All foreign nationals applying for a temporary work permit must have a temporary job offer from their potential employer. The employer must send a detailed job offer letter to the work permit applicant. The applicant must then attach the job offer letter to his/her work permit application.
The job offer letter requirement
- That the job offer is genuine
- That the wages and working conditions are high enough to attract a Canadian worker
- That the employment is full time
- That the employment is not seasonal
The job offer letter must also include
- The job title for the job being offered
- A description of the job’s duties and responsibilities
- Requirements for the job concerning: education, professional credentials, work experience, skills and licenses
- Details about the start date and end date of the job
- Details on salary and the way in which salary will be paid
- The name and address of the employer
- The address of the worker’s future workplace
- Contact information for a person at the company who is familiar with the job offer
Note: If the employment is to take place in Quebec, the job offer must be approved by the Quebec government. The job offer letter must be submitted to the government by the employer AND a copy of the letter must be submitted by the applicant along with the work permit application. The applicant should also make sure that the employer has paid the employer compliance fee.
Language Requirements for Temporary Foreign Worker Applicants
Temporary foreign worker applicants will be denied a work permit if a Canadian immigration officer deems that they will not be able to perform their job properly due to weak language skills in one of Canada’s official languages.
The LMIA attached to a foreign national’s work permit application will state the minimum language skills that the worker must have in order to perform his/her job well. Canadian immigration officers will judge temporary foreign worker applicant’s language skills against this requirement when reviewing a temporary work permit application. Officers will also assess an applicant’s language skills by taking into account:
- The specific work conditions of the applicant’s potential job
- Any arrangements that the applicant’s potential employer has made or will make to accommodate weaknesses in the worker’s language skills
- The terms of the job offer
- The requirements set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) description for the worker’s potential job
When assessing language skills, a worker’s ability to communicate in English or French with general members of the Canadian public will not be considered. This ability is not considered because it is not relevant to a worker’s ability to perform their job properly.
Language skills can be proven through:
- An interview
- An official language test
- An in-house test at a Canadian mission
