If you are a foreign (international) candidate, you must comply with the requirements of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to work in Canada. You will find the necessary information in the following sections. It is important to allow three to six months to complete the immigration process and obtain the necessary authorizations allowing you to work in Canada.
If you are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, if you hold a valid post-graduation work permit or a valid open work permit, you can work at Polytechnique Montreal.
NOTE : in Canada, the postdoctoral fellowship is considered as a job.
A foreign worker must obtain a temporary work permit to be allowed to work in Canada.
If you have recently completed a program of studies in Canada, you may be eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP). To find out the eligibility criteria, we invite you to consult the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.
The post- graduation work permit is an "open work permit", which is not tied to a specific job or employer. The validity duration of this type of permit varies depending on the program of studies completed in Canada.
You may be authorized to work while IRCC processes your application for a post- graduation work permit. For more details, please consult the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.
If you decide to apply for a post- graduation work permit, the Postdoctoral coordination team of Polytechniqye and the applicable Department will not be involved and will not provide you any documents.
You can therefore be hired at Polytechnique Montreal as a postdoct, if you meet the Eligibility criteria.
The majority of international postdocs at Polytechnique Montreal obtain a closed work permit with Polytechnique. We invite you to consult the Eligibility criteria section before starting the process.
Postdoctoral fellows are exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). So you are exempt from this step and must apply under code C44.
To apply for a closed work permit with Polytechnique as a postdoctoral fellow, Polytechnique must provide you the following documents:
- letter of invitation to the postdoctoral fellowship;
- job offer number submitted on the IRCC employers’ portal, under code C44;
- proof of payment of the fee for submitting the job offer on the employers’ portal.
You must then submit your Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) or Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) and work permit application to the Canadian Visa Office located closest to your place of residence. To check if you need a Temporary Resident Visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization, please consult the IRCC website.
To find out how to apply for a work permit, please visit the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website. It is important to include the job offer number that was sent to you by Polytechnique in your work permit application form.
You can be hired at Polytechnique Montreal as a postdoc, if :
- you already have an open work permit, through your spouse's status for example,
- you meet the Eligibility criteria.
You should notify the Postdoctoral coordination team of Polytechnique, validating the information and send them a copy of your open work permit.
If your postdoctoral fellowship at Polytechnique is extended, you must renew your work permit and begin the process before the expiration date of your document. Please consult the section Work permit as a postdoc (closed permit).
Since the implementation of Bill C-35, it is no longer possible to give personal advice in the context of federal immigration process. To know the rules that apply to your specific situation, we invite you to consult the IRCC website or to call 1-888-242-2100. If you are outside Canada, you will need to contact the Canadian Visa Office in charge of your territory. Please note that the response time can sometimes be long.
