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H1-B Visa Fees Surge Dramatically in the US, Canada Work Permits Emerge as Popular Alternative
Published Date: September 22, 2025

Faced with the new policy of US H1-B visa application fees surging to $100,000, international tech professionals seeking career opportunities in North America are reconsidering their options. As an immigration-friendly nation, Canada offers foreign professionals multiple pathways for working and settling in the country.

Two Main Routes for Work Authorization in Canada

Foreign nationals can obtain work authorization in Canada primarily through two methods: work permits and permanent residence status.

Work permits are temporary in nature, typically valid for 1-3 years, and can be renewed under specific conditions. Permanent residence status, on the other hand, allows holders to live and work in Canada indefinitely.

For many foreign nationals, obtaining a work permit first and then applying for permanent residence is the most effective strategy. This is because having skilled Canadian work experience significantly enhances an applicant's competitive advantage in economic immigration programs.

Detailed Analysis of Major Immigration Pathways

Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

This program requires applicants to obtain a job offer from a Canadian employer who holds a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The LMIA is a document issued by Employment and Social Development Canada to employers, certifying that hiring a foreign worker will have a positive or neutral impact on the Canadian labour market.

Employers must apply to the relevant department for an LMIA and pay an application fee of CAD $1,000. Currently, obtaining an LMIA typically takes 3-4 months to process. Some TFWP streams require employers to conduct recruitment advertising, while others are exempt from this requirement.

Intra-Company Transfer Work Permit

This pathway primarily targets multinational corporation employees, requiring applicants to obtain a job offer from the Canadian branch of a multinational company. Applicants must have already worked for that employer for at least one year.

The job offer must be for one of the following three types of positions: executive positions, managerial positions, or individual contributor positions with specialized knowledge. Application materials must demonstrate that the specific employee and position are crucial for establishing and operating the Canadian business.

Express Entry Immigration System

Foreign nationals hoping to obtain Canadian permanent residence can apply through the Express Entry system. This system requires applicants to plan to reside in any region of Canada outside Quebec.

The application process consists of two stages: first, submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Express Entry pool, then receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from the federal government.

Prerequisites for entering the pool include: completing approved language tests, obtaining educational credential assessments for non-Canadian education, and meeting the minimum requirements of at least one of three federal economic immigration programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, or Federal Skilled Trades Program.

Successfully obtaining an ITA requires achieving a sufficiently high score in Canada's Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). For many foreign nationals, first obtaining a work permit in Canada is the best strategy for securing permanent residence through Express Entry, as Canadian work experience helps boost CRS scores.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Applicants can obtain Canadian permanent residence by receiving a nomination from a province or territory. This program requires applicants to demonstrate intent to settle in the nominating province or territory and meet the specific requirements of particular streams.

Currently, the Provincial Nominee Program contains over 80 different application streams, with each province and territory setting their own requirements and processing procedures.

Family Member Benefits Protection

Spouses or common-law partners of work permit holders have the opportunity to obtain a Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP). If the permanent residence application is successful, the applicant's spouse, dependent children, and the spouse's dependent children will simultaneously receive permanent residence status (provided they are included in the application).

Basic Admissibility Requirements

In addition to meeting the requirements of specific work permit or permanent residence streams, all foreign nationals must also satisfy Canada's general admissibility requirements:

  • Financial Requirements: Must demonstrate the ability to support themselves and their family's living expenses
  • Medical Requirements: Must prove they have no diseases that endanger public health and will not place excessive demand on social services
  • Public Safety: Must not have serious criminal records, must not be associated with organized crime, or pose a threat to national security
  • Genuine Intent: Must not lie or conceal important facts in immigration applications; for work permit applications, must convince visa officers that they will leave Canada when their authorized stay ends

As global talent competition intensifies, Canada demonstrates its welcoming attitude toward international tech talent through diversified immigration pathways. For professionals facing changes in US visa policies, Canada undoubtedly provides an alternative full of opportunities.

Friendly reminder: There are many pathways to immigrate to Canada. We recommend first using UNA AI to generate an objective and neutral immigration plan, so you can gain an initial understanding of the possible immigration pathways and their requirements, and then choose to proceed with one-on-one consultations with a licensed Canadian immigration consultant partnered with UNA.
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加拿大低工资LMIA冻结范围再调整：哈利法克斯等六地新增受限，受影响都会区增至30个
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IRCC Updates Job Offer Genuineness Guidance: Home-Based Businesses Can Support Employer-Specific Work Permits
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) revised its officer instructions on assessing the genuineness of job offers for employer-specific work permits on September 17, 2026, confirming that home-based businesses can make genuine offers to foreign workers and that a residential address is not, on its own, a reason for doubt. The revised guidance no longer says employers must have a physical location in Canada where the foreign worker will work, and it notes that a business address may differ from where employees actually work. Officers are told to consider all relevant evidence rather than treat any single factor as decisive. At the same time, the instructions state that a company with no employees, existing in name only and set up to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals, is not an operating business. The update also adds a procedural fairness step: an officer with concerns about an offer should send a letter explaining them, and the employer is given 15 days to submit evidence directly to IRCC. Employers must still show that they genuinely conduct business, need the worker they want to hire and can meet the wages and other terms they have offered.
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The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) announced on Oct. 7, 2026, that it has added a new top bracket to the scoring grid of the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream (OWPS), awarding 10 points under the "Canadian work experience: earnings history" factor to candidates with annual earnings of $80,000 or more, two points above the previous maximum of 8 points for earnings of $70,000 or more. The change took effect on Oct. 5 and has been applied automatically to affected profiles. Earnings are based on a Notice of Assessment issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) within the past five years, and higher-scoring candidates stand a better chance of being invited to apply for provincial nomination. Launched on June 26 and opened for intake on Aug. 4, the OWPS is currently Ontario's only provincial nomination route to permanent residence for foreign nationals, while a second phase of the overhaul, adding Priority Healthcare, Entrepreneur and Exceptional Talent streams, still has no launch date.
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