
| Burma (Myanmar) | No processing time available |
| Burundi | No processing time available |
| Cambodia | No processing time available |
| Cameroon | 7 weeks |
| Canada | 15 weeks |
| Cabo Verde | No processing time available |
| Cayman Islands | No processing time available |
| Central African Republic | No processing time available |
| Chad | No processing time available |
| Chile | 4 weeks |
| China (People's Republic of) | 5 weeks |
| Colombia | 5 weeks |
| Comoros Island | No processing time available |
| Congo (Republic of) | No processing time available |
| Costa Rica | No processing time available |
| Côte d’Ivoire | 12 weeks |
| Croatia | No processing time available |
| Cuba | No processing time available |
| Cyprus | No processing time available |
| Czech Republic | No processing time available |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | No processing time available |
| Denmark | No processing time available |
| Djibouti | No processing time available |
| Dominica | No processing time available |
| Dominican Republic | 6 weeks |
| Ecuador | 6 weeks |
| Egypt | 11 weeks |
| El Salvador | 4 weeks |
| Equatorial Guinea | No processing time available |
| Eritrea | No processing time available |
| Estonia | No processing time available |
| Ethiopia | No processing time available |
| Fiji | No processing time available |
| Finland | No processing time available |
| France | 3 weeks |
| Gabon | No processing time available |
| Gambia | No processing time available |
| Georgia | No processing time available |
| Germany | 7 weeks |
| Ghana | 20 weeks |
| Greece | No processing time available |
| Grenada | No processing time available |
| Greenland | No processing time available |
| Guatemala | 1 week |
| Guinea | No processing time available |
| Guinea-Bissau | No processing time available |
| Guyana | No processing time available |
| Haiti | 6 weeks |
| Holy See (Vatican City) | No processing time available |
| Honduras | 3 weeks |
| Hong Kong | 14 weeks |
| Hungary | No processing time available |
| Iceland | No processing time available |
| India | 10 weeks |
| Indonesia | 15 weeks |
| Iran | 36 weeks |
| Iraq | No processing time available |
| Ireland | 7 weeks |
| Israel | 5 weeks |
| Italy | 7 weeks |
| Jamaica | 20 weeks |
| Japan | 3 weeks |
| Jordan | No processing time available |
| Kazakhstan | No processing time available |
| Kenya | 8 weeks |
| Kiribati | No processing time available |
| Kosovo | No processing time available |
| Kuwait | No processing time available |
| Kyrgyzstan | No processing time available |
| Laos | No processing time available |
| Latvia | No processing time available |
| Lebanon | No processing time available |
| Lesotho | No processing time available |
| Liberia | No processing time available |
| Libya | 3 weeks |
| Liechtenstein | No processing time available |
| Lithuania | No processing time available |
| Luxembourg | No processing time available |
| Macao | No processing time available |
| North Macedonia | No processing time available |
| Madagascar | 38 weeks |
| Malawi | No processing time available |
| Malaysia | 12 weeks |
| Maldives | No processing time available |
| Mali | No processing time available |
| Malta | No processing time available |
| Marshall Islands | No processing time available |
| Martinique | No processing time available |
| Mauritania | No processing time available |
| Mauritius | 12 weeks |
| Mexico | 2 weeks |
| Micronesia (Federated States of) | No processing time available |
| Moldova | 6 weeks |
| Monaco | No processing time available |
| Mongolia | No processing time available |
| Montenegro | No processing time available |
| Morocco | 7 weeks |
| Mozambique | No processing time available |
| Namibia | No processing time available |
| Nauru | No processing time available |
| Nepal | 5 weeks |
| Netherlands | No processing time available |
| New Caledonia | No processing time available |
| New Zealand | No processing time available |
| Nicaragua | 4 weeks |
| Niger | No processing time available |
| Nigeria | 10 weeks |
| Korea (Democratic People's Republic of, North) | No processing time available |
| Norway | No processing time available |
| Oman | No processing time available |
| Pakistan | 8 weeks |
| Palestinian Authority | No processing time available |
| West Bank | No processing time available |
| Panama | No processing time available |
| Papua New Guinea | No processing time available |
| Paraguay | No processing time available |
| Peru | 2 weeks |
| Philippines | 7 weeks |
| Poland | No processing time available |
| Portugal | No processing time available |
| Puerto Rico | No processing time available |
| Qatar | 16 weeks |
| Romania | No processing time available |
| Russia | No processing time available |
| Rwanda | 10 weeks |
| Saint Lucia | No processing time available |
| Samoa | No processing time available |
| San Marino | No processing time available |
| Sao Tome and Principe | No processing time available |
| Saudi Arabia | 4 weeks |
| Senegal | 15 weeks |
| Serbia | No processing time available |
| Seychelles | No processing time available |
| Sierra Leone | No processing time available |
| Singapore | 10 weeks |
| Slovakia | No processing time available |
| Slovenia | No processing time available |
| Solomon Islands | No processing time available |
| Somalia | No processing time available |
| South Africa | 15 weeks |
| Korea (Republic of, South) | 23 weeks |
| South Sudan | No processing time available |
| Spain | 2 weeks |
| Sri Lanka | 8 weeks |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | No processing time available |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | No processing time available |
| Sudan | No processing time available |
| Suriname | No processing time available |
| Eswatini | No processing time available |
| Sweden | No processing time available |
| Switzerland | No processing time available |
| Syria | No processing time available |
| French Polynesia | No processing time available |
| Taiwan | 3 weeks |
| Tajikistan | No processing time available |
