Work Permit Applications through Canada’s Global Skills Strategy
The Global Skills Strategy (GSS) is a program introduced by the government of Canada through Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), to help employers find skilled workers all over the world.
This process has faster application processing times, work permit exemptions, and enhanced customer service.
Through the GSS, eligible foreign workers may be able to get a two-week processing of their work permits.
Both foreign workers who require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and those who do not require it may qualify for the processing of their work permit applications with the GSS if they meet the program’s requirements.
For LMIA-exempt workers:
they must be applying from outside Canada;
their job must be either skill type 0 (Managerial) or skill type A (Professional) of the National Occupational Classification (NOC); and
the employer must have submitted an offer of employment using the employer portal as well as paid the employer compliance fee in order to qualify for two-week processing.
For situations where the workers require an LMIA, they must be applying from outside Canada, and the employer must possess a positive LMIA through the Global Talent stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
Visa offices abroad have specific instructions for applying through the Global Skills Strategy. Therefore, applicants must check with their local visa offices for their requirements.
For instance, some visa offices may require police certificates while others may not.
Medical examinations may also be required in some cases. Where medical examination is required, applicants may consider getting an upfront medical exam. This simply means getting the medical exam done and included in the applicant’s application.
Another pathway to quick entry for skilled workers under the Global Skills Strategy is the "short-duration work permit exemption".
Under this process, if the applicant is a highly skilled worker or a researcher, they will not need work permits for short term work in Canada.
For a highly skilled worker to meet the work permit exemption for short term work however, their job must be under skill type 0 (executive, managerial) or skill level A (professional) in the NOC. They are also permitted to only work for up to 15 consecutive days once every 6 months or up to 30 consecutive days once every 12 months.
For researchers, they must perform research at a Canadian publicly funded, degree-granting institution or its affiliated research institution, and work for one period of 120 days in Canada once every 12 months.
Where a foreign national applies for a work permit under the Global Skills Strategy (GSS), the applicant’s spouse or common-law partner and dependent children will also be eligible for a two-week processing of their visitor visa, work permit, and study permit. However, the worker and their family members must apply at the same time to qualify for two-week processing.
Foreign workers applying for a work permit through the International Mobility Program can also get the two-week processing if they are eligible for the Global Skills Strategy and submit a complete application.
Work permit applications under the Global Skills Strategy do not remove all other eligibility and admissibility requirements for foreign nationals but they are processed expediently.