You need a work permit
Religious leaders
If you’re a religious leader of your congregation, you may work in Canada without a work permit.
You may still choose to apply for one as a religious worker as this may allow you to
- be eligible for some government services or benefits
- stay in Canada longer
If you’re a religious worker, you need a work permit to work in Canada.
You’re a religious worker if you
- provide religious instruction
- promote a faith
- share the beliefs of the religious community where you’ll work, and follow the spiritual teachings of its faith
Examples of religious workers include
- liturgical workers
- nuns, monks, and religious brothers and sisters
- religious education teachers in a religion-based school
Type of work permit
You need an employer-specific work permit(opens in a new tab) to work in Canada. You don’t need a labour market impact assessment (LMIA).
Before you apply
Make sure you meet the general eligibility requirements(opens in a new tab) for a work permit.
Before you can apply, your employer must
- submit an offer of employment to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada using the Employer Portal
- pay the employer compliance fee, unless you qualify for a fee exemption, and
- give you the offer of employment number
Who’s eligible for a fee exemption
You may be exempt from paying the work permit processing fee if you won’t be paid, other than
- a small payment for living expenses, or
- non-monetary benefits (such as room and board, health care insurance)
In some cases, you may receive a small payment and non-monetary benefits and still be exempt from paying the work permit processing fee.
If you’re exempt from paying the work permit processing fee, your employer will also be exempt from paying the employer compliance fee. If they’re exempt, they still need to submit an offer of employment in the Employer Portal.
If your employer doesn’t show how you’re exempt from paying the work permit processing fee, you and your employer will be required to pay all fees.
Special instructions to apply online
When you apply online, we ask you some questions to create your personalized document checklist. Depending on where you’re applying from, you must provide specific answers to get the right checklist.
Applying online from outside Canada
If you’re applying from outside Canada, here’s how to answer the questions to get the right checklist:
- When asked, “What would you like to do in Canada?” select “Work.”
- When asked, “Do you have a written offer from an employer in Canada?” select “Yes.”
- When asked, “Do you plan to work in one of the following categories?” select “No.”
- You should get the result “Foreign worker.”
- Click “Continue.”
- When asked, “What type of work permit do you want to apply for?” select “A work permit for religious or charitable work.”
Applying online from inside Canada
In most cases, you must apply online from inside Canada. When you apply from inside Canada, here’s how to answer the questions to get the right checklist:
- When asked, “What is your current immigration status in Canada?” select “Worker.”
- When asked, “Do you have a written job offer?” select “Yes.”
- Choose the result “Work permit (in Canada).”
- When asked, “Which situation best describes your work situation?” select “I’m a Religious worker.”