My wife has accepted a job in Canada and the paperwork for her position has been submitted to the HSRDC. According to the people at her future employer, who do this type of work all the time, the turnaround for the HSRDC to process the paperwork is typically 3 weeks.

She will then have to fill out an application for work permit (IMM 1295) and submit that to a port of call, Canadian embassy in the US, etc. (We're US Citizens.)

At what point do I become eligible for a work permit and how long would I have to wait to be eligible to work? I ask, because I have a job interview in the next couple of weeks with a Canadian company and I want to make sure I am giving them reliable information about my work eligibility status. As I understand it, I should be eligible to work for any employer once she has been granted a work permit, correct?

I do not know if it makes any difference, but my wife's official start date on her offer letter is July 1.

Thanks.

If your spouse is issued a work permit under a designation defined in the National Occupational Classification as "high skill," then you would be eligible to seek an open work permit immediately or concurrently to her application. The delay between submission of such an application and eligibility to work (i.e., issuance of your work permit) will depend primarily on the mode of submission of the case, and can vary from a few hours to several weeks.

You could not obtain a work permit under these provisions prior the issuance of your wife's visa.