| Tanzania | No processing time available |
| Thailand | 12 weeks |
| Timor-Leste | No processing time available |
| Togo | No processing time available |
| Tonga | No processing time available |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 2 weeks |
| Tunisia | 5 weeks |
| Turkey | 4 weeks |
| Turkmenistan | No processing time available |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | No processing time available |
| Tuvalu | No processing time available |
| Uganda | No processing time available |
| Ukraine | No processing time available |
| United Arab Emirates | 7 weeks |
| United Kingdom | 4 weeks |
| United States | 2 weeks |
| Uruguay | No processing time available |
| Virgin Islands (U.S.) | No processing time available |
| Uzbekistan | No processing time available |
| Vanuatu | No processing time available |
| Venezuela | No processing time available |
| Vietnam | 5 weeks |
| Yemen | No processing time available |
| Zambia | No processing time available |
| Zimbabwe | 44 weeks |
| lastupdated | September 9, 2026 |
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Work permit times vary by country and stream. LMIA-based permits may have additional employer or job offer processing on top of this.
Get a free assessment →
Would a Considered View on Your Closed Work Permits Options Help?
Most applicants have more than one route available and rarely the same one they arrived expecting. SAAB Immigration Services Inc. offers a complimentary ten minute consultation to set out the options that genuinely apply to your situation. There is no obligation.
Why Would You Accept a Closed Permit?
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Employer-Specific OpportunitiesClosed work permits are essential for employers who need to hire foreign nationals to fill specific job roles that require specialized skills not readily available in the local labor market. This arrangement ensures that employers can meet their operational needs while adhering to Canadian immigration regulations.
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Structured EmploymentFor employees, closed work permits provide a structured pathway to work in Canada, with a clear understanding of their job role, employer, and location. This can help with job security and stability during their stay.
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Compliance with Canadian LawsClosed work permits ensure that both employers and employees comply with Canadian labor laws and immigration regulations. Employers must obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or qualify under specific LMIA exemptions, proving that the employment of a foreign worker will not negatively impact the Canadian job market.
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Pathways to Permanent ResidencyCertain closed work permits can also serve as stepping stones toward permanent residency in Canada. For example, job roles supported by an LMIA can provide additional points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) under the Express Entry system, enhancing the chances of obtaining permanent residency.
Closed work permits may require one or more of the following
Labour Market Impact Assessment
Most closed work permits require an LMIA, which is a document that an employer in Canada may need to obtain before hiring a foreign worker.
Provincial Nominee Program Support Letter
Some closed work permits can be issued based on a support letter from a Provincial Nominee Program, although not all PNPs support this.
Employer-Specific Criteria
Depending on the job and the province, additional criteria or documentation may be needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change employers on a closed work permit?
Not without a new work permit. The permit names your employer, and in many cases your work location and occupation. You may begin working for a new employer only once the new permit is issued, not when the application is submitted.
How long is an LMIA valid?
Six months. It was cut from twelve months on 1 May 2024, so any source telling you twelve months is out of date. Low-wage positions support employment of up to one year and high-wage positions up to three years.
My employer is in Toronto. Can they get a low-wage LMIA?
Generally no. Low-wage applications are refused outright in census metropolitan areas with unemployment at or above six per cent, and the current table covering 10 July to 8 October 2026 includes Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo. Exemptions apply for primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care, and positions of 120 days or less.
What happens if my employer is found non-compliant?
It affects you, not only them. Penalties reach one million dollars per employer per year and bans run from two years to permanent. Check the public list of non-compliant employers before you accept an offer.
Can I flagpole to get my work permit at the border?
No. Flagpoling for work and study permits ended on 23 December 2024. Exemptions remain for United States citizens and lawful permanent residents, certain free trade agreement professionals and their spouses, international truck drivers renewing after a required departure, and anyone with a pre-booked CBSA appointment.
What is the difference between a closed and an open work permit?
A closed permit, properly called employer-specific, names your employer and limits you to that job. An open permit lets you work for almost any employer. Open permits belong to defined categories such as post-graduation, spousal or bridging, and are not available on request.
Plan Your Closed Work Permits Application Properly, the First Time
A refused application follows an applicant into everything that comes after it, which is why the preparation matters more than the submission. We will review your circumstances and documents together, address the risks before they reach an officer, and set out exactly what is required.
Our Team
Related Pages
Other pages on this site that deal with closely connected questions.