You don’t need a work permit

You don’t need a work permit if you are coming to Canada as a high-skilled worker and

• your job is classified under Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category 0 or 1 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system
• you will only work for
  • up to 15 consecutive days once every 6 months or
  • up to 30 consecutive days once every year

If you’re eligible as a high-skilled worker, you may need a visitor visa or electronic travel authorization to come to Canada.

You need a visitor record to get a social insurance number

You must get a visitor record as soon as you arrive in Canada. If you don’t have a visitor record, you can’t

• get a social insurance number (SIN) from Service Canada
• be paid by your employer

How to get your visitor record

When you arrive in Canada, you’ll either go to

• a primary inspection kiosk or
• a border services officer

When asked about your purpose of travel to Canada, say

• you’re here to work and
• you fall under the GSS Work Permit exemption but you need a visitor record

You’ll then be referred to immigration for processing. Your visitor record must list the condition “authorized to work” in the remarks section.

Wait times to get your visitor record

Wait times at busy ports of entry may be long. Don’t leave until you get your visitor record with “authorized to work” listed in the remarks section.

If you arrive by air

Make sure you have enough layover time if you have a connecting flight after you enter Canada. You must request your visitor record as soon as you arrive in Canada. Wait times can be long at busy airports.

Other short-term high-skilled workers

If you’re a short-term high-skilled worker, but you don’t meet the conditions above, you need a work permit.

Check the list of options again to find out if you need a work permit with or without a labour market impact assessment.