Vulnerable Worker Open Work Permit Canada: Who Can Apply

Vulnerable Worker Open Work Permit Canada is a temporary immigration option for certain employer-specific work permit holders who are experiencing workplace abuse or are at risk of being abused in connection with their Canadian job.

The permit can help an eligible foreign worker leave an abusive employment situation and work for another eligible employer in Canada.

Unlike a regular employer-specific work permit, this is an open work permit. A new job offer, Labour Market Impact Assessment or Employer Portal offer is not required to submit the vulnerable worker application.

The application must normally be submitted online from inside Canada. There are no application fees for this special work permit.

Vulnerable Worker Open Work Permit Canada: Quick Overview

What Is an Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers?

An employer-specific work permit normally authorizes a temporary foreign worker to work only for the employer listed on the document.

This restriction can make it difficult for a worker to leave an employer who is abusive, controlling or violating employment conditions.

The vulnerable worker open work permit is designed to provide temporary protection by allowing an eligible worker to leave the abusive job and search for new employment.

A person approved for this permit can generally work for most employers in Canada, except employers that:

• Are listed as ineligible because they failed to comply with government conditions
• Regularly offer striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages

The permit is a temporary solution. It is intended to provide enough time to find a new job and apply for another work permit.

For general permit differences, read Work Permit Canada Explained: Open vs Employer-Specific Work Permit.

Who Can Apply?

You may qualify if all the main conditions apply to your situation.

• You are physically present in Canada
• You are experiencing abuse or are at risk of abuse in relation to your Canadian employment
• You hold a valid employer-specific work permit that names your employer; or
• You applied to extend your work permit before it expired and are still waiting for IRCC’s decision

Your employer-specific permit may have been issued through:

• The Temporary Foreign Worker Program
• The International Mobility Program
• An LMIA-based employment offer
• An LMIA-exempt employer-specific category

The central issue is whether the permit is tied to a specific employer and whether the abuse or risk of abuse is connected to your job in Canada.

Who May Not Qualify?

You may not meet the basic eligibility rules if:

• You are outside Canada
• You are trying to apply at a port of entry
• You already hold an unrestricted open work permit
• The problem is unrelated to your employment in Canada
• Your employer-specific permit expired and you did not submit an extension application before expiry
• You do not provide enough information to show abuse or a risk of abuse

A worker whose status expired without a timely extension application may need to consider restoration or another immigration option.

Read Restoration of Status Canada.

What Counts as Workplace Abuse?

Abuse can include behaviour that scares, controls, harms or isolates a worker.

It can be physical, sexual, financial or psychological. It can also include reprisals for reporting an employer’s non-compliance or cooperating with an inspection.

Other examples can include:

• Forcing you to perform work that is not authorized by your employment agreement
• Making you work while sick or injured
• Providing unsafe or unsanitary employer-controlled housing
• Forcing excessive or unpaid overtime
• Forcing you to commit fraud
• A recruiter charging money for a job that does not exist
• Threatening to cancel your status or personally deport you

Employers cannot personally deport a worker or change a person’s immigration status. Immigration decisions are made by Canadian government authorities.

What Evidence Can You Provide?

IRCC encourages applicants to submit as much relevant evidence as they can safely obtain.

Evidence may include:

• A personal sworn statement or affidavit
• A letter from a migrant-worker support organization
• A statement from a doctor, counsellor or health-care professional
• Police, CBSA or other enforcement reports
• A complaint submitted to a provincial employment standards authority
• A victim impact statement
• Email messages
• Text or messaging-app conversations
• Pay stubs showing unpaid or incorrect wages
• Bank records showing missing or reduced payments
• Photographs of injuries, housing or working conditions
• Witness statements
• Employment contracts, schedules or timesheets

An official police or government complaint can support an application, but it is not the only type of evidence listed by IRCC.

Do not put yourself in danger to obtain additional documents. Explain what happened and why certain evidence is unavailable.

Letter of Explanation for a Vulnerable Worker Application

IRCC provides the optional form IMM 0017, Letter of Explanation – Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers.

Your explanation should clearly describe:

• Your employer and current job
• When the employment began
• What abuse occurred or why you believe abuse is likely
• Who was involved
• When and where the incidents occurred
• How the conduct affected your health, safety, pay or ability to leave
• Which supporting documents you are providing
• Why any important evidence cannot be provided

Use clear dates and specific examples where possible. Avoid exaggeration and do not submit altered or false evidence.

