Applying for a work permit

• A passport, ideally valid for the complete duration of your postdoc appointment.
• A letter of invitation/offer letter for a postdoc appointment from your Department that provides the following information:
  • • That you are invited to McGill as a postdoc
    • The duration of your appointment, which must be at least 12 months
    • The total amount of your stipend and the source of funding
• An ‘offer of employment “A” number’ AND proof of payment of the Employer Compliance fee of $230 provided by your Department
• Proof that you have earned or will soon earn your PhD diploma
• A Work Permit Application Guide provided by your Department with step-by-step instructions on how to apply for your work permit

A.  If you are from a visa-required country, you must apply for your work permit online before travelling to Canada.

• Processing times for work permit applications can be long and you should apply well before your appointment start date.
• When your application for a work permit is approved you will be issued a “Visa”. You will need to send your original passport to the local Visa Application Centre (VAC) to have your Visa counterfoil affixed.
• Your work permit application must be approved and your visa issued before you travel to Canada. You should avoid travelling to Canada, making travel arrangements or buying your plane tickets before the work permit application is approved.

B. If you are from a Visa-Exempt country, you can choose to apply for your C-44 work permit online OR in-person at the airport or land-border upon arrival in Canada.

• If you apply online, you will automatically be issued an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) which will be linked to the valid passport that you used to apply for your work permit.
• If you apply in-person at a Canadian port-of-entry, then you must apply for your eTA before travelling to Canada. US citizens and US green card holders do not need an eTA.

For instructions on how to apply for your work permit refer to the:

• Work Permit Application Guide provided by your Department with step-by-step instructions on how to apply for your work permit, AND
• IRCC’s instructions on how to apply for work permit .

For post-docs already in Canada, please refer to the Renewing your work permit and IRCC’s instructions for in-Canada applicants.

If you applied for your work permit online, you can travel to Canada once you receive your work permit approval letter (known as the “Port-of-Entry Letter of Introduction”) and you have your valid visa or eTA linked to your valid passport.

If you are applying for your work permit in-person upon arrival, ensure that you have followed the instructions in the Work Permit Application Guide AND that you have all of your supporting documents printed and organized.

Your work permit document will be printed and issued to you at the first Canadian airport where you arrive or at the land border.

• A valid passport, ideally, valid for longer than your extended postdoctoral appointment
• A letter of invitation/offer from a McGill University faculty member providing the following information:
  • • The duration of your postdoc appointment extension
    • The total amount of your stipend and the source of funding
• A new ‘offer of employment “A” number’ AND proof of payment of the Employer Compliance fee of $230 provided you by your academic unit. You cannot re-use the same A number provided for your initial work permit application.

months before your current work permit expires.

Please refer to the Work Permit Application Guide and IRCC’s instructions for in-Canada applicants.

For post-docs changing positions, institutions or employers, you may be eligible for an interim work authorization to being working sooner at McGill University. Please contact your immigration advisor for assistance.

“Flagpoling” - the practice of driving down to the US-Canada land border or flying to the United States to obtain immigration services at the port of entry upon re-entry to Canada – is no longer authorized except for US citizens and green card holders. US citizens and green card holders can renew C-44 postdoctoral fellow work permits by flagpoling if conditions are met. Please contact your immigration advisor to verify if you can flagpole.

Citizens of certain countries need a temporary resident visa to enter or re-enter into Canada. The visa often expires at the same time as the work permit. If so, the visa should be renewed once the new work permit is obtained and before travelling outside of Canada.

If you applied to extend your work permit before your current permit expires, you are authorized to continue residing and working in Canada throughout the renewal process even after the expiry of your current permit. This is called maintained status – formerly “implied status”.

Open work permits are available for spouses under certain conditions. In most cases, your spouse may only qualify for an open work permit if you have a work permit valid for at least 16 months at the time when your spouse applies for their permit. Please check for your spouse’s eligibility to an open work permit here. 

Spouses who do not qualify for an open work permit may come to Canada as long-term visitors not authorized to work in Canada, as students or by securing their own work permit independently.

Non-visa required countries:
If your child is a citizen from a non-visa required country or a green-card holder, is less than 18 years old and will be attending daycare, primary school or secondary school, they do not need to apply online for a study permit or temporary resident visa. They can apply in person for a visitor record at the airport or land border upon arrival. They must secure an Electronic Travel Authorization before they travel to Canada, except if they are US citizens or green card holders. 

Children above the age of 18 years old or attending post-secondary education (Cegep or University) must apply for a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) and study permit.

Visa-required countries:
If the child is less than 6 years old, they can apply for a visitor visa . Upon arrival in Canada, they will be issued a visitor record valid for the same duration as your work permit.

Children aged 6 years or older and who intend to go to school must apply for a CAQ and study permit. A letter of admission to a Canadian school is not required when applying from abroad.

If you have completed a recognized program of study in Canada then you may be eligible for a PGWP. Please refer to International Student Service and IRCC’s guidelines for comprehensive information about the PGWP.

If you are not eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, then you are likely eligible for an employer-specific work permit under LMIA exemption code 44 for Post-doctoral fellows awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) .

If there is a significant change in conditions (*see examples below) then you must be issued a new work permit before the change occurs:

• Going from a non-employee status to an employee status: a postdoctoral scholar or fellow who becomes a postdoctoral researcher as a result of funding now partially coming from McGill funds.
• Going from a non-unionized status to a unionized status: a postdoctoral researcher (non-unionized) who now receives 25% or more of their salary from McGill funds.
• Change in work location.

**When in doubt, contact immigration.apo [at] mcgill.ca.

Yes. You must provide the Postdoctoral Office proof that you applied to extend your work permit before it expires as this will allow your postdoctoral registration status in Minerva to remain active while you are under maintained status.

Note: You will be registered for the upcoming term while you wait to receive your extended work permit. Then, when you submit a copy of your extended work permit to the Postdoctoral Office, your active postdoctoral registration status will be extended to the end date of your current letter of agreement or the end date of the current academic period.

Under maintained status, you are authorized to continue working under the same conditions of your current permit until a decision is made on the extension as long as you are in Canada on the date of expiry and do not leave Canada after the expiry of your current permit.

If you leave Canada while under maintained status, you will lose your ability to work in Canada. It can also impact your RAMQ coverage. If you have any travels outside of Canada planned while under maintained status, please inform your Department and contact immigration.apo [at] mcgill.ca before travelling.

Exception - If you have applied for a post-graduation work permit from inside Canada, leaving and re-entering Canada does not stop you from being able to work full-time while you wait for your post-graduation work permit. If applicable, you must have a valid visa/eTA to return to Canada from overseas.