Permanent residence for out-of-status construction workers in the Greater Toronto Area: Who can apply

Who can apply

You can apply for permanent residence under this public policy if you meet all of these requirements. You must

• have entered Canada as a temporary resident but currently have no status

  No Status

  For example, you stayed in Canada after your status as a visitor, student or worker expired and you didn’t apply to renew or restore it.

• live in Canada and have been here for at least 5 years
• have the right work experience
• have family in Canada
• be referred by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)
• be otherwise admissible to Canada

Note: You and your family members cannot apply for permanent residence under this public policy if

• you or your family members have pending refugee claims or
• you or your family members are failed asylum claimants

When you entered Canada

When you first came to Canada, you need to have entered legally as a temporary resident.

Living in Canada

You must be living in Canada now and have been living in Canada continuously for 5 years or more.

To prove that you’ve been living in Canada, you can use copies of a lease or rental agreement. If you don’t have a lease or rental agreement, you may use a combination of other documents such as

• a letter from a landlord or property owner (the letter should include dates that you lived at that location)
• bills or bank statements with your name and address

Work experience

When you apply you must

• be working in Canada and
• have enough past work experience

You must have done the work outlined in the NOC job description of your occupation as well as most of the main duties.

Find the NOC code and title for your job.

Type of work experience – NOC 2021

Your current and past work experience must be in the construction industry in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in 1 of the occupations listed below

How much work experience

In the past 5 years, you need to have worked a minimum of 4,680 hours.

Your work experience can be from

• 1 full-time job
• 1 or more part-time jobs
• a combination of full-time and part-time work

How to prove your work experience

To prove your past work experience, you can use

• copies of previous work permits
• copies of your T4 tax slips
• copies of your notice of assessments
• reference letters from your employers or coworkers
• copies of work contracts
• pay stubs

Check the document checklist IMM 0123 (PDF, 943 KB) to make sure you have all the documents you need to apply.

Family in Canada

When you apply, you must have family living in Canada. This can be either

• extended family in Canada who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada

  For the purpose of this public policy, extended family is defined as:

  • mother
  • father
  • brother
  • sister
  • grandmother
  • grandfather
  • grandchild
  • aunt
  • uncle
  • niece
  • nephew
  • cousin

  To prove your extended family’s status in Canada, you need to include a copy of their:

  • valid permanent resident card
  • Canadian citizenship certificate, or
  • first page of their Canadian passport
• a spouse, common-law partner or child in Canada

  Your spouse, common-law partner or child must have entered Canada legally.

  To prove your spouse, common-law partner or child is living in Canada, include documents that have their name and address on them such as

  • bills
  • bank statements
  • school records

To prove your relationship with your family in Canada, you can use copies of a

• birth certificate
• marriage certificate
• family booklet

Referral from the CLC

The CLC is responsible for checking if you meet the requirements. To be eligible, you must be referred to us by the CLC. If the CLC finds that you may be eligible, they print a referral letter and send it to us along with your application. Ask the CLC for a copy of the referral letter to keep for your own records.

Be admissible to Canada

You and your dependants must not be inadmissible to Canada for reasons other than overstaying your temporary resident status and working without a valid work permit.

An immigration officer will determine if you’re inadmissible. The CLC isn’t responsible for determining your admissibility.

• Next: Get your documents ready