Canada Work Permit Processing Times and Fees: What to Know

The official Government of Canada sources do not publish a single, fixed processing time for work permits. Processing times vary by application type, country of application, and whether you apply from inside or outside Canada. The only specific time-related statement in the current official material is for Iranian nationals under temporary measures, who may apply for a work permit extension until March 31, 2027. For all other applicants, you must check the current processing time on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website, because the published figure changes regularly and is not a guarantee. The fees, however, are published: a work permit processing fee of $155, an open work permit fee of $100, and biometrics fees of $85 for an individual or up to $170 for a family, where biometrics are required.

What the Official Sources Actually Say About Processing Times

The official guidance for this article contains no published processing time for a standard Canadian work permit. The pages retrieved from Canada.ca list departments and contacts, and describe the Iran-specific temporary measures, but they do not state how many weeks or months a work permit application takes. This is not an omission in the article; it is a reflection of how IRCC publishes its data. Processing times are shown on the IRCC website as a tool that you check for your specific situation, and they change as application volumes and officer workloads change.

What the sources do state is that a work permit extension under the Iran special measures “could be valid for up to 2 years.” That is a statement about the length of the permit you may receive, not about how long the application takes to process. Do not confuse the two. The same page notes that if you apply to extend your status before it expires, you are considered to have maintained your status, which is a legal extension of status that allows a temporary resident to stay in Canada while the application is processed.

For a current processing time, go to the IRCC page for work permits and use the processing times tool. It will ask for your country or territory of residence and the type of application. The figure it returns is an estimate based on recent applications, not a promise.

Work Permit Fees: The Published Numbers

The official fee table appears in the Iran special measures page, and it applies to work permit applications generally. The fees are as follows.

Type of fee	Amount	Who needs to pay
Work permit processing	$155	All applicants
Open work permit fee	$100	Open work permit applicants only
Biometrics fee	$85	Individual applicants who need biometrics
Biometrics fee (family)	Up to $170	Eligible family applicants

The processing fee of $155 applies to every work permit application. If you are applying for an open work permit, you add $100. Biometrics are a separate charge and are only paid if you are required to give them; the source says to check whether you need to give biometrics before paying.

There is no “embassy fee” or separate visa fee listed in the official guidance for a work permit. The fees above are the ones the Government of Canada publishes for the work permit application itself. If you are applying from outside Canada, you may also need a visitor visa or an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) to enter Canada, but the official guidance does not give the fee for those documents, so you must check the IRCC page for visitor visas and eTAs.

The Iran Special Measures: A Concrete Example of a Time-Limited Process

The clearest time-related information in the official guidance concerns Iranian nationals. As of March 1, 2026, temporary measures for Iranian nationals in Canada changed. The only remaining measure is an extension for Iranian work permit holders already in Canada, and it runs until March 31, 2027.

To qualify, you must meet all of the following conditions:

• You are an Iranian national with a valid passport.
• You are in Canada with a valid work permit when you apply, and a decision is made on your application.
• Your valid work permit was issued no later than February 28, 2025.
• You have not already been issued a work permit under the March 1, 2026 special measures. If you already received one extension, you cannot get a second one.
• You meet the general eligibility and admissibility requirements for a work permit.

The extension, if granted, can be valid for up to 2 years, but not past the expiry date on your passport. The page advises you to renew your passport before applying if it will expire within 2 years.

Crucially, the source states that no other temporary measures are in place for Iranian applicants. Iranian visitors and study permit holders in Canada can no longer apply for a different type of permit under special measures. They can only extend their current temporary resident status through the regular process.

General Eligibility Requirements for a Work Permit

Whether you apply under the Iran measures or through a standard route, you must meet the general eligibility and admissibility requirements. The source lists these explicitly:

• Obey the law and have no record of criminal activity. An officer may ask for a police clearance certificate.
• Not be a danger to Canada’s security.
• Be in good health and get a medical exam if required.
• Not plan to work for an employer listed as “ineligible” on the list of employers who failed to comply with the conditions.
• Not plan to work for an employer that offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages on a regular basis.
• Prove you have enough money to pay for living expenses for you and the family members who came with you to Canada, and for transportation to return home for you and your family.
• Prove to an officer that you will leave Canada at the end of your authorised stay.

These are the conditions IRCC publishes. They apply regardless of the application route. If you cannot satisfy them, your application may be refused.

What the Sources Do Not Tell You: LMIA and In-Canada Timelines

The related queries include “canada lmia work permit processing time” and “canada work permit processing time inside canada.” The official guidance does not address the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process at all, and it does not give a separate processing time for applications made from inside Canada. The Iran page describes an in-Canada application process, but it does not state how long that process takes.

If your work permit requires an LMIA, that is a separate application made by your employer to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), not by you to IRCC. The LMIA has its own processing times, which are published on the ESDC website. The official guidance here does not include them, so you must check the ESDC page for LMIA processing times.

For an in-Canada application, the IRCC processing times tool is again the place to look. The tool asks for the country where you are applying from, and for an in-Canada application that is Canada. The figure it returns is the estimate you should use for planning, but it is not a deadline and it is not a guarantee.

How to Apply and What to Include

The Iran page gives a step-by-step application process that is broadly the same for an in-Canada work permit extension:

1. Sign in to or create an IRCC secure account.
2. Gather and upload your forms and documents. The application to extend your worker status and a copy of your passport or travel document are required. The passport copy goes in the “Supporting Documents” section under “Passport.”
3. Pay the application fees at the end of the application. You need a valid credit or debit card.
4. Submit a complete application. The source warns that your application may be refused if you are missing documents or other required information.

If you cannot apply online because of a disability that prevents it, or because of a problem with the online application system, you can contact the Client Support Centre and choose the option “get urgent help in a crisis, emergency, or vulnerable situation.”

If you need help, have questions, or need to update your contact information, the source says to send a web form, complete all required fields, and include “Iran2023” in the text box. That code is specific to the Iran measures and should not be used for other applications.

What to Do Next and What to Verify

Before you apply for a work permit, confirm the three things that the official guidance cannot give you.

First, check the current processing time on the IRCC processing times tool. It changes, and the figure you see today may not be the figure next week. Second, confirm the fee for your specific application type. The $155 processing fee and the $100 open work permit fee are published, but if you need a visitor visa or an eTA as well, check the IRCC page for those documents. Third, if your application depends on an LMIA, check the ESDC page for LMIA processing times, because the LMIA is a separate process with its own timeline.

The official pages are the only reliable source for these numbers. If a figure is not on the IRCC or ESDC website, treat it as unverified and do not plan around it.