Canada’s immigration department recognizes the economic benefits of allowing TV and film workers into the country, as they can create jobs and attract significant investment.
Canada is famous for its favorable environment towards the entertainment industry in North America and globally. The country offers low filming and production costs as well as government grants. Thus making it a popular destination for entertainment professionals. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has also established a TV and Film Production Work Permit category for these workers, which makes it easier to enter Canada and work in the industry.
This category allows international and Canadian production companies filming in Canada to employ foreign workers, provided the roles they perform are essential to a film or TV project’s production.
Work permits under this category do not require evaluations for Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The main purpose of the LMIA assessment is to ensure that hiring a foreign worker will have no adverse effect or positive impact on the Canadian labor market. Exempting this category from LMIA evaluation simplifies the work permit process, and the processing times are usually quicker. If the job of the foreign worker falls under Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER)* category 0 or 1, they may be eligible for work permit processing within one to two weeks.
The Canadian government uses the TEER categories system to classify jobs based on the required education, training, experience, and responsibilities associated with the position. The numbers range from 0 to 5 for the categories, with 0 being the highest level reserved for management positions and 5 being for short-term work that does not require any formal education.
Eligibility for a TV and Film Production Work Permit
- Their work is critical to a live-action TV or film project in the production (filming) stage (filming in Canada).
- The production of this film or TV project will develop and maintain significant economic benefits for Canadians and permanent residents.
- Their job falls under the category of high-wage in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and is unionized in Canada.
- They fulfill the general eligibility requirements for a Canadian work permit.
What do I require when applying for this work permit?
Foreign workers who are exempt from the LMIA requirement still have to fulfill all the conditions for temporary work in Canada. Which includes obtaining a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). This visa facilitates their entry and exit into and out of Canada. With the possibility of returning for the duration of the visa’s validity.
Applicants for the TV and Film Production Work Permit need to submit documents verifying that they meet job requirements. The documentation needs to include a support letter from the production company. This letter needs to contain the following information:
- Name and contact details of the production entity
- Title of the production, its location in Canada, and scheduled production dates
- For the work permit, the name of the applicant
- Guarantee that the specified position and the individual are critically important for the particular TV or film production.
- Possible economic advantage to Canada due to this production, which may contain supporting details like the signature of a top executive of the production, signature date, anticipated number of job openings for Canadian citizens as a result of the production, evaluated expenditure at the federal, provincial, or territorial level in Canada, and/or verification that the TV or film production meets the requirements for federal, provincial, or territorial TV or film production tax credit or it has obtained federal, provincial, or territorial funding
Additionally, the position of the foreign worker must be unionized in Canada (for this kind of work permit). They will need to include a letter from their relevant guild or union, including other details such as:
- The description of the union or guild
- Location(s) of the TV and film production and its working title
- The name of the work permit applicant
- The union or guild suggests to the officer that the work is subject to a collective agreement and that the foreign national may work in the specific position for the specific company without objection.
- The organization’s senior representative’s signature
- The date of the signature
Also, there are specific personnel in the film and TV industries that don’t need a work permit to visit and work in Canada, including film producers, essential workers for a foreign-financed shoot remaining in Canada for less than two weeks, and performing artists. Find more information on our dedicated webpage here.
Also read: Express Entry Points Calculator
