How to Apply for an Open Work Permit in Canada if You Are Experiencing Abuse at Work
Temporary foreign workers tied to an employer may qualify for a free open work permit if they are experiencing or at risk of workplace abuse. Learn who qualifies, what evidence IRCC accepts, how to apply online and what happens after approval.
CA Canada
Work & Retirement ~ 13 min read
18 FAQ
Updated 2026-08-27
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You may qualify for Canada's open work permit for vulnerable workers if you are currently in Canada, are experiencing or at risk of abuse connected to your job, and either hold a valid employer-specific work permit or applied to renew that type of permit before it expired and remain authorized to work while waiting for a decision. The application is free and is normally made online. Include a detailed explanation of the abuse or risk of abuse and as much supporting evidence as you can. IRCC does not require you to prove the case beyond doubt; the regulation allows a permit where there are reasonable grounds to believe abuse is occurring or may occur. If approved, the open permit lets you leave the abusive employment and work for almost any employer in Canada. It is temporary, has an expiry date and cannot be renewed, so you should use the time to find a new employer and apply for another work permit before it expires.
What you need
- You must be physically in Canada when applying.
- You must be experiencing abuse or be at risk of abuse in connection with your employment in Canada.
- You must hold a valid employer-specific work permit that names your employer, or have applied to renew that type of work permit before it expired and still be authorized to work in Canada while the application is pending.
- You need an online IRCC account, unless a disability or a problem with the online system allows you to use the exceptional paper process.
- You need electronic copies of your documents, including passport pages and evidence supporting the abuse or risk of abuse.
- IRCC encourages you to complete IMM 0017, Letter of Explanation - Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers.
- Your online document checklist will include IMM 5710, Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker.
- Documents not in English or French must meet IRCC translation requirements and must be accompanied by the required copy of the original document.
Eligibility
You can apply if you are in Canada and there are reasonable grounds to believe that you are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing abuse in the context of your employment in Canada.
You must also have qualifying employer-specific work authorization. This means you either hold a valid employer-specific work permit with your employer's name on it, or you previously held that type of permit, applied to renew it before it expired and remain authorized to work while IRCC decides the renewal application.
The program covers more than physical violence. IRCC recognizes physical, sexual, financial and psychological abuse as well as reprisals. Conduct that scares, controls or isolates a worker can be relevant. Examples include unsafe work forced on you, unsafe employer-provided housing, unwanted sexual touching or comments, threats, intimidation, withholding wages, taking money you earned, restricting where you can go or whom you can see, fraudulent recruitment practices and punishment for reporting employment violations or cooperating with an employer inspection.
You cannot apply for this permit at a port of entry. The normal application route is from inside Canada through IRCC's online system.
How to do it
- Confirm that you are in Canada and hold a valid employer-specific work permit, or that you applied to renew that permit before expiry and remain authorized to work while waiting for a decision.
- Write a clear account of what has happened and why you believe you are experiencing abuse or are at risk of abuse. IRCC encourages use of Form IMM 0017, Letter of Explanation - Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers.
- Collect as much supporting evidence as you safely can. Evidence may include messages, pay records, bank statements, photographs, witness statements, medical or support-organization records, police or government complaints and your passport pages.
- Prepare translations that meet IRCC requirements for any supporting document that is not in English or French.
- Create or sign in to your IRCC online account.
- Start an application to come to Canada, choose the visitor visa, study or work permit route, select Work, identify Canada as your current country of residence and answer that you do not have a written job offer.
- When asked whether you have a valid employer-specific work permit and are being abused or at risk of abuse in relation to your job in Canada, answer Yes. Select Open work permit for vulnerable workers from the results.
- Complete IMM 5710 and the rest of your personalized document checklist.
- Upload IMM 0017 and your supporting evidence in the Client Information field. IRCC provides only one Client Information upload field, so combine the evidence into one file with a table of contents.
- When the online application asks about fees, select the option confirming that you are exempt. There is no application fee for this permit.
- Submit the application online and monitor your IRCC account. IRCC may request additional information or an interview.
