When visiting foreign countries, travellers are advised to always obey the law and maintain a clear profile. Although the visitor is prohibited under the terms of their visitor visa from accepting an offer of paid employment in Canada, the only way to change a travel visa is to reapply for a Canadian visa that includes a work permit. The immigration authorities can approve a candidate’s profile for a work visa if it meets the employer’s eligibility standards and the applicant has all the necessary legal documentation. If found guilty, the candidate may never be allowed to reside permanently in Canada.
In addition, each candidate’s tourist visa must have expired in order to leave Canada. However, it is possible to convert the tourist visa into a work permit. First, let’s define what a tourist visa and work permit mean.
Visitor Visa
A Visitor visa is for visitors on tourist visas who wish to travel and vacation in Canada. It allows the visa holder to visit different regions of the country and learn more about different provinces of Canada, but prohibits job seeking or employment within Canada. Working in Canada on a visitor visa is against the law.
Work Permit
On the other hand, to accept a job offer that allows the applicant to work legally for a Canadian employer, a work visa is required. There are no shortcuts to working in Canada; Candidates must comply with immigration regulations and follow moral practices in the workplace. Working in Canada on a Canadian visitor visa may result in the applicant being deported to their home country and denied re-entry into Canada per the visitor visa criteria described on the Canada Immigration website.
In addition, all employers in Canada are required by law to only hire applicants who have a valid work visa and SIN number. Any Canadian employer hiring applicants on a Canadian guest visa is breaking the law. Employers risk serious legal problems if they hire a candidate without a work visa.
The applicant may apply for a work permit from Canada if:
- The applicant, his or her spouse or parents hold a current Canadian study or work permit,
- The prospective worker already holds a work visa for Canada, but he or she has a work permit and would like to apply for another position. In this situation, the applicant must go through certain application processing steps before qualifying for the Canadian work visa.
- The candidate has a temporary or short-term residence permit that is valid for 6 months or more.
- The applicant is in Canada because they have already applied for PR in Canada. In this case, Canada uses a points-based system called the CRS Score. You have a good chance of getting an ITA and then a PR visa if you have a high CRS score. CRS has made improvements in several areas including age, education and good English proficiency skills.
Some candidates choose a different route to get a Canadian work permit. They decide on a student visa by first expressing interest in a specific course offered by a Canadian educational institution. As a result, they can obtain a local Canadian academic degree and work part-time. The candidate may stay in Canada for some time after completing the course and seek employment there. After completing the course, the person is finally able to get a long-term work permit if they manage to find employment within the allowed timeframe.
