Canada Work Visa For Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a number of foreign expatriate communities. Many foreign expats who have settled in Hong Kong keep on searching for a work visa.  Canadian expatriates have been rated as the 4th highest source of overseas employees in Hong Kong, according to the 2006 figures from the Census and Statistics Department. For most foreign expats who are looking for ways to work in Canada, working through a Hong Kong company that can sponsor an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) should be their initial choice – as it is much easier than any other application process through the Canadian government.

Canada Work Visa For Hong Kong

Work visas are particularly beneficial for people who are ineligible to apply for permanent residency and are only permitted to stay in Canada temporarily. The following visas allow you to gain valuable experience needed if you desire to eventually immigrate to Canada: As well as:

My first trip to Canada was to attend a workshop in Québec on solar energy. In 2011, after I had earned my master’s degree in clean energy engineering, I got an unexpected opportunity from Canadian friends who knew about my work in China. Six months ago, as a leader of the environmental team of an international corporation in Hong Kong, I sat down to talk with the company VP and received some good news: We need people to work in Canada!

Who can apply

To be eligible, you must

• hold a valid passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or the United Kingdom to a British National Overseas
  • Your work permit will be valid for up to 3 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.

• For example, if your passport is valid for 6 months, then you will be issued an open work permit for 6 months.
  • • To maximize the duration of the open work permit, make sure your passport is valid for at least 3 years from the date of approval.
    • Tell us how long you want your work permit to be valid.
• meet the education requirements for post-secondary, graduate or post-graduate studies (see below for details)

Education requirements for post-secondary studies

You must have graduated no more than 5 years before you apply for this open work permit, with one of the following:

• a degree (for example, associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral) from a designated post-secondary learning institution in Canada or an institution abroad
• a diploma for a minimum 2-year program from a designated post-secondary learning institution in Canada or an institution abroad

Education requirements for graduate and post-graduate studies Effective May 17, 2021

You must hold a graduate or post-graduate credential (for example, a post-graduate diploma) that you received no more than 5 years before you apply for this open work permit.

The credential must be for a program

• that is a minimum of 1 year
• that requires a post-secondary degree or diploma, which you completed no more than 5 years before you started the post-graduate program
• at one of the following:
  • a designated learning institution in Canada
  • an institution abroad

If you applied before May 17, 2021

You may still be eligible for this public policy if both of the following apply:

• You hold an eligible graduate or post-graduate credential.
• We haven’t made a decision on your application.

If you got your education abroad

You don’t need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to apply if you got a degree (for example, associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral) outside Canada, but an officer may request one later.

If you got a post-secondary, graduate or post-graduate diploma outside Canada, you must provide an ECA.

The ECA must be from an organization or a professional body designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. They’ll give you a report that tells you what your education is equal to in Canada.

Processing times and costs vary by the organization or professional body.

Once you choose a designated organization or a professional body, they’ll tell you how to submit your documents to get your assessment.

Designated organizations

You must use one of these designated organizations:

• Comparative Education Service – University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
  • designated: April 17, 2013
• International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
  • designated: April 17, 2013
• World Education Services
  • designated: April 17, 2013
• International Qualifications Assessment Service
  • designated: August 6, 2015
• International Credential Evaluation Service
  • designated: August 6, 2015

How to apply

You must apply for the open work permit online. You can’t apply at a port of entry.

If you’re outside Canada

If you’re in Canada

After you apply

Find out what to do and what happens after you apply for your work permit.

If you plan to apply for permanent residence

There is a Canadian work experience stream under the permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents. You can use the work experience you gain with this open work permit or any other work permit to meet the hours of work requirement for this pathway.

If you’re outside Canada when your work permit application is approved

We’ll issue you a letter of introduction with a deadline to enter Canada. If you delay your travel to Canada, you might not be able to get the work experience you need before the permanent residence