- If approved, use the temporary open work permit to leave the abusive employment and find another employer. Apply for another work permit before the vulnerable-worker permit expires if you want to continue working in Canada.
Who can apply for the vulnerable worker open work permit?
This permit is designed for a temporary foreign worker who is tied to an employer and needs a way to leave an abusive work situation without immediately losing the ability to work in Canada.
Under section 207.1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, IRCC may issue the permit when there are reasonable grounds to believe that a foreign national in Canada is experiencing or is at risk of experiencing abuse in the context of their employment.
You must also have the right type of work authorization. You qualify for the application route if you:
- are currently in Canada;
- have a valid employer-specific work permit showing your employer's name; or
- previously held that type of permit, applied to renew it before expiry and remain authorized to work while IRCC decides the renewal application.
You can review the exact current conditions on IRCC's vulnerable worker eligibility page.
What counts as abuse for this work permit?
Abuse is not limited to physical violence. IRCC describes abuse as behaviour that can scare, control or isolate a worker and recognizes several forms of abuse.
- physical abuse;
- sexual abuse;
- financial abuse;
- psychological abuse;
- reprisal for reporting violations or cooperating with an inspection.
Examples listed by IRCC include physical harm, being forced to work unsafely, unsafe or unsanitary employer-provided housing, unwanted sexual touching or comments, threats, insults, intimidation, theft, withholding or taking wages, controlling where you go, isolating you from friends or co-workers, forcing fraud and fraudulent recruitment practices.
Reprisals also matter. Demotion, dismissal, discipline or threats made because you reported working-condition violations or cooperated with an employer inspection can fall within the program.
Does your employer-specific work permit have to be valid?
Normally, yes. You must have a valid employer-specific work permit that names your employer.
There is an important exception if that permit has expired. You can still fall within the program if you applied to renew the employer-specific permit before it expired and you remain authorized to work in Canada while IRCC processes the renewal.
A person who does not meet either of these work-authorization situations does not qualify under the vulnerable-worker provision simply because workplace abuse has occurred.
How much does the vulnerable worker permit cost?
The application is free.
IRCC states that there are no fees for this work permit. Vulnerable workers are exempt from the applicable work permit processing fee, and the application process is configured so that you can identify yourself as fee-exempt.
Use the official IRCC vulnerable worker application instructions rather than paying a third party simply to access the application.
What evidence should you include?
Your application must explain your situation and the abuse you are experiencing or may face. IRCC encourages applicants to use IMM 0017, Letter of Explanation - Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers.
Include as much evidence as you safely have available. IRCC gives examples such as:
- a letter, statement or report from an abuse-support organization;
- a report or letter from a doctor or health care professional;
- your own sworn statement or affidavit;
- a police, Canada Border Services Agency or other enforcement report;
- a complaint filed with a provincial employment standards authority;
- a victim impact statement;
- emails or text messages;
- pay stubs or bank statements;
- photographs showing injuries or working conditions;
- witness statements or testimony;
- copies of all pages of your valid and expired passports.
The list is not exhaustive. Other reliable information that helps explain the abuse or risk can also be submitted.
How should you write the letter of explanation?
Explain what happened in a straightforward timeline. Identify the people involved, what was done or threatened, how it relates to your employment and why you believe the situation is abusive or places you at risk.
IRCC's current IMM 0017 form is specifically designed for this purpose.
If you have evidence, connect it to the events you describe rather than uploading unexplained documents.
Where do you upload evidence of abuse?
IRCC instructs applicants to upload the explanation and evidence in the Client Information field under Optional Documents.
There is only one Client Information upload field. Combine your evidence into one file and include a table of contents. Include required translations in the same organized submission.
If a technical problem prevents you from uploading all the evidence, explain in your letter what is missing and why it could not be uploaded. IRCC may ask you to provide it later.
What if your evidence is in another language?
Documents that are not in English or French must meet IRCC's translation requirements.
The supporting package must include an English or French translation and a scan of the document from which the translation was made. A certified translator can complete the translation. If a certified translator cannot be used, IRCC requires the alternative affidavit process described in its instructions.
