Open Work Permit vs Employer-Specific Work Permit (Inland Application)

[njpsy]

Hi all --

I'm a bit confused about work permits. My wife is a Canadian citizen and is sponsoring me for inland permanent residence. We included in the form the application for an open work permit but have yet to receive it. I was hoping to start working as soon as possible to help support the household and this is where I got a bit confused:

- If I understand it correctly, any non-Canadian can apply for a job in Canada but it would require that the company fill out some paperwork to get a work visa. If that is accepted, you would show up to the border with the job offer and the work visa and you were all good. Is this more or less correct?

- If the above is correct, is this something that I can take advantage of? That is, can I start to apply for jobs, simply informing prospective employers that I would need a work visa. Or since I have already applied for a OWP am I forced to wait until a decision is made?

- If both of the above are correct, is there any estimate on the length of time between the accepting of a job offer and the approval of the work permit so that I could begin working? That is, is the timing such that by the time the LMIA is completed and the work permit submitted I'll likely already received the OWP.

Thank you so much in advance for helping with my questions. This can all be so confusing sometimes!

 

[scylla]

You can apply for a closed work permit if you can secure a job offer from a Canadian employer. However before you can apply for a closed work permit, the employer will need to obtain an approved LMIA. This is a long (4-6 months) and expensive process that requires the employer to advertise the job for at least a month to prove no Canadian could be found for the role. Generally speaking, it's next to impossible to find an employer willing to go through the process. You'll probably have the OWP in hand long before you find an employer who will go ahead with the LMIA.

 

[njpsy]

Ok Thanks. I had thought as much.

Quick follow up -- the Canadian immigration website says it can take 4-5 months to receive the OWP. Do you know if that means 4-5 months from the date they receive the application or 4-5 months from when they acknowledge to you their receipt of it (the 60 days or so between when it's delivered and when they contact you)?

 

[scylla]

Ok Thanks. I had thought as much.

Quick follow up -- the Canadian immigration website says it can take 4-5 months to receive the OWP. Do you know if that means 4-5 months from the date they receive the application or 4-5 months from when they acknowledge to you their receipt of it (the 60 days or so between when it's delivered and when they contact you)?

From the time the application is received by IRCC.

 

[njpsy]

Sorry, so that is the earlier of the two, yes?

Thank you again for all the information.

 

[scylla]

I forgot to ask. Any chance you are American?

 

[njpsy]

Yes, I am American. My wife is dual citizen American and Canadian

 

[scylla]

Yes, I am American. My wife is dual citizen American and Canadian

Since you are American, you can bypass the LMIA process if you get a job offer in an occupation that's covered by NAFTA. You should take a look at the NAFTA occupation list to see if this is possible for you. This could make things faster (of course you still need a job offer and that job offer must be in the right occupation).