Who needs a work permit
Your foreign worker is not considered a crew member and needs a work permit if they are in any of these situations:
- they don’t meet the immigration definition of a crew member working on a vessel
Crew members meet 2 requirements:
- they’re performing duties during an international voyage or trip (travelling into Canada and out again), or while in port (at dock)
- their duties are related to 1 of the following:
- the operation of the means of transportation (vessel, ship, etc.)
- providing services to passengers
- providing services to other members of the crew
- they’re working on a Canadian-registered vessel
- they’re involved with commercial marine activities within Canadian waters (known as coasting trade)
Types of commercial marine activities in Canadian waters
Commercial marine activities in Canadian waters are known as coasting trade. If you want to engage in these activities, you need to get a coasting trade licence.
Below are 3 types of coasting trade:
Transport of passengers
Transporting passengers is considered coasting trade if a marine vessel
- embarks passengers at a Canadian port and disembarks any of these passengers permanently at another Canadian port
- embarks and disembarks at the same Canadian port even if they made other stops across Canada
- embarks passengers at one Canadian port and ends the cruise and disembarks passengers at another Canadian port, even if the itinerary included a stop at an international port
Example 1
A cruise ship
- embarks all passengers in Montréal, Canada
- permanently disembarks some passengers in Charlottetown, Canada
- continues on to Boston, US, to end the cruise by disembarking the remaining passengers
Example 2
A cruise ship
- embarks passengers in Halifax, Canada
- makes a stop in Boston, US
- ends their cruise in Montréal, Canada
Example 3
A cruise ship
- embarks passengers in Montréal, Canada
- travels to Charlottetown, Canada
- returns to Montréal, Canada, and permanently disembarks passengers in Montréal
Transport of goods
Transporting goods is considered coasting trade if a vessel
- picks up goods of any kind in Canada and
- moves them to another location in Canada or to the waters above the continental shelf in Canada
This includes scenarios where the vessel exits and re-enters Canadian waters with the goods.
Example 1
A Canadian company wants to use a foreign-registered vessel to transport cargo from Eastern Canada to Western Canada via the Panama Canal.
A foreign-registered vessel picks up cargo at one place in Canada and delivers it to another place in Canada. It doesn’t matter that the vessel travels through the Panama Canal; the activity is considered coasting trade.
Example 2
A foreign-registered vessel wants to load bunker fuels in a Canadian port and then deliver or discharge some of that fuel to a place in Canada.
Other commercial marine activities
A vessel that does any other commercial activity in Canadian waters or the waters above the continental shelf of Canada is engaged in coasting trade.
Example 1
A Canadian company wants to use a foreign-registered vessel to conduct cable-laying work in Canadian waters.
The foreign-registered vessel would be compensated for its cable‑laying activities. As such, this work is considered a marine activity of a commercial nature.
Example 2
A foreign-registered vessel (cruise ship or barge) offers onboard accommodations to dock workers at a Canadian port.
A floatel is any vessel (such as a cruise ship or barge) used for onboard accommodations. Providing accommodations onboard a vessel in Canadian waters is a paid, contracted service where the vessel basically acts as a hotel. As such, this work is considered a marine activity of a commercial nature.
For definitions of coasting trade and coasting trade exemptions, check the
Before your worker applies for a work permit
To hire a worker involved with coasting trade, in addition to the coasting trade licence, you may need
- a labour market impact assessment or
- an offer of employment (if you’re hiring your foreign worker under the International Mobility Program)