Ukraine immigration measures: Open work permits for Ukrainians and their family members in Canada

Who can apply

You must be in Canada with valid temporary resident status under the CUAET.

If you’re eligible, you

• can apply for an open work permit in Canada
• are exempt from paying the
  • work permit fee
  • open work permit holder fee
  • biometrics fee (if applicable)

How to apply

How to remove the job restrictions on your open work permit

There may be restrictions on your open work permit because you didn’t have a medical exam before you came to Canada. These restrictions prevent you from working in

• jobs that bring you into close contact with people, such as
  • workers in health care settings
  • clinical laboratory workers
  • patient attendants in nursing and geriatric homes
  • medical students admitted to Canada to attend university
  • medical electives and physicians on short-term locums
  • workers in primary or secondary school settings or workers in child-care settings
  • domestics
  • workers who give in-home care to children, the elderly or people with disabilities
  • day nursery employees
  • other similar jobs
• jobs in agriculture, if you’ve visited or lived in Ukraine or one of these countries for more than 6 months during the past year

You must get a medical exam within 90 days of your arrival. What you need depends on your age.

If you’re 15 years old or older

You need a chest X-ray and a blood test.

If you’re 14 years old

You need a chest X-ray.

You may need to pay a fee for this exam.

Once you get your medical exam results, you can ask to remove these restrictions. To do this, you must follow the instructions below to apply for an open work permit in Canada. Then, we can issue you a new work permit without job restrictions.

As a Ukrainian national or family member of a Ukrainian national, you don’t need to pay any fees to remove the job restrictions on your work permit.

Follow the steps below to

• apply for an open work permit (new or extension) in Canada
• remove job restrictions on your open work permit

Step 1: Make sure you have what you need

To apply online, you need a scanner or camera to create electronic copies of your documents.

Step 2: Create your online account or sign in

You need an account to apply online. You can use your account to

• submit your application forms
• check your status

If you have problems applying online

You can apply on paper if you meet one of the following exemptions:

• You can’t apply online because of a disability.
• There’s a barrier that
  • prevents you from applying online or
  • makes applying online unreliable

Contact us using our crisis web form if you can’t apply online.

Complete all required fields in the form and include “Ukraine2022” in the text box.

Step 3: Get your document checklist

You must answer some questions to create a personalized document checklist.

Make sure you answer these questions correctly

• Answer “Work” when asked “What would you like to do in Canada?”
• Answer “Temporarily – more than 6 months” when asked “How long are you planning to stay in Canada?”
• Workers and students must select “Worker” when asked What is your current immigration status in Canada?
  • For students, this is a temporary measure while we update the application system.
• Answer “yes” when asked:
  Does one of the following apply to you?
  • I am subject of a removal order that is unenforceable
  • I applied for a study or work permit before entering Canada that was approved, but not issued at a port of entry
  • I am in primary or secondary school, or a visiting or exchange student, in Canada with visitor status
  • I am applying for an open work permit under an active public policy or pilot program announced by IRCC
  • I am a student who has completed a program of study that is a prerequisite to my enrolment at a designated learning institution with visitor status in Canada
  • I applied for permanent residence and was found eligible (first stage approval) under one of the following classes:
    • Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada
    • Humanitarian and Compassionate cases
    • Protected Persons in Canada
    • Live-in Caregiver in Canada
• Answer “No, I am exempt from paying fees for the application” to the question There are fees associated with this application. Will you be paying your fees or are you fee exempt?
• If you’ve undergone a medical exam, answer “Yes” when asked Have you had a medical exam performed by an IRCC authorized panel physician (doctor) within the last 12 months?
  • We strongly recommend you do this if you’re asking us to remove the job restrictions on your work permit.
  • This ensures there’s a place to upload proof of a medical exam in your document checklist.

Step 4: Read the instruction guide and fill out the application

Read the instruction guide before you fill out your application. The guide will explain how to complete each field on the form.

Once you get your document checklist, fill out the application forms.

Special instructions for this public policy

When you fill out the work permit application form:

• Select “Open Work Permit” as the type of work permit you’re applying for in the Details of Intended work in Canada section.
• Enter “UKRAINE 2022” as the Job title.
• Enter “Ukraine 2022 public policy—open work permit” in the Brief description of duties field.
• For Duration of expected employment, we need to know how long you’d like your permit to be valid.
  • Enter the date you’d like to start working as the Start date.
    • It may not be possible to finalize your application by the start date you ask for.
  • You can ask for an End date that’s up to 3 years from the start date.
    • If we don’t finalize your application by your requested start date, we’ll update the end date of your work permit in line with your new start date.
    • You can’t ask for an end date beyond the expiry date of your passport.

Step 5: Upload the correct documents

You need to include the following documents with your application:

Depending on your situation, you may also need to provide other documents

Create an account or sign in

After you apply

How we process your application

We’ll check your application to make sure you included all the necessary documents, any fees that you need to pay and gave your biometrics (if required).

If it’s incomplete, we’ll return your application without processing it.

