Working in Canada
For Pakistan passport holders · Checked 2026-08-15
Canada has two routes, both gated: Express Entry (permanent residence — no employer needed, but invitations depend on your points score clearing draw cut-offs, and 2026 draws mostly favour people already in Canada, French speakers, or provincial nominees) and employer-sponsored work permits (the employer usually needs a government LMIA approval first).
What the employer must have
- For most temporary work permits, the employer must first obtain a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) proving no Canadian worker or permanent resident is available for the job
- Provide a genuine written job offer/contract; for Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades job-offer support the employer will usually need an LMIA unless the job is exempt
- Only after the LMIA is issued can the worker apply for the work permit
What you must do before you leave
- For Express Entry: create a profile (language test, education assessment, funds proof) — no employer is required; an invitation depends on your Comprehensive Ranking System score in draws
- For a work permit: apply to IRCC with the job offer letter, contract, LMIA copy and LMIA number, plus biometrics
- Before leaving Pakistan for any foreign job, register with BEOE and get your passport stamped by the Protectorate of Emigrants (direct registration or via a licensed OEP) — without it, airport staff will not let you board
Things to watch
- An Express Entry profile is not an application — you are only invited if your score clears a draw cut-off. In 2026 draws to date, most invitations went to candidates already in Canada, French speakers, or provincial nominees (July 2026 cut-offs: Canadian Experience Class 516-517, PNP 744, French-language 399-420); general draws reaching overseas candidates with no Canadian ties have been rare — check the live IRCC rounds page before relying on this route.
- Canada has been tightening temporary-work and immigration volumes since 2024 — verify the current state of any stream before relying on it
- Fake Canadian job offers and paid 'guaranteed LMIA/visa' offers are a documented scam pattern — a genuine employer pays for the LMIA process, not the worker
- BEOE Protector registration is required by Pakistani law (Emigration Ordinance 1979) even though Canada itself does not ask for it
What you may lawfully be charged
THE MOST A LICENSED AGENT MAY LAWFULLY CHARGE YOU as a service charge is PKR 15,000 (PKR 6,000 if you found the job yourself and only need the paperwork done). You do not hand it over — you deposit it in a bank and the agent is paid only after the Protector of Emigrants confirms you reached the job. Anything he spends on your ticket, medical or visa must come with a signed, stamped receipt.
Rule 15 and 15A, Emigration Rules 1979 (SRO 1058(I)/2023). Charging more is punishable by up to 14 years — Section 22(a), Emigration Ordinance 1979.
⚠️ Never pay anyone for a job offer or a visa on this route. Legitimate employers and licensed agents do not charge workers for jobs.
Official sources
This describes the immigration system, not your personal case, and not this specific vacancy.