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Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

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How to apply

Before you apply online, make sure you have the following:

Get instructions to apply online

Select your country of citizenship from this list of eligible countries to get your local visa office and online application instructions:

If you are not applying with a family member who is applying for a work permit

You must apply online. You need an account to apply online.

You can use your account to

  • pay your fees
  • submit your application
  • check the status of your application

When you apply, make sure you

  • select “Yes, I meet an exception from submitting a provincial or territorial attestation letter” when asked, “Do you have a provincial or territorial attestation letter or meet an exception from submitting a provincial or territorial attestation letter”
  • include all the documents you need
  • submit your language test results
    • Submit your language test results through the IRCC secure account by uploading them in the Proof of Language Test Results field.
  • follow your visa office instructions in case you need to provide other documents:

Create an account or sign in

Credit cards and prepaid cards

We accept credit cards and prepaid cards from:

  • Visa®
  • MasterCard®
  • American Express®
  • JCB®
  • UnionPay® (for online applications only; debit cards not accepted)

If you use a prepaid credit card, keep it for at least 18 months after you pay to make refunds easier. Find more on prepaid cards.

We also accept all Visa Debit cards.The card you use doesn't have to be in your name. The cardholder’s name will appear on the receipt but it does not need to match your application.

Debit cards

It must:

  • be from a Canadian bank using INTERAC® Online, and
  • be registered for online banking through your bank’s website.

We also accept all Debit MasterCard® and Visa® Debit cards. If your card has the Visa Debit logo on it, alone or with the INTERAC® Online logo, select Visa Debit as your payment method.

The card you use does not have to be in your name. The cardholder’s name will appear on the receipt but it does not need to match your application.

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2026-02-10