Types of Work Permit in Canada
The federal government of Canada through grants work permit for Canada to foreign skilled workers, immigrants and young professionals in below-mentioned two categories –
- LMIA based work permit – It is also called employer specific work permit since eligible candidates need to work for a specific Canadian employer, who offers a valid Canada job offer in hospitality supported by a copy of Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA, for certain period in a particular province or territory in Canada.
- Open work permit – Under this system, eligible candidates are allowed to work for any employer in Canada in any province after fulfilling all eligibility criteria of the open work permit programme.
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
A copy of positive or neutral Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA shows that Canadian employers are permitted by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) to hire foreign skilled workers, immigrants, young professionals from hospitality industry to work as restaurant manager, chef or cook in specific Canadian province. Under the process of LMIA, the Canadian employers must advertise jobs requirement for hospitality in different publications, employment exchange, local newspapers, print magazines, relevant platforms, employment websites, job boards, and Canadian Job Bank. If the Canadian employers do not find a right and ideal candidates among local residents in a month, then the ESDC issues positive LMIA allowing them to hire foreign skilled workers.
A positive LMIA shows that hiring hospitality staff from other countries will make positive impact on the Canadian economy and it will not harm job positions for local residents. Except the profile in charitable and religious work, a copy of positive LMIA is required to secure work permit.
It is important to note that the average salary for restaurant manager in Canada is around $39,975 CAD per year or $20.50 CAD per hour, whereas the average annual salary for a chef in Canada varies from 30,000 to 62,000 (approximately) CAD. Factors like relevant prior work experience, education, skill certification and training helps candidates to get job titles and ranks in hospitality industry. A sous-chef can earn between $31,681 and $43,970 (approximately) CAD per year, while an executive chef can earn between $42,841 to $62,937 CAD per year.
Eligibility Criteria for LMIA based Work Permit for Hospitality in Canada
Gaining a valid job offer in hospitality in Canada becomes easy if interested applicants meet all eligibility criteria for hospitality staff. Some of the basic eligibility criteria are mentioned below —
- Education – Class 12 (minimum)
- Minimum 2 years of supervisory level work experience on payroll in a established company/brand for restaurant managers. For chefs and cooks, relevant prior work experience for the duration of two or more years is sufficient
- Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB): Reading – 4 Band, Listening – 5 Band, Speaking – 5 Band and Writing – 5 Band
After receiving a valid job offer to work in hospitality sector supported by LMIA, selected applicants need to furnish other processes like submitting police clearance certificate proof of having sufficient funds, medical records and so on as a part of immigration process.
Checklist of Documents Required for Canada Job offers for Hospitality
Having a set of required documents in advance makes the process of Canada immigration hassle free. It is important to note that migration to Canada after gaining hospitality job offer is a legal process that requires submission and verification of documents of applicants. Therefore, applicants must have the following set of documents –
➡ Work permit application form
➡ Family information form (IMM 5645)
➡ Passport size photographs (recent ones)
➡ Processing fee (in case of selected applicants)
➡ Relevant work experience certificate (at least of two years)
➡ Valid job offer letter by Canadian employer, who has secured a copy of LMIA from ESDC
➡ Secondary Education (10+2)
➡ Proficiency in English – Speaking, Reading Listening and writing modules in IELTS
➡ Good medical condition
➡ Security Clearance Certificate from Regional Passport Office
➡ Enough funds for sustenance
The processing of applications for Canada work permit in hospitality depends on the type of application and submission of relevant documents by the applicants. In offline mode, the processing of applications can take up to two months and approximately one month in case of online applications.
The charges for Canada work permit are mentioned below –
• Primary applicant — 390 $CAD
• Secondary Applicant – 150 $CAD
• Child (under 18 years of age) – 150 $CAD
Each applicant also required to pay $490 CAD as the RPA after landing in Canada.
Benefits of Canada Work Permit for Hospitality Staff Members
➨ According to recent reports, the Job Bank’s portal mentioned that job opportunities for chefs and cooks are expected to increase by 2025 and both profiles will be in great demand with approximately 52,000 to 55,000 job offers
➨ The trend of having theme-based restaurants and food chains is growing in Canada. The employers need efficient managers, chef and cooks to run the business smoothly. Moreover, the Canadian employers recruit hospitality staff having specialize in specific cuisine and food items like Continental, Italian, Mexican, pastries and baked products etc
➨ Besides flexible working hours in quick service restaurants and food joints, the hospitality staff also get various perks, bonus and attractive incentives in Canada