Can You Work or Study on a Visitor Visa in Canada?

Work, generally no: IRPA s.30 requires authorization, which means a work permit or an exemption such as the business visitor rule in IRPR s.187. Study, in one narrow case: under IRPR s.188(1)(c), a visitor may take a course of 6 months or less without a study permit if it ends within the authorized stay. An officer decides each case.

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Last verified: November 2026

6 months
The longest course a visitor may take without a study permit, if it ends within the authorized stay (IRPR s.188(1)(c))
Five years
How long a misrepresentation finding makes a person inadmissible (IRPA s.40(2)(a))
90 days
To apply to restore temporary resident status once it is lost (IRPR s.182)

What counts as work for a visitor in Canada?

Visitors may not work in Canada unless they are authorized to (IRPR s.183(1)(b)). IRPR s.2 defines "work" as "an activity for which wages are paid or commission is earned, or that is in direct competition with the activities of Canadian citizens or permanent residents in the Canadian labour market."

This definition is broader than simply receiving a Canadian paycheque: who pays you does not settle it.

Activities that may constitute "work" under Canadian immigration law include:

Fulfilling a contract for a Canadian company, such as repairing a machine, even when that company does not pay you directly
Filling a role that a Canadian worker would otherwise perform
Unpaid work done to gain work experience, such as an internship
Self-employment that competes in the Canadian market
Selling to the general public in Canada

IRCC officers and CBSA apply this test at the port of entry and during enforcement actions.

What can a business visitor do without a work permit?

IRPR s.187 creates an exception for "business visitors", foreign nationals who come to Canada for international business activities without directly entering the Canadian labour market.

The regulation sets out a two-part test in s.187(3). The primary source of remuneration for the business activities must be outside Canada, and the principal place of business and the actual place where profits accrue must remain predominantly outside Canada.

Permitted business visitor activities:

Attending meetings, conferences, conventions or trade fairs
Taking orders for goods or services
Purchasing goods or services for a foreign business
After-sales service as part of a warranty or sales agreement
Training employees of a Canadian branch of a foreign company

Not covered by the business visitor exception:

Performing ongoing services for a Canadian company
Filling a role in a Canadian company's operations on an extended basis
Working on a project under a contract with a Canadian entity for more than incidental duration

The rule

Working in Canada without authorization is a violation of IRPA s.30, which requires that foreign nationals who work must be authorized to do so.

IRPA s.30Verify on justice.gc.ca

Can you work remotely for a foreign employer while visiting?

IRCC answers this on its Tech Talent Strategy page (opens in a new tab). It says digital nomads working remotely for an employer outside Canada can live and work here for up to 6 months at a time: "They don't need a work permit. All they need is visitor status."

This fits the IRPR definition of "work", which looks at activities that compete with Canadian citizens and permanent residents in the Canadian labour market. Work for a Canadian employer is a different case.

Visitor status still has limits, and an officer decides whether you are a genuine visitor. The officer can look at:

Whether your employer is outside Canada
Whether you are paid from outside Canada
Whether you will leave Canada by the end of your authorized stay (IRPA s.20(1)(b))

Canada does not currently have a dedicated digital nomad visa.

When can a visitor study without a study permit?

Under IRPR s.188(1)(c), visitors can enrol in a course or program of study that is 6 months or less in duration and will be completed within the period authorized for their stay, without obtaining a study permit. Once the course duration exceeds 6 months, a study permit is generally required before beginning studies.

It is an exemption, not a separate status: you may still apply for a study permit before entering Canada even for a short program (IRPR s.188(2)).

What the exemption covers: Courses, programs, or workshops that are 6 months or less in total duration. The study exemption does not change visa or eTA requirements.
What it does not cover: Programs longer than 6 months, and a course that runs past the stay authorized when you entered Canada, need a study permit.

What happens if a visitor works without authorization?

IRPA s.41 establishes that a foreign national is inadmissible for non-compliance with the Act, which includes working without authorization.

