Last Updated On 16 July 2023, 8:47 AM EDT (Toronto Time)
New Canada work permit for H1B visa holders in the United States officially opened for new applications on July 16, 2023.
This was the much awaited program, initially announced by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser on June 27, 2023 to attract tech talent.
However, this new open work permit of H1B visa holders is now closed as of July 17, 2023 midnight because it has reached the maximum cap of 10,000 principal applicants.
Jump To
The duration of this open work permit will be up to three years, and family members will be permitted to accompany the primary applicants.
The spouses and children of these 10,000 H1-B visa holders will be eligible to apply for study permits, employment permits, and temporary resident visas.
Work Permit For H1B – Documents Required To Apply
Below listed are the primary applicant’s documents required:
- A valid passport or travel document
- You must have at least 1 free page where IRCC can stick your work permit.
- Proof of your H-1B visa
- Proof of your I-797/I-797B form, also known as your H-1B work permit
- Form I-94 or Arrival/Departure Record or a recent utility bill or an income tax return, or any other document proving that you are currently residing in the United States.
Documents Required For Spouses or Dependent of H1B visa holders (only if accompanying spouse or dependent)
- A valid passport or travel document
- You must have at least 1 free page where IRCC can stick your work permit.
- Proof of relationship with your spouse or parent
Examples of documents include
- a marriage certificate or proof of common-law status (documents showing a shared address)
- a birth certificate for dependent children under the age of 22
Information Needed to Apply
- Personal details
- Travel document details
- Finances
- Education history
- Criminality and security
- Medical background
- Family information
How To Apply For Canada H1B Open Work Permit
This new open work permit for H1B visa holders is now closed as of midnight, July 17, 2023, because the maximum number of 10,000 principal applicants has been reached.
To pay for fees you will need a credit card so keep it handy.
First of all interested and eligible candidates will need to sign up on GCKey and receive an invite code in their email.
Then, H1B visa holders will need to sign up on IRCC portal and login to apply for open work permit.
After logging in to the IRCC portal, answer the prompted questions and follow the guided CRM to apply.
What are Canada Permanent Residency (PR) pathways for H1B visa holders?
As we previously published, there is no dedicated path to permanent residency (PR) for H1B visa open work permit holders.
However, acquiring one year of Canadian experience will unquestionably increase the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of H1B visa holders in Express Entry.
After acquiring one year of experience in Canada, individuals who previously qualified only for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) of Express Entry will be able to qualify under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
H-1B visa holders with one year of experience outside of Canada, a bachelor’s degree, an IELTS score of 8 in listening and 7 in the remaining modules score approximately 404 on the FSWP.
Gaining one year of experience in a TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupation in Canada will increase their score to 470.
Similarly, two years of Canadian experience will increase their CRS score to 507, increasing their odds of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence in the Express Entry draw.
In addition, they will benefit from the STEM-focused Express Entry draw with a CRS score cutoff of 486 on July 5, 2023.
Also, these occupations are targeted by provincial nominee programs (PNPs), which will further increase their odds of obtaining permanent residency in Canada.
How to apply for Canada work permit for h1b holders?
First, interested H1B visa holders in the United States must register for GCKey login and receive an invite code via email.
Then, H1B visa holders needs to sign up on the IRCC portal and log in to submit an application for an open work permit.
Is Canada Open Work Permit for h1b visa holders still open?
Canada Open Work Permit for h1b visa holders closed as of July 17, 2023 midnight because it reached the maximum number of applications (10,000) for primary applicants.
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
h1b visa canada, h1b canada, ircc h1b, h-1b visa, canada work permit for h1b holders, canada h1b work permit, canada h1b work permit, canada h1b open work permit, canada h1b news, canada immigration h1b, canada h1b open work permit how to apply, ircc h1b, canada open work permit for h1b holders, canada visa for h1b holders, canada work permit for h1b, canada owp h1b, h1b canada visa apply online, ircc h1b open work permit, open work permit canada h1b, h1b work permit canada, h1b visa canada apply online, ircc h1b open work permit, ircc h1b work permit,