Visas and Immigration
Students, professors and researchers
Work Permits for Academics and Students
For academics and students, there are certain exemptions from the rule that Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) confirmation is required before a work permit can be approved.
Student Employment
Internship as part of studies in Canada
HRSDC confirmation - exempt work permits can be issued to foreign students, whose intended employment forms an essential and integral part of their course of study in Canada and does not form more than 50% of the total program of study.
In other words, the applicant must have a valid Study Permit for Canada for at least one semester or one year; the internship must be a requirement of the Canadian institution and the work must be recognized as being a regular componant of the study program in Canada. If the work or internship is only a requirement of a foreign institution, this exception does not apply.
Excluded are students in Health Care (except for those in Veterinary medicine) who may benefit from another provision for their internship. Refer to the section Health Care Student.
Student/Youth exchange programs
See our detailed information under : Work terms and internships
Post-graduation employment
Certain students may apply for a work permit for either one or two years following successful completion of their studies in Canada, without the need for HRSDC confirmation. For further information please consult :
Studying in Canada: Work permits for students
Self-funded researchers
Persons who are doing self-funded research (for example foreign students doing research in Canada for their diploma/thesis in their home country) may meet the definition of business visitor and thus, be eligible to work without having to obtain a work permit. See detailed information on Information Sheet : Self-funded researchers.
Academic Employment
Guest lecturer
Work permits exempt from HRSDC confirmation may be issued to a guest lecturer. They are defined as persons invited by a post-secondary institution to give a series of lectures and who occupy a temporary position of a non-continuing nature (which does not comprise a complete academic course) for a period of less than one academic term or semester.
Download the Work Permit Application Kit
Visiting Professors
Visiting professors may be issued work permits without HRSDC confirmation. They are people working for a period of not more than two academic years to take a position with a post secondary institution and who retain their position abroad.
Download the Work Permit Application Kit
Post-doctoral fellows and award recipients
Post-doctoral fellows hold a doctorate degree (Ph.D.) or its equivalent. They would be appointed to a time-limited position granting a stipend or a salary to compensate for periods of teaching, advanced study and/or research. It is work designed to obtain the highest expertise possible in a particular discipline and candidates are chosen on the basis of academic excellence.
The applicant must have completed their doctorate and be working in a related field to that in which they earned their Ph.D. to be exempt from HRSD confirmation. The person must have graduated, but there is no restriction with regard to date of graduation. Note that physicians who are conducting post-graduate research, and who will have no patient contact in Canada, may be included in this category.
Download the Work Permit Application Kit
Research award recipients paid by Canadian institutions
Also eligible for an HRSDC confirmation exempt work permit are holders of academic research awards involving work and remuneration by Canadian institutions where the award is granted strictly on the basis of academic excellence. The candidate must be the direct recipient of the award, i.e., the candidate must have significant role to play or value to add to a particular research project, and not just be a member of a research team (doing data collection or principally involved in the more mundane aspects of the research being conducted).
Download the Work Permit Application Kit
Research award recipients paid by foreign institutions
Holders of academic research awards of a foreign country and invited by Canadian institutions to conduct their activities in Canada, but who are supported by their own country, are also eligible for an HRSDC confirmation exempt work permit.
Download the Work Permit Application Kit
Canada Research Chair Program
Persons accepted on a Canada Research Chair position do not require individual HRSDC confirmation. Applicants should submit with their applications for a work permit a letter confirming their acceptance to a Canada Research Chair position, issued by SSHRC and in addition a letter from the university offering the position.
Download the Work Permit Application Kit
If you correspond to one of these categories, please consult the Applying for a Work Permit - Europe web page for the work permit application.
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