An employee’s step-by-step guide to preparing your application, submitting it online and receiving your work permit when you arrive in Canada.
Information checked: November 12, 2026. This guide assumes your positive Global Talent Stream (GTS) Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) has already been approved. It covers your next steps as the employee applying online from outside Canada, not the process for obtaining an LMIA.
Your next task is to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for an employer-specific work permit. The approved LMIA supports your application, but it does not authorize you to begin working in Canada.
Here is what you need to do, from collecting your application documents to checking the permit issued on arrival.
Already in Canada? Use IRCC’s in-Canada application instructions instead. Your eligibility to apply and your right to work while waiting depend on your circumstances. The outside-Canada instructions below are not a substitute for that assessment.
Step 1: Collect your approved LMIA and check your application deadline
Keep electronic copies of the documents you will use for your work permit application:
- Your positive GTS LMIA decision letter, LMIA file number and relevant Annex A.
- Your job offer letter and employment contract.
- The National Occupational Classification (NOC) code for your position.
Check that your application will use the same employer name, occupation, duties, wage, work location and employment dates as the supporting documents. If anything is unclear or inconsistent, ask for clarification before submitting.
Find the expiry date on the LMIA and put it in your calendar. You must submit your work permit application within the LMIA’s validity period. Do not assume you have six months remaining simply because you just received the document.
The LMIA expiry date is your application deadline. It is not the expiry date of the work permit you may eventually receive, and you do not necessarily need to arrive in Canada before the LMIA expires.
Also check your passport. A passport approaching expiry can shorten your work permit, because IRCC cannot issue a permit beyond the validity of your passport or biometrics.
If your job is in Quebec: For a typical paid, LMIA-required job lasting more than 30 days, you will also need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), unless an exemption applies. Make sure you have the required CAQ attestation letter before submitting your federal work permit application.
Official guidance: LMIA validity and application deadlines, employment documents and Quebec work permit instructions.
Step 2: Create your IRCC account and generate your checklist
Start from IRCC’s outside-Canada application page. Follow the link to sign in or create an IRCC secure account, then begin your work permit application.
Answer the eligibility questionnaire using your actual circumstances, including where you are applying from, your intended work and whether family members will accompany you.
One question is particularly important for your approved GTS LMIA:
“Did Employment and Social Development Canada issue your employer’s Labour Market Impact Assessment under the Global Talent Stream?”
For the GTS LMIA-based application covered by this guide, answer “Yes.” IRCC uses this answer to identify the application for Global Skills Strategy (GSS) processing.
Your own application is for an employer-specific work permit, not an open work permit. Do not select the open-permit route just because the job is highly skilled or the LMIA is under GTS.
The questionnaire generates a personalized document checklist. Save it and use it as your working list. Also check the local visa office requirements for the country or territory you are applying from.
Official guidance: GSS application instructions.
Step 3: Prepare your personal supporting documents
Build a document folder that matches your personalized checklist and local visa office requirements. In addition to the approved LMIA and employment documents, prepare:
- Identity documents: Your valid passport or travel document and the required digital photograph.
- Work history: Your resume, current-employer letter, past-employer references and evidence of previous work, such as pay stubs, as instructed.
- Qualifications: Education records and evidence that you meet the job requirements, including a professional licence or certification where required.
- Immigration status: Proof of lawful status in the country you are applying from, if you are not a citizen there.
- Financial evidence: Documents showing you can support yourself and accompanying family members during your stay and pay for the return journey.
- Additional records: Police certificates, family-information forms and any other documents required for your situation.
A positive LMIA does not remove the requirement to show that you are qualified for the job or meet Canada’s immigration requirements. Your evidence should make those points clear.
If you are not currently employed or cannot obtain a particular record, explain your circumstances and follow IRCC’s instructions. Do not invent documents or leave an unexplained gap. Where a document genuinely does not apply, use the instructions for that specific checklist field.
If family members are coming with you: Identify the application each person needs and prepare their passports, relationship evidence and other required documents. They do not automatically receive permission to work because your LMIA is approved. Check family open work permit eligibility separately. Eligible accompanying family members may qualify for faster processing if they apply with you and meet all applicable GSS requirements.
Official guidance: Forms and supporting documents and applicant eligibility requirements.
Step 4: Arrange translations and any required medical exam
Get certified translations where needed
For GSS processing, documents that are not in English or French require certified translations, even if your local visa office would otherwise accept another language.
Include the original-language documents and the translations and certification material required by IRCC. Do not translate your own documents or use a family member as the translator. Check the applicable translation instructions before paying for the service.
Complete your medical exam upfront, if required
Not everyone needs an immigration medical exam. The requirement depends on factors including your intended length of stay, where you have lived or travelled, and the work you will do. Check IRCC’s medical exam requirements rather than assuming a technology job is automatically exempt.
If an exam is required, book with an IRCC-approved panel physician before submitting. For GSS, include proof of the required upfront medical exam with your application. Waiting for IRCC to request it can make your application ineligible for the two-week processing standard.
The physician sends the medical findings to IRCC and gives you a confirmation document. Keep that document and upload it with your application. You do not need to obtain the doctor’s full medical report to upload instead.
Official guidance: GSS preparation requirements and IRCC’s translation instructions in Guide 5487.
Step 5: Complete your forms and upload every required document
Complete IMM 1295, Application for Work Permit Made Outside of Canada, and the other forms required by your account. Depending on your circumstances, these may include family-information, common-law relationship or representative forms.