Your family members and your immigration representative or consultant cannot translate documents for this application.
How do you apply online?
The normal application must be submitted online. You cannot apply at a port of entry.
- Sign in to or create your IRCC online account.
- Under Start an application, choose Apply to come to Canada.
- Select Visitor visa, study and/or work permit.
- When asked what you want to do in Canada, choose Work.
- For your current country or territory of residence, choose Canada.
- When asked whether you have a written job offer, choose No.
- When asked whether you have a valid employer-specific work permit and are being abused or at risk of abuse in relation to your job, choose Yes.
- On the results page, choose Open work permit for vulnerable workers.
- Complete the generated application and document checklist.
The checklist includes IMM 5710, Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker.
Can you apply on paper?
The standard route is online, but IRCC provides an exception if you cannot apply online because of a disability or because there is a problem with the online application system.
If this applies, follow the current instructions on the official application page rather than submitting an ordinary paper work permit application without the special directions.
Do you need fingerprints and a photo when you apply?
IRCC states that, because of the circumstances of this application, it will not ask you to provide biometrics when you initially apply.
You still answer the online questions about whether you have previously provided biometrics. If an officer later decides that fingerprints and a photo are required, IRCC will contact you after the application has been submitted.
How long does the application take?
IRCC does not publish a guaranteed or standard decision-processing time for this specific permit.
Its official vulnerable-worker fact sheet states that IRCC aims to contact applicants within 5 business days after they apply.
This is an initial-contact target, not a guarantee that the permit will be approved within five business days. An officer may need more information or may ask you to attend an interview.
What can you do if the permit is approved?
The purpose of the permit is to let you leave an abusive employer without remaining tied to that employer for your authorization to work.
An open work permit lets you work for almost any employer in Canada, except an employer that:
- is listed as ineligible because it failed to comply with employer conditions; or
- regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages.
The permit gives you time to find safer employment and work toward obtaining a new work permit based on your longer-term situation.
Can you renew the vulnerable worker open work permit?
No. This permit cannot be renewed.
IRCC describes it as a temporary protective measure. It has an expiry date and is intended to give you enough time to leave the abusive employment, find another employer and apply for another work permit.
If you want to continue working in Canada after it expires, submit an application for another work permit before the vulnerable worker permit expires.
Will IRCC tell your employer that you applied?
IRCC's current guidance states that after you receive the open work permit, it may contact your employer to carry out an inspection. It says it will not contact the employer for another reason.
If an inspection takes place, IRCC may later ask you for additional information. Providing that additional information for the inspection is your choice.
Can your family members get open work permits too?
Family members who came with you to Canada may also be eligible for open work permits if your vulnerable-worker application is approved.
Each family member must complete their own application, although their applications may be submitted together with yours.
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations specifically allow a work permit to be issued to a family member in Canada of a qualifying vulnerable worker.
Do you have to report the employer before applying?
The vulnerable-worker application and an employer-abuse complaint are related but distinct processes. IRCC accepts copies of official complaints as possible evidence, but its application instructions also recognize many other forms of evidence.
You can review your rights and reporting options on the Government of Canada's temporary foreign worker rights page.
If there is an immediate threat to your safety, contact emergency services or local police rather than relying on an immigration application as an emergency response.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Applying from outside Canada or trying to apply at a port of entry.
- Assuming any temporary work status qualifies without checking the employer-specific work permit requirement.
- Giving only a short statement that does not explain what happened or why you are at risk.
- Leaving relevant evidence unexplained or disorganized.
- Uploading evidence in another language without meeting IRCC translation requirements.
- Paying the standard work permit fee even though this application is fee-exempt.
- Assuming the permit can be renewed after approval.
- Waiting until the vulnerable-worker permit expires before applying for the next work permit.
Vulnerable worker permit application checklist
- Confirm that you are currently in Canada.
- Confirm that you have a valid employer-specific work permit or qualifying maintained work authorization after a timely renewal application.
- Describe the abuse or risk of abuse clearly.
- Complete IMM 0017 where possible.
