according to the below link, you can apply for an open work permit if you've applied for permanent residence in Canada:I don't know the open work permit requirements yet, but I assume it's even harder to get than LMIA for an average Joe from not-1st-world country or we'd all already be working in Canada on this permit patiently waiting for our PPRs instead of having tons of anxiety and pouring all of it in this thread
https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=177&top=17