Use your passport details exactly as recorded. Enter the LMIA number, employer information, NOC and intended employment details consistently with your documents. Your LMIA file number is different from the offer-of-employment number beginning with “A” used for many LMIA-exempt applications.
Provide accurate personal, education, employment and immigration history. Answer background questions truthfully, including questions about previous visa refusals. Add a clear explanation and supporting evidence where needed rather than omitting relevant information.
Follow the current instructions for validating forms, saving them and signing electronically. Do not assume that instructions for a paper application are identical to the online process.
Before moving on, open every uploaded file and check:
- It is the correct document and includes every required page.
- The scan is legible, with no missing edges or obscured information.
- Any required translation and certification material is included.
- The file meets the account’s format and size limits.
- Every required checklist item and local visa office requirement is covered.
Official guidance: Outside-Canada submission instructions and Guide 5487.
Step 6: Pay your application fees and submit
At the time of checking, the standard fees for the employee applying for an employer-specific permit are:
- Work permit processing: CAD $155, unless exempt.
- Biometrics: CAD $85, if required.
For one applicant who needs biometrics and is not exempt, these two fees total CAD $240. Medical exams, translations, family applications and other expenses are separate. The additional CAD $100 open work permit holder fee does not apply to your employer-specific permit.
Pay through the online application process. Review the final declarations, sign as instructed and submit before your LMIA expires.
Save your payment receipt, submission confirmation, application number and a complete copy of what you submitted. An application saved in your account is not submitted until you finish the submission process.
Official guidance: Application fees and submission. Recheck the fees before paying.
Step 7: Give biometrics and monitor your application
If you need to give biometrics, wait for your biometric instruction letter (BIL) and then book at an official collection location. Follow the letter’s instructions and bring the required identification and BIL.
For faster GSS processing, IRCC says you must give biometrics within two weeks of receiving the BIL. A longer general deadline does not preserve eligibility for the GSS service standard.
If you already have valid biometrics, you may not need to provide them again. Check their expiry date, because a permit cannot be issued beyond their validity.
Continue checking your IRCC account for requests, deadlines and the decision. Respond accurately and promptly to any request for additional information.
How long should you expect to wait?
IRCC aims to process eligible, complete GSS applications within two weeks. Its current guidance says processing begins after the complete application is submitted and required biometrics are provided.
This is not a guarantee of approval or a fixed travel date. Missing documents and additional assessment can change the timeline. IRCC does not send a separate notification confirming that your application is being processed under GSS.
Avoid making non-refundable relocation commitments based solely on the two-week target.
Official guidance: GSS biometrics and processing.
Step 8: Read your approval letter and prepare to travel
If your outside-Canada application is approved, you normally receive a port-of-entry letter of introduction. Read it carefully and check its validity and arrival instructions.
The letter of introduction is not your work permit. You will present it when you arrive in Canada so that the border officer can assess your entry and issue the permit.
If you need a temporary resident visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA), IRCC normally issues it as part of the approved work permit process. Follow any passport-submission request and wait until your required travel documents are ready before travelling.
Prepare a travel folder containing:
- Your valid passport and required visa or eTA details.
- Your letter of introduction.
- Your positive LMIA, employment contract and offer letter.
- Evidence of your qualifications and work experience.
- Valid medical evidence, if required.
- Your CAQ attestation letter, if applicable.
Check that any required medical results will still be valid on the day you enter Canada. Keep your documents in your hand luggage, not only in checked bags.
Official guidance: Approval and next steps and documents to bring to Canada.
Step 9: Receive and check your work permit when you arrive
Tell the Canada Border Services Agency officer that you are entering Canada to work. Present your letter of introduction and the other documents requested, and answer questions accurately.
The officer makes the final decision about your entry and issuing the permit. If you are admitted as a worker, the officer prints your actual work permit.
Before leaving the inspection area, check:
- Your name and passport information.
- The employer and occupation.
- The work location and any conditions or restrictions.
- The permit’s expiry date.
If you find a mistake or do not understand a condition, ask the officer before leaving. Do not assume that an approval email, a visa or entry as a visitor is permission to work.
Official guidance: Arriving in Canada and receiving your permit.
Step 10: Get your SIN and begin work under your permit conditions
After receiving your permit, arrange your Social Insurance Number (SIN) and confirm your health coverage or appropriate insurance. Provincial and territorial health coverage rules vary.
Keep a copy of your permit, track its expiry date and follow its conditions. An employer-specific permit is not general permission to take any job or start working for a different employer.
Start work only once you are authorized. If your job or circumstances change, check the applicable immigration requirements before making changes that could conflict with your permit.
Official guidance: Steps after receiving your work permit.
Your employee pre-submission checklist
- You have your positive GTS LMIA, LMIA file number, offer letter and contract.
- You know the LMIA expiry date and are submitting within its validity period.
- Your passport and biometrics validity have been checked.
- Your application details match your supporting documents.
- All personalized-checklist and local visa office requirements are covered.
- Required certified translations and upfront medical proof are included.
- You answered the GTS questionnaire question correctly.
- Any accompanying family applications have been assessed separately.
- Your fees are paid and the application is actually submitted.
- You are ready to give biometrics within the GSS timeframe, if required.
With your LMIA already approved, your focus is now straightforward: submit a complete and accurate work permit application, follow IRCC’s requests, prepare your travel documents and check the permit you receive on arrival.
This article provides general information, not legal advice or an individual eligibility assessment. Requirements, fees and processing practices can change. Verify the linked government instructions before applying and consult an authorized Canadian immigration professional if you need advice about your circumstances.
