Last Updated on June 11, 2016

In this article, you will find:

• A list of activities that can render a foreign work permit applicant inadmissible to Canada.

If a foreign national has been involved in certain activities, he/she may be refused a work permit even if he/she has met all other work permit requirements. These activities are as follows:

1. Security Grounds
2. Human or International Rights Violations
3. Serious Criminality
4. Organized Crime
5. Health Grounds
6. Financial Reasons
7. Misrepresentation
8. Inadmissible Family Member

Security Grounds

Foreign nationals will be refused a work permit if they:

• Have been involved in spying against Canada or spying that is against Canada’s interests
• Have been involved in anti-government behaviour against any government
• Have committed terrorist acts
• Have otherwise been a danger to the security of Canada
• Have been a member of a group that engages in the activities mentioned above

Human or International Rights Violations

Foreign nationals will be refused a work permit if they:

• Have committed a crime against humanity or a war crime outside of Canada
• Have been a high ranking official in a government that has committed acts of:
  • Terrorism
  • Systematic or gross human rights violations
  • Genocide
  • War crimes
  • Crimes against humanity
  • Have been sanctioned by an international organization of which Canada is a member

Serious Criminality

Foreign nationals will be refused a work permit if they:

• Have been convicted in Canada of a crime under Canadian law that can result in a maximum sentence of ten years in prison
• Have been convicted in Canada of a crime under Canadian law and have been given a prison sentence of more than six months
• Have been convicted of a crime outside of Canada that, if committed in Canada, would carry at least a 10-year prison sentence
• Have committed a crime outside of Canada that, if committed in Canada, would carry at least a 10-year prison sentence
• Have been convicted of a crime in Canada that is punishable by indictment
• Have been convicted of two or more crimes in Canada arising out of two or more separate incidents
• Have been convicted of a crime outside of Canada that, if committed in Canada, would be punishable by indictment. This crime may or may not also be considered a crime in the country where the crime took place.
• Have been convicted of two or more crimes arising out of two or more separate incidents that, if committed in Canada, would constitute crimes.
• Have committed a crime upon entering Canada

Organized Crime

Foreign nationals will be refused a work permit if they:

• Are involved in organized crime within Canada
• Are involved in organized crime outside of Canada that, if done in Canada, would be a criminal offence
• Are involved in international organized crime activities such as:
  • People smuggling
  • Human trafficking
  • Money laundering

Health Grounds

A foreign national will be refused a work permit if they have a health condition that:

• Is likely to be a danger to public health
• Is likely to be a danger to public safety
• Will likely place a large burden on Canada’s public health or social service systems

This rule does not apply to foreign work permit applicants who:

• Are protected persons
• Are the spouse, common-law partner, child or other family member of a protected person

Financial Reasons

Foreign nationals will be refused a work permit if:

• They are unwilling or unable to support themselves or their dependents upon arrival in Canada
• They have not satisfied a Canadian visa officer that they can support themselves and their dependents in ways that don’t involve social assistance

Misrepresentation

Foreign nationals will be refused a work permit if they directly or indirectly misrepresent or withhold any important information related to their work permit application.

Inadmissible Family Member

Foreign nationals will be refused a work permit if:

• One of their accompanying family members is inadmissible for reasons related to: organized crime, national security or international or human rights violations.
• They are the accompanying family members of somebody who is inadmissible for reasons related to: organized crime, national security or international or human rights violations.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.