Hong Kong and Taiwan passport holders are both on Canada’s list of 67 visa-exempt countries and territories whose citizens can apply for a work permit directly at a port of entry (POE), rather than through an overseas visa office, according to guidance published on the Canadian government’s official website and compiled by Legit.ng. Mainland Chinese passport holders are not on the list, since mainland China is not classified as visa-exempt for entry to Canada.
Hong Kong SAR is listed with the requirement that travellers hold a passport issued by the Hong Kong SAR. Taiwan is listed with the requirement that travellers hold an ordinary passport carrying a personal identification number. The list is otherwise dominated by European countries, along with a handful from Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific; no country in mainland Africa or South America appears on it.
The port-of-entry option lets eligible travellers skip applying for a work permit before departure. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) states that applicants “should apply for [a] work permit before [they] travel to Canada,” but that they and any accompanying family members “can apply when [they] enter Canada” if eligible. To qualify at the border, a traveller must be from a visa-exempt country or territory (or a visa-exempt traveller, such as a U.S. lawful permanent resident) and must separately meet the requirements for the specific type of permit sought: an employer-specific work permit requires a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or an LMIA-exempt offer-of-employment number, while an open work permit requires meeting open-permit eligibility criteria. Applicants must also show sufficient funds and submit all required documents; travellers who need a visitor visa, are applying under the International Experience Canada or Seasonal Agricultural Worker programs, or are seeking a post-graduation work permit cannot use the port-of-entry route.
No named source has commented on whether Canada plans to revise the visa-exempt list, and IRCC’s published guidance does not flag any pending change.
References
Legit.ng – Canada Releases Names of 67 Countries Whose Citizens Can Apply for Work Permit at Port of Entry / Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada – Work permit: Applying at a port of entry (POE)
