Global Skills Strategy allows short-term work without permit

British Columbia and the rest of Canada allows immigrants from other countries to take on short-term employment without the need for a work permit. This is possible under the Global Skills Strategy, known as GSS. The program has two categories by which people could qualify to work in Canada without work permits, namely researchers and highly skilled workers. 

Requirements for researchers

Before researchers can qualify for the exemption of a work permit, they must demonstrate the following: 

• The research they do will be done at a publicly funded Canadian research institution or affiliated institution. 
• The institution where research will be done must be a degree-granting institution. 
• The period of research must equal a 120-day period once every 12 months. 

Requirements for highly skilled workers

The following requirements must be demonstrated when highly skilled workers apply for exemption of work permits: 

• The applicant’s skill level must be executive or managerial, classified as skill type 0 or level A, which includes professionals. 
• These skill levels are based on the National Occupational Classification. 
• The period they will work in Canada could be any of the following two periods: 

1. 1. between one and 15 consecutive days at 6-month intervals, or 
   2. between one and 30 consecutive days at 12-month intervals. 

Workers who qualified for short-term employment under the GSS program must stop working on the granted exemption’s last day. To continue working, they must either wait for the following eligible exemption period or file an application for a work permit. 

To be exempt from needing work permits in British Columbia, applicants may need to file applications for Temporary Resident Visas, or the electronic Travel Authorization might be applicable.