An officer will also check

• the list of employers who failed to comply with the conditions to make sure that the employer can hire you, and
• that you qualify for a work permit

Depending on the type of work you’ll be doing, you might need a medical exam. If you do, an officer will tell you and will send you instructions on what to do. A medical exam can add over 3 months to the time it takes us to process your application.

We may also ask you to send more information.

If your application is approved

We’ll mail the work permit to the Canadian address you gave us in your application. The work permit will outline

• the type of work you can do
• how long you can stay and work in Canada

If your mailing address changes before we approve your application, you must contact us to tell us your new address.

Find a job in Canada

Many Canadian businesses have registered jobs for Ukrainians on Job Bank, the Government of Canada’s free-to-use online job board. You can use Job Bank to search for a job or contact Job Bank to get help looking for a job.

Find a job on Job Bank

Working in Canada

Find information about working in Canada, including your rights as a foreign worker, and learn about the labour standards in Canada.

When you start working

Who can apply

We’re no longer accepting new applications under the CUAET measures. However, you may be able to apply for an open work permit that’s valid for up to 3 years under the post-CUAET measures.

To be eligible, you must

• be in Canada with valid temporary resident status.
• show that you have enough money to take care of yourself and your family members during your stay in Canada and to return home;
• obey the law and have no record of criminal activity (we may ask you to give us a police clearance certificate);
• not be a danger to Canada’s security;
• be in good health and have a medical exam, if needed;
• not plan to work for an employer listed with the status “ineligible” on the list of employers who failed to comply with the conditions;
• not plan to work for an employer who, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages
• prove to an officer that you will leave Canada when your work permit expires;

If you’re eligible, you

• can apply for an open work permit in Canada that’s valid for up to 3 years
  • your passport or other travel document and your biometrics must be valid for the entire time you’re in Canada
• get priority processing on your application

How to apply

Follow the steps below to apply for an open work permit (new or extension) in Canada.

Step 1: Make sure you have what you need

To apply online, you’ll need:

• a scanner or camera to create electronic copies of your documents, and
• a valid credit or debit card

Step 2: Read the instruction guide

You should read the instruction guide before you complete your application. The guide will explain how to complete each field on the form.

Step 3: Prepare your answers for the online tool

Before you can upload your forms, you must answer some questions. We use your answers to create a personalized document checklist for you.

Make sure you answer these questions correctly

• Answer “Work” when asked “What would you like to do in Canada?”
• Answer “Temporarily – more than 6 months” when asked “How long are you planning to stay in Canada?”
• Workers and students must select “Worker” when asked What is your current immigration status in Canada?
  • For students, this is a temporary measure while we update the application system.
• Answer “yes” when asked:
  Does one of the following apply to you?
  • I am subject of a removal order that is unenforceable
  • I applied for a study or work permit before entering Canada that was approved, but not issued at a port of entry
  • I am in primary or secondary school, or a visiting or exchange student, in Canada with visitor status
  • I am applying for an open work permit under an active public policy or pilot program announced by IRCC
  • I am a student who has completed a program of study that is a prerequisite to my enrolment at a designated learning institution with visitor status in Canada
  • I applied for permanent residence and was found eligible (first stage approval) under one of the following classes:
    • Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada
    • Humanitarian and Compassionate cases
    • Protected Persons in Canada
    • Live-in Caregiver in Canada

Step 4: Know the fees you have to pay

In most cases, your fees will include processing fees for you and anyone you include on your application

We’ll ask you to pay your fees at the end of your application.

Fees for open work permits

If you’re applying for an open work permit, make sure you pay all applicable fees:

• work permit fee ($155)
• open work permit holder fee ($100)
• biometrics fee (if applicable)

Step 5: Create your online account or sign in

You need an account to apply online. You can use your account to:

• pay your fees
• submit your application
• check your status

Create an account or sign in

If you have problems applying online

You can apply on paper if you meet one of the following exemptions:

• You can’t apply online because of a disability.
• There’s a barrier that
  • prevents you from applying online or
  • makes applying online unreliable

Contact us using our crisis web form if you can’t apply online.

Complete all required fields in the form and include “UKF2023” in the text box.

After you apply

How we process your application

We’ll check your application to make sure you included all the necessary documents, any fees that you need to pay and gave your biometrics (if required).

If it’s incomplete, we’ll return your application without processing it.

We may also ask you to send more information.

Depending on the type of work you’ll be doing, you might need a medical exam. If you do, an officer will tell you and will send you instructions on what to do. A medical exam can add over 3 months to the time it takes us to process your application.

If your application is approved

We’ll mail the work permit to the Canadian address you gave us in your application. The work permit will outline

• the type of work you can do
• how long you can work

If your mailing address changes before we approve your application, you must contact us to tell us your new address.

Find a job in Canada

Many Canadian businesses have registered jobs for Ukrainians on Job Bank, the Government of Canada’s free-to-use online job board. You can use Job Bank to search for a job or contact Job Bank to get help looking for a job.

Find a job on Job Bank

Working in Canada

Find information about working in Canada, including your rights as a foreign worker, and learn about the labour standards in Canada.

When you start working