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Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

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Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Exemptions and Specific Arrangements for Foreign Workers in Film and Entertainment

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), there are specific cases where employers in the film and entertainment industries do not need an HRSDC job offer confirmation, or the foreign workers do not need a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) work permit.

Positions Exempt from Work Permits and HRSDC Labour Market Opinion

Foreign Workers who do not need a CIC work permit or an HRSDC labour market opinion include:

  • Producers of film, television, video and documentary projects funded entirely from outside of Canada;
  • Adjudicators at music and dance festivals;

Performing artists, their support crew, and other workers essential to the artistic performance.

Examples of performing artists include:

  • Musicians in a band performing several tour dates in Canada;
  • Guest conductors and artists performing with Canadian productions or groups for a few performances;
  • Actors in foreign touring theatrical productions;
  • Professional wrestlers and circus performers in foreign touring productions;
  • Musicians and buskers coming to Canada to perform in festivals;
  • Support crew and other workers who are integral to a live production;
  • Disc jockeys coming to Canada to work at private events, festivals, concerts and fairs.

Special Conditions

The performing artists listed above must not:

  • Perform in bars or restaurants;
  • Work on the production of a film, television, radio, or Internet broadcast;
  • Enter into an employment relationship with the Canadian organization contracting for their services.

A work permit and a labour market opnion are required in these instances, and you need to follow the steps outlined in hiring Foreign Workers in film and entertainment in Canada.

Entry to Canada

Foreign workers exempted from a CIC work permit and HRSDC labour market opinion can apply for a visitor visa directly at a CIC visa office or at a Canadian Port of Entry in the case of citizens of contiguous states including the United States, St. Pierre et Miquelon, and Greenland

Positions that Require A CIC Work Permit but do not Require an Individual HRSDC Labour Market Opinion

Foreign Workers who need CIC work permits, but who do not require an individual HRSDC labour market opinion include:

  • Actors and workers on a film co-production between Canada and a foreign country. 

Entry to Canada

These Foreign Workers can apply for a work permit directly at a CIC visa office or at a Canadian Port of Entry in the case of citizens of contiguous states including the United States, St. Pierre et Miquelon, and Greenland.

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Date Modified:
2011-06-23