Simple Letter Structure

Documents You May Need

Your personalized online checklist controls. Documents may include:

• Valid passport pages
• Current employer-specific work permit
• Proof that an extension was submitted before expiry, where applicable
• IMM 0017 or another detailed letter of explanation
• Evidence of abuse or risk of abuse
• Employment agreement
• Pay records and work schedules
• Proof of current residence in Canada
• Medical examination evidence where relevant
• Other documents shown on your checklist

IRCC provides only one `Client Information` upload field for the explanation and abuse evidence.

Combine the relevant documents into one organized file before uploading them.

A useful order is:

1. Cover page and document index
2. Letter of explanation
3. Employment documents
4. Messages and written communications
5. Pay and banking evidence
6. Medical, support-organization or official reports
7. Photographs and witness statements

How to Apply Online

You normally must submit this application through an IRCC online account.

1. Gather your passport, work permit and evidence.
2. Prepare IMM 0017 or a detailed explanation letter.
3. Combine your evidence into one upload file.
4. Create or sign in to your IRCC account.
5. Under Start an application, select Apply to come to Canada.
6. Select Visitor visa, study and/or work permit.
7. Choose Work as what you want to do in Canada.
8. Select Canada as your current country or territory of residence.
9. Answer No when asked whether you have a written job offer.
10. Answer Yes when asked whether you have a valid employer-specific work permit and are being abused or at risk of abuse.
11. Select Open work permit for vulnerable workers in the results.
12. Complete all forms and upload the requested documents.
13. Electronically sign and submit the application.
14. Save the submission confirmation.

You cannot normally apply for this permit at an airport, land border or other port of entry.

If a disability prevents online submission or the online system has a technical problem, follow IRCC’s special instructions for alternative submission.

For account assistance, read IRCC Secure Account: Login Tips for Applicants.

Application Fees and Biometrics

No Application Fees

There are no application fees for the vulnerable worker open work permit.

Do not pay the standard $155 work permit fee or the $100 open work permit holder fee when following the instructions for this category.

Biometrics

Because of the circumstances involved, IRCC does not normally ask for biometrics when the vulnerable worker application is first submitted.

The online questions may still ask whether you previously provided biometrics.

An officer may request fingerprints and a photograph after submission if they determine that biometrics are required.

Read Biometrics for Canada Immigration Explained.

What Happens While the Application Is Processing?

IRCC may contact you if additional information is needed.

An officer may also request an interview.

Submitting the application does not automatically issue the open work permit. Until approval, your ability to work depends on your existing authorization and status.

If your employer-specific permit remains valid, it generally authorizes work only under the conditions printed on that permit.

If you submitted a permit extension before expiry, maintained status may allow you to continue under the original employment conditions while waiting.

Maintained status does not normally allow you to start working for a new employer before the vulnerable worker open permit is approved.

Read Maintained Status in Canada Explained.

What Happens After Approval?

If approved, IRCC issues a temporary open work permit.

The permit should provide time to:

• Leave the abusive employment relationship
• Find a new eligible employer
• Begin authorized work for another employer
• Prepare an application for a longer-term work permit

Check the new permit carefully for:

• Your legal name
• Passport number
• Permit expiry date
• Occupation or medical restrictions
• Geographic restrictions, if any

Finding a New Employer and Applying for Another Permit

The vulnerable worker permit provides temporary open work authorization, but it is not a permanent immigration solution.

Before it expires, you may need to qualify for:

• An LMIA-based employer-specific work permit
• An LMIA-exempt employer-specific permit
• Another eligible open work permit category
• A work permit connected to a permanent residence pathway

For a new employer-specific permit, the new employer may need to:

• Obtain a positive LMIA; or
• Submit an LMIA-exempt offer through the Employer Portal

Begin preparing the next application before the vulnerable worker permit expires.

Read Change Employers on a Work Permit in Canada.

Can Family Members Apply for an Open Work Permit?

Family members who came to Canada with the vulnerable worker may also be eligible for open work permits if the vulnerable worker’s application is approved.

Each family member must complete a separate application.

The applications may be submitted together with the vulnerable worker’s application.

Family members must still satisfy the requirements that apply to their individual applications.

Reporting Abuse or Employer Non-Compliance

The vulnerable worker permit application and a report of employer abuse are related but separate processes.

Anyone can report suspected abuse of temporary foreign workers to Service Canada.

Reports can be made:

• Through the confidential online reporting tool
• By calling the Service Canada confidential tip line
• At a Service Canada Centre
• By mail

The confidential tip-line number is:

The line accepts messages 24 hours a day. Live agents are available during published business hours and service is available in more than 200 languages.

You can report anonymously. The government states that it will not tell the employer who made the report.

After a vulnerable worker permit is approved, the government may inspect the employer.

IRCC states that it will not contact the employer for another reason connected with the vulnerable worker application.

