Port of Entry

Most foreign nationals are required to apply for their foreign worker permit from outside of Canada, however, some foreign workers may submit an application for a work permit upon arriving at Canadian Port of Entry, under Section R198(1), if they have already had their immigration medical examination and meet the all the criteria.

In order to qualify to obtain a work permit for Canada at the Port of Entry, you must:

• the job they are taking satisfies the requirements of the International Mobility Program and no LMIA is necessary, and they don’t require a temporary resident visa, or if it is required, a positive or neutral LMIA exists at the time they arrive in Canada
• the job they have arranged satisfies the requirements of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program
• the foreign worker is a national or permanent resident of the U.S., Greenland or Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
• upon entering Canada, the foreign national will not be working as a seasonal agricultural worker as a live-in caregiver

Foreign nationals who already have a work permit, who also want to renew their permit or change their existing conditions, can apply to do so once in Canada, under section 199 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

The foreign worker’s application will be processed at a ‘port of entry’ if they have been found to meet the requirements of Sections R198 and R200. If their work permit expires while they are outside Canada, and they still meet the requirements of Section R198 and can produce documentation to prove it, they may apply at the port of entry.

Any foreign worker entering Canada via an airport must first apply for and be able to present their electronic travel authorization. When they arrive, they will receive their work permit as well as an updated electronic travel authorization.