- Collect messages, records, photographs, complaints, witness information or other available evidence.
- Copy the relevant pages of your passport.
- Translate documents that are not in English or French according to IRCC rules.
- Combine your evidence into one Client Information file with a table of contents.
- Complete IMM 5710 through the online application.
- Select the vulnerable-worker fee exemption so you are not charged.
- Monitor your IRCC account for requests for information or an interview.
- If approved, find a new employer and plan your next work permit before this temporary permit expires.
Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for an open work permit for vulnerable workers in Canada?
You must be in Canada, be experiencing or at risk of abuse connected to your employment and either hold a valid employer-specific work permit or have applied to renew that type of permit before expiry while remaining authorized to work.
Is the vulnerable worker open work permit free?
Yes. IRCC states that there are no fees for this work permit.
Can I apply if my employer-specific work permit has expired?
Possibly. You may qualify if you applied to renew that employer-specific permit before it expired and are still authorized to work in Canada while waiting for IRCC's decision.
Can I apply for a vulnerable worker permit at the border?
No. IRCC states that you cannot apply at a port of entry. The normal application must be made online from inside Canada.
What types of workplace abuse can qualify?
IRCC recognizes physical, sexual, financial and psychological abuse as well as reprisals. Examples include threats, unsafe work, sexual harassment, wage-taking, intimidation, isolation and punishment for reporting employer violations.
Do I need a police report to apply?
IRCC lists police and other enforcement reports as possible evidence, but they are not the only type of evidence it accepts. Messages, pay records, photographs, medical or support-organization records, affidavits, complaints and witness information may also support an application.
What form should I use to explain workplace abuse?
IRCC encourages applicants to use IMM 0017, Letter of Explanation - Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers.
What work permit form do I complete?
The online document checklist includes IMM 5710, Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Worker.
Where do I upload evidence of abuse?
Upload the letter of explanation and supporting evidence in the Client Information field under Optional Documents. Because there is one upload field, IRCC instructs applicants to combine the evidence into one file with a table of contents.
Do documents need to be translated?
Yes if they are not in English or French. IRCC requires a compliant English or French translation together with a scan of the original or applicable certified copy used for the translation.
Do I need biometrics when I submit the application?
IRCC says it will not ask for biometrics when you initially apply because of the vulnerable-worker situation. An officer can request fingerprints and a photo later if they are needed.
How fast does IRCC process vulnerable worker permits?
IRCC does not publish a guaranteed decision time. Its official fact sheet says it aims to contact applicants within 5 business days after they apply, but more information or an interview may be required before a decision.
Will IRCC contact my employer when I apply?
IRCC states that after the open permit is issued it may contact the employer for an inspection, but it will not contact the employer for another reason.
Can I work for any employer after the permit is approved?
The permit allows work for almost any employer in Canada, subject to the standard restrictions on ineligible employers and employers that regularly offer specified adult entertainment services.
Can I renew the open work permit for vulnerable workers?
No. IRCC states that the permit is temporary and cannot be renewed. You should apply for another work permit before it expires if you want to continue working in Canada.
Can my family members get open work permits?
Family members who came with you to Canada may also be eligible if your vulnerable-worker application is approved. Each family member must submit their own application.
Do I have to prove workplace abuse beyond doubt?
The legal test in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations is whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that you are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing abuse in the context of your employment.
Can I apply on paper if I cannot use the online system?
The normal route is online. IRCC allows an exceptional paper route if you cannot apply online because of a disability or because there is a problem with the online application system.
Official sources
Open work permit for vulnerable workers who are victims of abuseOpen work permit for vulnerable workers - Who can applyOpen work permit for vulnerable workers - How to applyOpen work permit for vulnerable workers - After you applyIMM 0017 Letter of explanation - Open work permit for vulnerable workersWork in Canada temporarily - Fee exemptionsImmigration and Refugee Protection Regulations section 207.1Temporary foreign workers - Your rights are protectedOpen work permit for vulnerable workers fact sheetRelated procedures
Useful next steps and closely related guides for Canada.
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