A Guide to Applying for a Working Visa for Canada from Nepal

Of late, Nepali people's interest in travelling overseas is on the rise to study, work and get PR in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Especially, Canada is most preferred by students and working professionals to pursue their higher studies and land in IT, Cybersecurity & other allied careers, respectively. In order to work in Canada as a foreign national, one must have applied for a working visa for Canada from Nepal.

Though students studying in Canada have easy access to post-study work rights, it's not the same case for professionals wishing to go to Canada and uplift their careers in their respective fields. To easily understand the process, procedure, eligibility and document required to apply for a Canadian Student Visa, we have compiled this guide for you! 

The Canadian Government offers two types of working visas for Canada from Nepal., such as:

1. Open work permit
2. Employer-specific work permit

International citizens can opt for the open work permit option when not applying for a specific organisation. Candidates applying for the through the open work permit method don't require the following documents:

• LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) from Social Development Canada

 or

• Proof of employment from the employer

Candidates are eligible to apply if they:

• are international students who graduated from a DLI(Designated Learning Institution)
• match all the requirements for the PGWI (Post-Graduation Work Permit) Program
• have applied for a PR (Permanent Residence) in Canada
• are one of the dependent family members of a person who applied for a PR
• are a common-law partner or spouse of an international student or a skilled worker
• are a holder of Temporary Resident Permit in Canada

Quick Read: Pathway to Study and work in Canada 

The Open Work permit fee for one candidate is C$155

International citizens wanting to work in Canada for a specific organisation/employer can opt for a closed work permit. This permit is commonly known as Employer-specific Work Permit. With this work visa/permit, candidates are authorised to work for one employer at a time.

An employer-specific work permit contains the information, which includes:

• the details of the Canadian employer
• the duration of your employer-specific work permit
• the territory or location where you are permitted to work 

• Singers, dancers, actors, and in the related field
• Entrepreneurs in any fields
• Production workers (Television or Film)
• French speaking skilled workers who intend to work in a Francophone community outside Quebec
• Intra-company transferees
• Professional athlete or coach
• Provincial nominated applicants who have a job offer
• Religious worker or someone doing charitable work
• Repair or maintenance worker for industrial or commercial equipment
• Researchers at certain Canadian institutions
• Start-up Visa program applicants
• Workers under a federal-provincial/territorial agreement

Note: For all the occupations mentioned above, the LMIA certification is not required (Labour Market Impact Assessment - A document provided by the employer to foreign employee, which states the employer requires an international worker to fill in the position as they are unable to find the right Canadian worker for the respective role).

If your occupation doesn't match the categories listed above, you can still apply for a closed work permit with a valid LMIA document. 

Quick Read: Know about Canada PR points and requirements

We recommend you to cross-verify the eligibilities list and requisites prior to applying work permit to ensure that you qualify for the Canada work permit/ student visa. The Canadian Government's work visa verification process is stringent; every year, many candidates are rejected due to their inability on meeting the requisites, such as having a dependent family member in Canada or having a temporary work permit.

Along with submitting your application form, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) asks candidates to submit some crucial documents such as academic proof and proof of employment from the employer. Compiling all the necessary documents on time will help you submit your work permit application in one go.

Candidates applying for a work permit can submit their applications online and offline. The IRCC recommends candidates submit the application form online to reduce costs and deliver the application on time. Mentioned below are some of the added advantages of submitting the form online:

• Eliminate courier fees.
• Processing delays are avoided, and incomplete/inaccurate data in the applications are returned directly to you.
• Easy access to submitting IRCC's on-demand additional documents.
• Receive frequent updates on the status of your application.

Quick Read: Want to Study MBA in Canada Without GMAT, IELTS, Work Experience?

• A valid passport, photocopy of the biodata with a photograph (If applicable, include all expired or cancelled passports).
• Your passport must be valid until the duration of your work permit, as the work permit's validity can't exceed the passport's validity.
• Proof of your funds, including the past two years income tax returns, bank statements or documents from the past 90 days, property documents and other investments and income proof.
• For accompanying dependents, children's birth certificates and marriage certificates are mandatory.

• Academic and employment evidence documents:

• Proof of Education: Diploma, Certificate or Degrees with valid mark sheets.

• Proof of work experience: Photocopies of relieving and appointment letters from your employers (current and previous), salary slips and bank statements.
• Letters of reference: The LoR submitted by the candidate must contain the nature of your employment and duration, including your duties and responsibilities.

Note: Address, phone numbers, and contact name should be provided in the LoR.

We hope this guide clarified your queries on applying for a working visa in Canada from Nepal. To know more about the courses, universities in Canada and scholarships to Study in Canada, reach out to our expert counsellors. They will help guide you in achieving your dreams of studying and working in Canada.