You may be asked for information to support an inspection, but providing additional inspection information is your choice.

Common Application Mistakes

• Applying from outside Canada
• Trying to apply at a port of entry
• Choosing the wrong work permit result in the online questionnaire
• Answering that a new written job offer is available
• Providing a general statement without dates or specific incidents
• Uploading evidence separately when only one Client Information field is available
• Paying standard work permit fees when the category is fee-exempt
• Submitting altered, misleading or false evidence
• Assuming submission immediately authorizes work for a new employer
• Assuming the vulnerable worker permit can be renewed
• Waiting until the permit is close to expiry before planning the next work permit

Vulnerable Worker Open Work Permit Checklist

Eligibility Checklist

• □ I am physically in Canada.
• □ My current work permit is employer-specific.
• □ My permit is still valid, or I applied to extend it before expiry.
• □ The abuse or risk of abuse is connected to my Canadian employment.
• □ I understand that this application cannot be made at a port of entry.

Evidence Checklist

• □ I prepared a detailed letter explaining my situation.
• □ I included dates, locations and specific incidents where possible.
• □ I collected messages, pay records or other available evidence.
• □ I explained why unavailable evidence could not be provided.
• □ I combined my explanation and supporting evidence into one file.
• □ I did not put myself at risk to obtain evidence.

Submission Checklist

• □ I selected Work in the online questionnaire.
• □ I selected Canada as my current residence.
• □ I answered No to having a written job offer.
• □ I selected the vulnerable worker open work permit result.
• □ I uploaded my passport and current permit.
• □ I uploaded my combined Client Information file.
• □ I did not pay a work permit application fee.
• □ I electronically signed and submitted the application.
• □ I saved the submission confirmation.

Related Immigration Guides

• Change Employers on a Work Permit in Canada
• Work Permit Canada Explained
• Work Permit Extension Canada
• Maintained Status in Canada Explained
• Restoration of Status Canada
• IRCC Secure Account: Login Tips
• Biometrics for Canada Immigration Explained

Helpful Official Resources

• IRCC: Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers
• IRCC: Who Can Apply
• IRCC: How to Apply
• IRCC: After You Apply
• Government of Canada: Temporary Foreign Worker Rights
• Service Canada: Report Abuse of Temporary Foreign Workers
• Service Canada: Confidential Online Reporting Tool

FAQ About Vulnerable Worker Open Work Permit Canada

Who can apply for a vulnerable worker open work permit?

You must be in Canada, be experiencing or at risk of job-related abuse and hold a valid employer-specific permit or be waiting for a timely extension decision.

Can I apply from outside Canada?

No. You must be physically present in Canada.

Can I apply at the border?

No. The application must normally be submitted online and cannot be made at a port of entry.

Does verbal abuse count?

Psychological abuse can include threats, intimidation, insults, isolation and other controlling behaviour.

Does unpaid salary count as abuse?

Taking wages, withholding pay or using illegal financial deductions can be relevant evidence of financial abuse.

Do I need a police report?

A police report can support the application, but IRCC also lists personal affidavits, messages, pay records, medical letters, photographs and witness statements as possible evidence.

Do I need a new job offer before applying?

No. The online instructions specifically direct applicants to answer that they do not have a written job offer.

How much does the application cost?

There are no application fees for this special open work permit.

Do I need biometrics?

IRCC does not normally request biometrics when you submit the application. An officer may request them later if necessary.

Can I start working for another employer after applying?

Submission alone does not automatically authorize new employment. Wait until you receive the open work permit or another valid authorization.

Will IRCC tell my employer that I applied?

IRCC states that it may contact the employer after approval to conduct an inspection but will not contact the employer for another reason connected with the application.

Can the vulnerable worker permit be extended?

No. It is a temporary permit and cannot be renewed. You must qualify for another work permit before it expires.

Can my family members receive open work permits?

Family members who came with you may also be eligible if your application is approved. Each family member must submit a separate application.

Can I report my employer anonymously?

Yes. Service Canada accepts confidential and anonymous reports and states that it will not tell the employer who made the report.

Final Thoughts

Vulnerable Worker Open Work Permit Canada provides temporary protection for eligible employer-specific work permit holders facing workplace abuse or a genuine risk of abuse.

A strong application should clearly explain the situation and include as much safe, relevant evidence as possible. An official complaint can help, but evidence can also include personal statements, messages, pay records, medical letters, photographs and witness accounts.

The application is submitted online from inside Canada and has no application fees. Receiving the permit can allow the worker to leave the abusive employment and work for another eligible employer.

Because this special permit cannot be renewed, begin preparing for a new employer-specific or other eligible work permit before it expires.

Last updated: July 2026