Significant Benefit Work Permit Case Study
A Significant Benefit Work Permit (SBWP) allows foreign workers to work in Canada if they can demonstrate that their employment will bring significant economic, cultural, or social benefits to the country.
To obtain this work permit, the applicant must provide detailed documentation proving that their work will indeed offer substantial advantages to Canada. While a job offer from a Canadian company is required, an LMIA is not necessary.
In this blog post, we’re pleased to showcase a successful Significant Benefit Work Permit application case for one of our clients, which could serve as inspiration to you if you fall into this category!
Background
Our clients arrived in Canada from Hungary as Visitors at the end of last year. After spending some months in Canada exploring the country, they contacted our team to learn about their immigration options as they quickly grew to love the country and wanted to stay longer to work and potentially acquire Permanent Residence.
Challenges faced
During an in person consultation in Toronto, Liza Bogar RCIC discussed the couple’s options for working and settling in Canada. Although our clients were young - under 30 - with a Bachelor’s Degree, 3 years of work experience and fluent English, upon calculating their CRS score for Express Entry, unfortunately they did not have enough CRS points to realistically anticipate an invitation for PR given the current EE invite trends. So, Canadian work experience and for that Work Permits were needed.
Unfortunately…
The couple’s country of citizenship was not on the list for IEC - Working Holiday to make them eligible for open Work Permit.
The couple did not speak French to be eligible for the employer supported but expedited and LMIA exempt Work Permit under the Francophone Mobility Stream.
They had no friends or family in Canada in order to help facilitate connections to Canadian employers looking to hire talent.
Solution
Given our clients’ parameters, Liza identified two Work Permit options.
LMIA based Work Permit
LMIA exempt Work Permit / Significant Benefit to Canada
In addition, our team provided information about job applications and potential employers.
A few weeks after the consultation, our young clients succeeded, and a potential employer contacted us to discuss the Significant Benefit Work Permit process.
Applying for a Significant Benefit Work Permit / C-10
After a detailed consultation with the employer we started to work on the WP applications. Our clients' status was soon expiring so everyone involved had to act quickly but precisely (or a Visitor Status extension application would have needed to be submitted).
Securing a C-10 Significant Benefit Work Permit involves much work demonstrating that the applicant’s employment in Canada will provide significant economic, social or cultural benefit to Canada.
Our team had to effectively highlight the client’s unique abilities and the significant impact her expertise would have on the economic, social and cultural sector in Canada, especially within the Hungarian-Canadian community.
We meticulously prepared a compelling application package that showcased her outstanding contributions to the multimedia and cultural broadcasting back home in Hungary. We provided detailed documentation of her achievements, endorsements from industry professionals, and a comprehensive legal submission letter outlining how her skills and previous work experience in the media landscape would significantly benefit Canada based on the applicable immigration laws.
Outcome
Since our clients were already in Canada, they went to a border crossing at the last minute to flagpole and have their Work Permit application assessed by a CBSA officer. After some hurdles along the way and a visit to 3 ports of entry, our client’s C-10 Work Permit application was APPROVED, her closed Work Permit issued along with her common-law partner’s open Work Permit.
Our clients now have the chance to work in Canada legally for 2 years, gaining additional CRS points for Express Entry, ultimately aiming to get an invitation for Permanent Residence.
This case perfectly illustrates how tailored legal strategies and in-depth knowledge of immigration pathways combined with determination can lead to successful outcomes that benefit both individuals and communities.
We are extremely happy for our clients and the Canadian employer - thank you for trusting our team with your immigration matters!
