Canadian IMP work visa
The IMP visa represents Canada’s International Mobility Program. This immigration program permits Canadian firms to hire foreign workers and active individuals on a temporary work visa basis.
On the basis of this visa, the Canadian government offers work visas to job applicants who can demonstrate economic, cultural, or social benefits for Canada and its citizens, or who are recognized by international trade agreements with Canada.
What types of IMP work visas are available in Canada?
The Canadian IMP work visa is available to job seekers in two ways:
- Work permit
- Open Work Permit
These two visas are issued differently; for a work permit, an employer’s job offer is required, whereas for an open work permit, an employer’s job offer is not required. In addition, like the International IMP program, none of these programs require LMIA approval.
Open Work Permit under Canada's IMP program:
There are 2 types of Open Work Permit issued under the IMP program based on their features.
Restricted Open Work Permit: This form of work permit restricts your ability to work in Canada to a specified occupation or region.
Unrestricted Open Work Permit: According to this form of work permit, the applicant is unrestricted in choosing a location of employment and a job, and is free to work anywhere he chooses.
Benefits of the Canadian IMP work visa:
- Possibility of acquiring Canadian permanent residency after obtaining a work visa
- possibility for family members to accompany the candidate
- Simplifying the process of applying for a work visa
- No requirement for LMIA license
- The Global Skill Strategy program expedites work visa applications.
- Conversion of IMP visa to permanent residency in Canada
Conversion of IMP visa to Canadian permanent residence
After obtaining a Canadian IMP visa and remaining in the country for one year, you will be eligible to apply for permanent residency. The prerequisites for this request are a job offer and a score of 6 on the IELTS exam, with a minimum score of 6 in each of the four skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).
Conditions required to acquire a Canada IMP work visa:
There are various routes to obtaining an IMP work visa in Canada, and each of these routes will lead to a temporary Canadian work visa; it simply depends on which of the International Mobility Program (IMP) routes you have chosen. Some work visa conditions are shared by all IMP immigration procedures, while others are exclusive to a particular IMP process. To obtain the visa you seek from the Canadian Immigration Department, you must merely satisfy the prerequisites.
General requirements for obtaining a Canadian IMP work visa:
- Certificate demonstrating the applicant’s lack of a criminal background
- Complete health of the applicant
- Having sufficient job experience
- Having a valid academic degree
- Possessing sufficient funds to afford living expenses in Canada
- Possessing strong English and French language skills
Specific requirements for acquiring a Canadian IMP work visa:
- Possessing an appropriate business plan that can demonstrate the significance of your presence in Canada.
- French proficiency in addition to one’s native language.
- Receive a job offer from an employer in Canada outside of Quebec.
- In the Canadian NOC, your employment offer must be classed as A, B, or 0.
Documents required to obtain a Canadian IMP work visa:
To get an IMP work visa in Canada, it is necessary to collect and submit the required documents and forms to the Canadian Immigration Office with complete precision and exactitude. In addition, these documents must demonstrate to the Canadian government that you intend to stay for a limited time and that you will return home after completing your employment.
The general documents to be supplied are:
- Academic credentials and university transcripts must be presented alongside a translation.
- Provide identifying documents such as passport, birth certificate and marriage certificate if any.
- Providing valid employment documentation such as a work contract, insurance records, and a certificate of self-employment.
- Providing financial documentation such as deeds, bank statements, and financial support letters.
- Certificate of no criminal history and medical examinations of the individual’s health
The specific submissions required are:
- Providing an appropriate and accurate business plan
- You must provide the relevant documentation to demonstrate that you are employed by an international company outside of Canada and want to visit the Canadian office of that organization.
- Documents demonstrating the existence of a connection and intermediary between the firm’s activities outside of Canada and its Canadian branch or any other company regarded to be its partner in Canada.
