Anatomy of a Successful Canadian Work Permit Application

In the past several years Canada has admitted several hundred thousand temporary overseas workers. There are over twenty thousand temporary workers from top source countries such as the Philippines and Mexico working in Canada in any given year. Each year countless new applications from temporary overseas workers are submitted. Of those submitted, a good number are rejected.

What are the major factors that distinguish a successful work permit application to Canada from a rejected one?

There are potentially a multitude of reasons for rejection. However, several key ones arise often enough that if you properly address them in your application then you will increase the likelihood that your application will be successful.

A first key reason is a lack of properly defined work experience. Applicants who actually possess the proper work experience occasionally do not properly lay out and describe that experience in their application. It is easy to forget that an officer who evaluates an application sees only what is included in the application. You know that you have ton of experience but you have to demonstrate all of that experience in your application and not assume that the officer will have any experience with or knowledge of your profession.

To properly define your experience, start with the source of the definitions for various professions in Canada: Human Resources Canada. These definitions can be found online through the Government of Canada’s Human Resources website. On the website the Canadian Government outlines what experience is necessary in order to qualify under a particular profession. It is useful to use some of the same language in your application that is used in these definitions.

Another reason for failure is that the lack of English or French language skills. We have seen this reason as being cited for applicants who actually did possess adequate English or French language skills but did not sufficiently demonstrate those skills in their applications. If you are coming from a country in which English is not a major language then you should include as much as possible to demonstrate that you do know the language well enough to perform your profession in Canada. This can include items such as diplomas from courses completed, language test results, and letters from English language employers who you worked for acknowledging your language skills.

An additional reason for rejection is a failure to convince an immigration officer that you will return to your country of origin after your work permit expires. To address this issue you should demonstrate as much as possible why you have good reasons to return to your country. For example, you may have a spouse and children or other family in your country. This is a strong reason to return and should be highlighted in the application.

These are a few of the reasons for failure. An essential general lesson to draw which relates both to the above issues as well as to others, is that many of the reasons for failure are within your control to address in advance. As mentioned, officers see only what is before them. They cannot read into and draw far reaching assumptions about what you have included in your application. Lay everything out comprehensively and make sure that it matches precisely the requirements of that particular application. Oftentimes small, simple additions and changes can make the difference between success and failure.