Extending my work permit in Ontario

[sbrizzi]

Hello, here is my situation.
I am an Italian citizen currently working in Canada with a working holiday visa. According to the international experience Canada program, I am allowed to stay in Canada for a year and work for max 6 months. My work permit which I picked up from customs upon entry to Canada is valid from July 27, 2014 to January 25, 2015. The contract I have with my job ends on December 23 2014 but I would like to continue working for an extra 6 months (not necessarily with the same employer).

Am I eligible for an extension on my work permit? If yes, how do I go about applying for an extension? If no, is there anything else I can do to work in Canada from January 2015 until the end of June 2015?

Thank you very much.

 

[scylla]

Are you eligible to apply for a second working holiday visa? If so, this would be the easiest way to continue working. The rules are different for each country so you will have to investigate to determine if you qualify to apply for a second one.

If you do not qualify for a second working holiday visa, then your employer will need to obtain an approved LMIA before you can apply to extend your work permit. To qualify to apply for an approved LMIA, your employer (either your current employer or a new employer) will first have to advertise your job for a minimum of 1 month to prove no Canadian could be found for the role. Your employer will then have to pay a $1K processing fee and submit the LMIA paperwork for processing. Processing will take anywhere from 6 to 16 weeks. If the LMIA is approved, you will then be able to apply for a work permit. Note that the work permit you receive will be tied to the specific employer who obtain the LMIA. In other words, you will only be able to work for one specific employer with this new work permit.

 

[robbie_m90]

What If you are already on a working holiday IEC visa? and you apply for the new work permit and you still have about 3 months left on the IEC visa?
Would you have to wait until it expires to activate the new one and 'flagpole'?