Removal from Canada: An officer who believes a visitor worked without authorization may write a report (IRPA s.44(1)). If the Immigration Division finds the person inadmissible for that failure to comply, the order it makes is an exclusion order (IRPR s.229(1)(n)). An exclusion order means you need written authorization to return during the year after it is enforced (IRPR s.225), and a deportation order means you need written authorization to return at any time (IRPR s.226).
Future applications: IRCC's visitor visa application asks whether you have ever worked without authorization in Canada (Guide 5256, Question 2), and a finding under IRPA s.41 makes a person inadmissible.
Misrepresentation: If you misrepresent your activities, for example by claiming you were a business visitor when you were in fact working, IRCC can find you inadmissible under IRPA s.40, which makes a person inadmissible for five years (IRPA s.40(2)(a)).
Criminal charges: IRPA s.124(1)(a) makes it an offence to contravene a provision of the Act or to fail to comply with a condition or obligation imposed under it. IRPA s.125 sets the penalty: on summary conviction, a fine of up to $10,000 or up to six months in prison, or both; on indictment, a fine of up to $50,000 or up to two years, or both. Not all unauthorized work leads to criminal charges, but charges are possible.

Can you stay while a new work or study permit application is pending?

If you are a visitor in Canada and you apply for a work permit or study permit before your authorized stay expires, IRPR s.183(5) allows you to remain in Canada under "maintained status" (often still called "implied status"), continuing to do what you were authorized to do before, while your application is pending.

You must apply before your current status expires to benefit from maintained status.
Under maintained status you continue as a visitor: you still cannot work or study beyond your original authorization.
Maintained status is not printed anywhere and is not a separate status. It is a period of maintained authorization pending a decision.
You may start work or study only once the new permit is issued (IRPR s.183(1)(b) and (c)).

If you let your status expire before applying, maintained status does not apply: you have lost temporary resident status (IRPA s.47(a)) and have 90 days to apply to restore it (IRPR s.182).

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What do people ask?

Can I volunteer in Canada on a visitor visa?

It depends on the activity. IRPR s.2 defines work as an activity for which wages are paid or commission is earned, or that competes directly with Canadians and permanent residents in the labour market. Genuinely unpaid volunteering that displaces no one generally falls outside that definition, while unpaid labour in a normally paid role can count as work. An officer decides.

I am a paid speaker at a conference in Canada. Do I need a work permit?

Usually not. IRPR s.186(j) lets a guest speaker work without a permit for the sole purpose of making a speech or delivering a paper at a dinner, graduation, convention or similar function. It also covers a commercial speaker or seminar leader whose seminar lasts no longer than five days. An officer at the border decides whether your engagement fits.

My employer sent me to Canada to work at a client site for 3 months. Do I need a work permit?

Usually yes. Delivering professional services at a Canadian client site for 3 months is the kind of activity IRPR s.2 calls work. The business visitor exception in IRPR s.187 requires your pay and your employer's main place of business and profits to stay outside Canada, and an officer decides which applies. An intra-company transfer or CUSMA permit may fit.

Can my employer pay me into a foreign bank account to avoid the work rules?

No. IRPR s.2 defines work by the activity: wages or commission, or direct competition with Canadians and permanent residents in the labour market. Where the money lands does not change what you are doing in Canada. Structuring pay to get around the rule can also look like misrepresentation under IRPA s.40, which makes a person inadmissible for five years.

I studied for 5 months on a visitor visa. Can I extend to finish a 7-month program?

No. The exemption in IRPR s.188(1)(c) covers only a course or program of 6 months or less that ends within your authorized stay. A 7-month program needs a study permit from the start, so the exemption cannot cover part of it.

Can I apply for a study permit from inside Canada as a visitor?

Usually not. IRPR s.215 lists who may apply for a study permit after entering Canada, and most visitors are outside that list. It includes work permit holders, some temporary resident permit holders, preschool to secondary students, visiting or exchange students at a DLI, and people who finished a course that is a prerequisite for a DLI program. Most others apply from outside Canada.

Does the 6-month study exemption let me work part-time like a study permit holder?

No. Off-campus work comes from a valid study permit and the conditions printed on it, and visitors studying under the IRPR s.188(1)(c) exemption have no work authorization. Eligible study permit holders can generally work up to 24 hours a week off campus during academic sessions and full time during scheduled breaks.

Is monitoring my email or taking a work call from Canada considered work?

Not if the work is for an employer outside Canada. IRCC says digital nomads working remotely for a foreign employer can stay up to 6 months at a time and need only visitor status, not a work permit. Work for a Canadian employer is assessed under the IRPR s.2 definition of work. You must still satisfy the officer that you are a genuine visitor, and an officer decides.

Part of:Visiting Canada

Official sources

This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.