I am an Irish national studying in Canada for a period of two months in a continuing education course at University of Toronto; this is not counted for study visa purposes and hence I do not have a visa for my two month stay as it is being regarded as visitor purposes. I have almost one year professional working experience in finance.
I have been applying to various employers in Canada and concern has been expressed about me obtaining a work permit.
1) Can I apply for this work permit from inside Canada, or does this have to be done from outside Canada? I ask this because I have referred to the following from Government of Canada, which states that one can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if:
- Myself, spouse or parents have a valid work or study permit.
- You already have a work permit for one job.
- Temporary resident permit valid for six months or more.
- Application for permanent residency already in progress.
None of the above are applicable to me.
2) Is an employment offer necessary to apply for and obtain the work permit? I find it to be a Catch-22 at the moment, because it seems that a job offer is required to obtain a work permit in Canada, but most employers require a work permit before they will hire you.
3) Regarding a positive labour market opinion, I understand this to mean that the employer must convince visa authorities that they have attempted to fill the position with a Canadian national or permanent resident. Does it follow from this that a job offer is required to obtain the work permit in the first instance?
I would be grateful for assistance in this regard.
I have been applying to various employers in Canada and concern has been expressed about me obtaining a work permit.
1) Can I apply for this work permit from inside Canada, or does this have to be done from outside Canada? I ask this because I have referred to the following from Government of Canada, which states that one can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if:
- Myself, spouse or parents have a valid work or study permit.
- You already have a work permit for one job.
- Temporary resident permit valid for six months or more.
- Application for permanent residency already in progress.
None of the above are applicable to me.
2) Is an employment offer necessary to apply for and obtain the work permit? I find it to be a Catch-22 at the moment, because it seems that a job offer is required to obtain a work permit in Canada, but most employers require a work permit before they will hire you.
3) Regarding a positive labour market opinion, I understand this to mean that the employer must convince visa authorities that they have attempted to fill the position with a Canadian national or permanent resident. Does it follow from this that a job offer is required to obtain the work permit in the first instance?
I would be grateful for assistance in this regard.