Work permit for provincial, territorial, and Quebec business candidates

01 What is a C60 Work Permit

A work permit for supported business candidates, identified by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as a C60 work permit, is an employer-specific permit for two official groups. The first group is made up of provincially or territorially supported business candidates seeking eventual permanent residence, generally before nomination or selection. The second consists of eligible Quebec-selected self-employed applicants who hold a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) and have not yet applied for permanent residence.

C60 is an administrative code under the International Mobility Program. The intended work is exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) because the proposed activity must offer a substantial economic, social, or cultural advantage or opportunity to Canadian citizens or permanent residents. The code is not a stand-alone immigration program and does not replace the required provincial, territorial, or Quebec decision and support documents.

This work permit authorizes only the work and conditions printed on it. It is not a nomination, permanent residence, or a guarantee of entry. If you travel to Canada, you may also need a visitor visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA), and a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) border services officer makes the final entry decision at the port of entry.

02 Who May Qualify

C60 is generally relevant only after the responsible province, territory, or Quebec has assessed you under an eligible business category. A business idea on its own is not enough.

• You are a provincial or territorial business candidate seeking eventual permanent residence with the required government support for temporary entry, or an eligible Quebec-selected self-employed applicant with a CSQ who has not yet applied for permanent residence.
• Your proposed work is to establish or operate the specific business described in the supporting program documents.
• The expected economic, social, or cultural contribution of the work is substantial enough to meet the federal test, taking the supporting government's assessment into account.
• The Canadian business has completed the required International Mobility Program offer of employment steps and has given you the offer number. A foreign entrepreneur coming to incorporate without a Canada Revenue Agency business number may instead need to request and submit form IMM 5802 as directed by IRCC.
• You can perform the proposed role and can show relevant ownership, management, industry, education, licensing, or other experience.
• You can carry out the business plan with credible financing, control, and implementation arrangements.
• You will respect the temporary nature and conditions of the work permit even if you also intend to seek permanent residence.
• You meet the general work permit and admissibility requirements, including any criminal, security, or medical requirements that apply.

The province or territory assesses its own business-stream conditions. The visa officer separately examines the work permit, the genuineness and consistency of the offer, your ability to do the work, and your admissibility.

03 Provincial, Territorial, and Quebec Routes

The C60 code covers closely related business situations, but the document that opens the route and the milestones after arrival are not the same.

Provincial or Territorial Entrepreneur Candidates

A participating province or territory may support temporary entry after assessing your business plan and deciding that its expected results would make a substantial contribution to the jurisdiction. This often occurs before nomination. You then use the work permit period to establish or operate the supported business and work toward the performance conditions set by that jurisdiction.

Each entrepreneur program controls its own intake, investment, ownership, job creation, residence, performance, and reporting rules. Streams can pause or change. A support letter from one jurisdiction does not authorize you to substitute a different business or move the project to another province.

Quebec-Selected Self-Employed Applicants

IRCC's current economic-class coding table also identifies certain Quebec self-employed applicants who hold a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) and have not yet filed an application for permanent residence. Their employer-specific work permit is coded C60. Quebec decides selection under its own program, while IRCC decides the federal work permit and admissibility questions.

A Quebec investor or entrepreneur seeking a bridging open work permit after filing a permanent residence application is in a different situation. The correct permit category depends on the selection document, the permanent residence stage, current status, and the work to be performed.

04 How to Apply

The business-program approval and the federal work permit application are separate stages. Complete them in the correct order so that the offer, support letter, business plan, and requested work all tell the same story.

05 Documents and Business Evidence

Strong evidence shows not only that a business is proposed, but that you are ready and able to carry out the supported plan. Your personalized IRCC checklist and the issuing jurisdiction's instructions control what you must submit.

• A valid passport and any required identity, civil-status, and family documents.
• The provincial or territorial work permit support letter, or the applicable Quebec selection document.
• The International Mobility Program offer of employment number and the related employment agreement or role details, or the IMM 5802 package IRCC instructed you to use.
• The assessed business plan, performance agreement, approval letter, or other program records that define the project.
• Evidence of ownership and control, such as incorporation records, a purchase agreement, shareholder records, or partnership documents.
• Evidence that the business can be implemented, such as financing records, premises arrangements, licences, supplier or customer records, research, and an operating timeline.
• Your résumé and proof of relevant business ownership, senior management, industry knowledge, education, professional credentials, or required licensing.
• A clear explanation that reconciles the business plan, IMP offer, intended duties, work location, remuneration, and requested permit period.

Province- or Territory-Specific Evidence

Include the complete support package requested by the jurisdiction. Milestones such as investment, active management, job creation, residence in the province, reporting, and business-operation deadlines should be supported with documents rather than predictions alone.

Quebec Self-Employed Applicants

Include the valid selection evidence for the applicable stage and records showing how you will perform the self-employed activity described in your Quebec selection records. The role in the IMP offer and work permit application should remain consistent with the occupation and plan Quebec assessed.

Entrepreneurs Without a CRA Business Number

The Employer Portal is the normal way to submit an LMIA-exempt offer, and IMM 5802 is no longer accepted as a general alternative. IRCC makes a limited exception when the foreign entrepreneur is both employer and worker, is coming to Canada to incorporate a new business, and does not yet have a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number. In that situation, email the Employer Portal to request IMM 5802 and provide the passport details IRCC asks for. Use the form only after IRCC directs you to this process, then include the completed offer material with the work permit application as instructed.

Translations and Local Instructions

Documents not in English or French must follow IRCC's translation requirements. Country-specific visa office instructions may add documents, and regulated activities may require proof that you can meet provincial or territorial licensing rules.

06 Permit Terms and Next Steps

A C60 permit is normally employer-specific. You may work only for the business, in the occupation and location, and under the conditions shown on the permit. It does not give you the freedom of an open work permit or automatically authorize work for another employer.

The work permit's validity is the period during which you are authorized to work under its conditions. It is different from a visitor visa or eTA, which is used for travel to Canada, and it does not guarantee re-entry. The visa officer sets the permit period after considering the support documents, intended work, passport, biometrics, and other applicable limits.

During the permit period, follow the business program's performance and reporting requirements. Meeting those terms may allow the province or territory to consider nomination, but neither nomination nor permanent residence is automatic. If you want to keep working after the permit expires, you must qualify for and apply for an extension or another work permit before your authorization ends.

If IRCC receives an eligible extension application before your permit expires and you remain in Canada, you may be authorized to keep working under the same conditions while IRCC decides it. Travel can affect what you may do on return. Accompanying family members need their own temporary resident documents, and work or study authorization is not granted automatically through your C60 permit.

07 Refusals and Reapplying

A visa officer may refuse the application even when a province or territory has provided support. