Open vs Closed Work Permits in Canada: What's the Difference

Q: Who can get an open work permit?

The main routes are a Post-Graduation Work Permit, a spousal or common-law open work permit, a Bridging Open Work Permit while a permanent residence application is in progress, and an open work permit for vulnerable workers. Not every temporary resident qualifies.

The short version

A closed work permit, officially called an employer-specific work permit, lets you work only for the employer named on the permit. An open work permit lets you work for almost any employer in Canada.

Most people do not choose between the two. Your eligibility decides which one you can get. Open work permits are only available through specific programs, such as a Post-Graduation Work Permit, a spousal or common-law open work permit, or a Bridging Open Work Permit while a permanent residence application is in progress. If none of those applies to you, a closed permit is the route.

The practical difference is what happens when your situation changes. On an open permit, changing jobs is a change of jobs. On a closed permit, changing jobs usually means a new application.

At a glance

	Closed (employer-specific)	Open
Who you can work for	Only the employer named on your permit, in the occupation and location it names.	Almost any employer in Canada, with some restrictions by sector.
Changing employers	You generally need a new work permit approved before you start the new job.	No new permit needed.
How you qualify	Through an employer, usually with an approved LMIA or under an LMIA exemption.	Through your own circumstances, such as graduating from a designated Canadian institution or being the spouse of an eligible worker or student.
Who applies	You apply, but your employer has to do their part first, including the LMIA or the offer of employment submission and the employer compliance fee.	You apply on your own.
Typical processing time	See our IRCC processing times guide, which is kept current. Add the LMIA processing time on top where one is required.	See our IRCC processing times guide.
If you lose the job	Your permit stays valid until its expiry date, but you cannot work for anyone else until a new permit is approved. Maintaining status and income gets complicated fast.	You can start work with a new employer.
Effect on permanent residence	A job offer earned no Express Entry points between March 25, 2025 and November 2, 2026. From November 3, 2026, a qualifying offer earns CRS points only in a high-wage occupation, and no LMIA is needed. Employer-supported jobs remain central to many provincial nominee streams.	No employer tie, so no employer-based points, but also no dependence on one employer staying in business.

Rules as of October 28, 2026. Processing times change; the guide linked above is updated as IRCC posts new figures.

What is a closed work permit?

A closed work permit, which IRCC calls an employer-specific work permit, authorises you to work for one named employer only.

The permit itself names four things:

the employer
your occupation or job title
the work location
how long you can work

Those conditions are not advisory. Working outside them, including for a different employer, is working without authorisation, which can affect your status and any future application you make.

If you want to change employers, you generally need a new work permit approved before you start the new job. We cover how that works in detail in a separate article on changing employers on a closed work permit.

How do you get a closed work permit?

Closed permits come through an employer. The main routes:

An LMIA-based work permit. Your employer applies for a Labour Market Impact Assessment, which is Employment and Social Development Canada assessing whether hiring you will have a negative effect on the Canadian labour market. If it is approved, you then apply for the permit. This is the longest route, because the LMIA and the permit are two sequential applications.
An LMIA-exempt work permit. Certain positions are exempt from the LMIA requirement, under international agreements such as CUSMA (section 204 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations) and under the Canadian-interests provisions (section 205). Your employer still has to submit an offer of employment and pay the compliance fee.
An intra-company transfer. A specific LMIA-exempt route for employees of a multinational moving to a Canadian affiliate in a managerial, executive, or specialised-knowledge role.
The [Global Talent Stream](https://joshuaschachnowlaw.com/immigration/global-talent-stream). An expedited route for certain tech and specialised roles. ESDC's service standard is 10 business days for 80% of applications.
A provincial route. Some provincial nominee streams come with a work permit support letter that functions as an LMIA exemption.

Which route applies depends on your employer, your occupation, and your immigration category. The permit you receive is the same kind of permit either way. The difference is how long it takes and who has to do what. See work permits.

What is an open work permit?