Cost associated with acquiring a Canada IMP work visa
The cost of acquiring an IMP temporary work visa varies based on the subcategory of the Canadian IMP program that you select. However, all procedures have common expenses, including the following:
Type of payment | Fees in Canadian dollars |
Work permit | 155 CAD |
Employer compliance fee (if you have a job offer) | 230 CAD |
Fingerprinting per person | 85 CAD |
Family fingerprinting | 170 CAD |
Canada's financial requirements for acquiring an IMP work visa:
The applicant must demonstrate to the Canadian government, through his financial records, that he will have sufficient financial ability to stay and start his business in Canada, and that he will have no difficulty paying the necessary expenses and meeting his living expenses.
Canada’s financial resources are separated into two categories:
- financial ability to afford living expenses:
The Lyco table is used by Canadian immigration officers to determine the applicant’s financial ability. LICO stands for Low-income cut-off, which refers to the lowest amount of income used to indicate the poverty line in some urban areas of Canada with a population of at least 500,000. According to the Canadian government, if your income is less than LYCO, as shown in this table, you live below the poverty line.
Number of family members | Minimum of financing required |
1 | 26,620 CAD |
2 | 33,140 CAD |
3 | 40,742 CAD |
4 | 49,466 CAD |
5 | 56,104 CAD |
6 | 63,276 CAD |
7 | 70,448 CAD |
7.172 extra dollars will be added for each additional participant.
Note that for short-term visas, the officers expect you to have at least 12 months of bank account credit.
- Capacity to fund the investment monetarily
If you wish to launch a business in Canada, you must also be able to fund its first investment, the amount of which will depend on the nature of your business.
The following are methods for demonstrating financial capability to the Canadian government.
- In addition to providing a money source, a foreign currency account must serve as evidence of financial capability.
- A bank letter and one to two months’ circulation of short-term accounts with sources as evidence of financial capability.
- A bank letter from long-term accounts demonstrating financial capability (and financial source if needed)
- Financial capability evidenced by bank letter and quarterly short-term account activity.
- Official real estate evaluation
Canadian procedures for acquiring an IMP work visa:
The general stages required to obtain a Canadian IMP work visa are as follows:
- offers of employment from Canadian businesses
- Employment offer extension by the employer
- Request a work visa
- Issuance of IMP work visa
Offers of employment from Canadian businesses:
The first step in applying for a work visa to work under the Canadian IMP program is to obtain a job offer from a Canadian company who has met the requirements for the employment of a foreign worker. This formal employment offer is issued in Canada via a specialized employer platform.
The employer’s job offer must contain the required conditions, such as exemption from LMIA approval. In addition, the employer must pay a compliance charge of 230 Canadian dollars.
After completing these processes and receiving the specific job offer number from the employer, the candidate can initiate the necessary procedures for a work visa or work permit in Canada.
Request a work visa:
At this point, the candidate will send the required paperwork to the visa offices or the Canadian consulate, along with the specific employment offer number.
Issuance of IMP work visa:
After a thorough evaluation of the applicant’s paperwork, if the documents are approved, the applicant will be awarded a work permit and an introduction letter, allowing them to temporarily reside and work in Canada.
Getting rejected for the Canadian IMP work visa:
In some instances, after going through the legal process and submitting documents to the Canadian Embassy in order to obtain an IMP work visa, the applicant’s application may not be approved. This can devastate the applicant’s hope and motivation, and you may become so discouraged that you abandon the decision to migrate. But don’t rush!
Examining the most significant causes of application rejection, we are here to help you prevent this from occurring. The Canadian officer may deny the applicant’s visa application for the following reasons:
- Absence of sufficient and convincing reasons for your return to your country following the expiration of your visa.
- Lack of sufficient motivation and reasons to visit Canada
- Incompletion of essential documents and self-introduction and business proposal documents
- Insufficient paperwork and financial assets
- Relationships and family ties of the candidate Shaif
- Having an unsuitable background in the file
- Not having a suitable employment in one’s home country
In the event of rejection, our legal counsel will discover all of these flaws and fix them in the most advantageous manner for you.
Contacting the Sabouri immigration group for a consultation will allow our professionals to offer you with an overview of the immigration and residency processes.
