Hello David,

Thanks a lot for maintaining this wonderful forum. This for sure is a wealth of information for people who are new to Canada.

I'm an IT professional working for an Indian company which in turn have business operations with a Canadian Company.

I'm here in Canada since mid January 2007 and I'm holding a multiple entry WX-1 Worker visa valid for 2 years (till Jan 2009). However, At the port of entry, the immigration official has stamped for 6 months as usual.

During the current part of my assignment here, my work involves scoping of the project and discussions with the Canadian company.

But as the project is finalised and moving to the next phase within a couple of weeks, I will have to get involved in Technical Work in the Canadian company and my understanding is that I will require a Work Permit to perform Technical Work here.

Please guide me on whether I can get the WX-1 converted to Work permit considering the following points.

- I'd still be employed by the Indian company; but working for the Canadian Company.
- My renumeration/salary will be taken care by the Indian company.
- I'll be requiring a SIN and bank account so that I can be on salary (still paid by my Indian company) and pay taxes here. My understanding is that being on WX-1, I'm currently NOT eligible for SIN or open a bank account here.

Query 1: Can I apply for WX-1 to Work Permit conversion being in Canada itself?. If yes,
Query 2: What are the procedures involved in getting the WX-1 Worker visa converted to Work Permit?
Query 3: What documents are required to apply for WX-1 Worker to Work Permit Conversion?
Query 4: What are the typical lead times involved in getting the WX-1 Worker visa converted to Work Permit?
Query 5: Is there any limits in the duration of assignment of work permit? My case requires a minimum of 5-6 months work permit availability.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards
Anoop

You would be required to apply for your work permit at a visa office abroad. The delays associated with such will depend on numerous factors, but your should budget 4-6 weeks to be safe given that you may need to undertake medical examinations. Such a work permit would typically have a validity of up to one year.

The balance of your inquiries are beyond the scope of this forum.

Thanks David...Your suggestion is much appreciated