An open work permit authorises you to work for almost any employer in Canada. If you change jobs, you do not need a new permit.

There are limits. An open permit does not let you work for an employer on IRCC's list of non-compliant employers, or for a business that regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massage. And the permit itself may carry restrictions, for example a medical exam before you can take certain jobs, or a limit on where you can work. See IRCC on open work permits.

Open permits are not a category you apply for on their own merits. You get one because you fall into a program that issues them. See IRCC's work in Canada pages.

Who can get an open work permit?

The main routes, depending on your circumstances:

A [Post-Graduation Work Permit](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/after-graduation/eligibility.html). For graduates of eligible programs at designated learning institutions. Length depends on the length of your study program. Since November 1, 2024, graduates of programs below a bachelor's degree must also meet a field of study requirement; degree graduates are exempt. See study permits.
A spousal or common-law open work permit. For the spouse or common-law partner of certain workers and students. Eligibility narrowed on January 21, 2025: the worker must be in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation or a select TEER 2 or 3 occupation and have at least 16 months left on their permit, and the student must be in a master's program of 16 months or longer, a doctoral program or a select professional program. IRCC's eligibility page has the occupation list. See spousal sponsorship.
A [Bridging Open Work Permit](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents/foreign-workers/provincial-nominees-permanent-resident-applicants/bridging-open-work-permits.html). For people who have a permanent residence application in progress under an eligible class and a work permit that is close to expiring. It bridges the gap so you can keep working while the PR application is assessed. See permanent residence.
An [open work permit for vulnerable workers](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/special-instructions/vulnerable-workers.html). For workers on employer-specific permits who are experiencing abuse, or at risk of it, in the job tied to their permit.
Other public policy or humanitarian routes. These come and go, and several are capped or time-limited.

Not every temporary resident qualifies for an open permit. If none of these describes you, the question is which closed permit route is available, not how to get an open one.

Which work permit is better?

Neither is inherently better. It depends on your goals and, more often, on what you are eligible for.

A closed permit is frequently the faster route if you already have a Canadian employer ready to hire you, and LMIA-supported employment can strengthen some permanent residence applications. An open permit gives you mobility, which matters if your plans might change or your employer might not last.

The honest answer for most people is that there is no decision to make. You will qualify for one or the other, and the useful question is which closed permit route is quickest for your situation, or whether there is an open permit route you have not realised you qualify for. The second one is where people most often leave something on the table. The Bridging Open Work Permit in particular is routinely missed by applicants who are eligible for it.

A note on who you hire

For a straightforward work permit application, a licensed immigration consultant and a lawyer can both file for you. The difference shows up if you are refused. Only a lawyer can appear for you in Federal Court, so a consultant cannot take a refused application to judicial review no matter how your file develops.

On a routine application that may never matter. It is worth knowing before you choose. See appeals and judicial review.

Can you switch from a closed to an open work permit?

Sometimes, and it depends entirely on which program you become eligible for.

The common routes:

You apply for permanent residence under an eligible class and qualify for a Bridging Open Work Permit.
You graduate from an eligible Canadian program and qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.
Your spouse's status changes in a way that makes you eligible for a spousal open work permit.
You are experiencing abuse in the employment tied to your permit and qualify for a vulnerable worker permit.

What you cannot do is apply to convert a closed permit into an open one as such. You apply under the program that issues open permits, and the result is a new permit.

Timing matters here more than anything else. Most of these routes require you to apply while you still hold valid status, and the sequence of filings is what determines whether you can keep working while you wait. That sequencing is the part people get wrong.

What this means for you

Which permit you hold shapes how easily you can change jobs and which permanent residence routes stay open to you. It is worth getting right the first time, and worth re-checking when your circumstances change, because eligibility for an open permit can appear without you noticing.

If you are not sure which permit applies to you, book a consultation. We will tell you which category fits, and if your situation is straightforward enough to handle yourself, we will say that too.

Open vs. closed work permits in Canada: what is the difference?