USMCA Work Permits in Canada for US and Mexican nationals

Analogous to the TN visa which allows certain Canadian and Mexican professionals to obtain work authorization in the United States, the USMCA (NAFTA) work permit under the International Mobility Program allows US and Mexican professionals to obtain work authorization in Canada if they have a Canadian job offer.

To be eligible for the USMCA Canadian Work Permit, the applicant must:

• Be a US or Mexican citizen
• Have a job offer from a Canadian company in one of the sixty USMCA categories. Please click here to see the list of professions.
• The applicant must hold the credentials required for the specific category. For example, if an applicant is an architect, he or she should have a Baccalaureate (or Licenciatura) degree or have a state/provincial issued license.

The Canadian company that seeks to hire the applicant first need to submit a “job offer” online through the Canadian government’s Employer Portal system, and pay the Employer Compliance Fee, which is $230 CAD at the time of writing.

After the job offer has been submitted online, the system will generate an “offer of employment number,” which is a 7-digit number starting with the letter “A.” The employee needs to bring a copy of the message displaying this number to present to the border officer.

The next step is for the employee to travel to any Canadian port-of-entry (land or airport) with the required documentation and apply for a work permit on-the-spot. (It is also possible to apply at a visa office before departing for Canada, but the process is quicker when applying at the border). At the interview, the employee should bring:

• Proof of American or Mexican citizenship, such as an original passport;
• A print-out of the 7-digit “offer of employment” number;
• Proof of employer payment of the $230 compliance fee;
• A Letter signed by the employer explaining the job offer, explaining the job duties and how the employee meets the qualifications;
• Proof of the employee’s qualifications for the professional category, such as a diploma or license.

The USMCA work permit can be issued for up to three years depending on the specific work arrangement. It is important to note that the work permit is employer-specific and is tied to the initial employer who provided the job offer. After the applicant enters Canada and starts working, he or she must apply for a new work permit if they wish to change employers.

Spouses of USMCA Canadian work permit holders are eligible to receive an open work permit, which permits them to work for any employer in Canada, including self-employment, during the period in which they are accompanying the principal applicant.