Getting a Work Permit

In most cases, foreign nationals who have been hired as a Research Assistant, Research Associate, Post-Doctoral Fellow or Visiting Scholar and will participate directly in research activities do not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

For a complete list of LMIA exemptions, visit the Government of Canada web page – Find out if you are exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment.

However, if you have hired or are hosting a foreign national as a Research Assistant, Research Associate, Post-Doctoral Fellow or Visiting Scholar, he or she will likely require a work permit.

Before your appointee can apply for a work permit, he or she will need an Offer of Employment Number. In order to obtain this number, you must request that the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation submit an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National Exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) by completing Form IMM5802 and paying the $230 Employer Compliance Fee charged by CIC. For more information on completing Form IMM5802 and paying the $230 Employer Compliance Fee, click on the link below:

Offers of Employment to Foreign Nationals Exempt from Labour Market Impact Assessment

Once the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation has submitted an Offer of Employment for your appointee, CIC will send an email notification containing an official Offer of Employment Number that you will need to provide to your appointee so that they can complete their work permit application.

Your appointee can apply for a work permit through CIC online at:

Work permit processing times can vary dramatically. In order to ensure that your appointee is not delayed in beginning his or her appointment, ensure that you have submitted all required forms and documentation well in advance of the appointee's anticipated start date. For current work permit processing times, visit check application processing times

Please note that the University of Windsor does not provide immigration advice or assistance in applying for work permits.