Global Skills Strategy: Get faster processing
How to get faster processing
Processing delays for GSS applications
Processing times for GSS applications continue to be affected by
- the number of the applications we've received while COVID-19 health and travel restrictions were in place, and
- an increase in applications as health and travel restrictions in Canada and around the world were removed
It will probably take more than 2 weeks to process your GSS application. We're continuing to recover so we can return to our regular processing times.
Once the worker has the documents and information they need from the employer, the worker and their family members must do the following:
- apply online from outside Canada
- submit a complete application
- include a medical exam (if needed)
- include police certificates (if needed)
- include certified translations of documents that aren’t in English or French
- pay the processing fees
- submit biometrics results within 2 weeks of submitting the application (if needed)
Incomplete applications are not eligible for GSS and will take longer to process. Check processing times.
To qualify for 2-week processing, the worker and their family members (spouse or common-law partner and dependent children) must apply at the same time.
The worker does not need to apply for a visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA). We issue the documents they need when we process their work permit application.
Local visa office requirements
Many of our visa offices abroad have specific instructions that the worker needs to follow. Check the local visa office requirements to make sure the worker includes all required documents with their application.
If there are local instructions to follow you can find them in the application package.
- Go to the work permit application.
- Select “Online” from the drop-down menu.
- Select the country or territory the worker is applying from.
- Download the country-specific visa office requirements from the list of documents if there are any.
To be eligible for two-week processing the worker must include certified translations of documents that aren’t in English or French, even if the visa office requirements say we accept other languages.
The following are examples of some requirements that can change depending on location:
Special instructions for applicants who require an LMIA
These applicants must also
- answer “yes” when asked during the online eligibility check: “Did Employment and Social Development Canada issue your employer's Labour Market Impact Assessment under the Global Talent Stream?”
- apply as soon as they receive the employer's LMIA decision letter
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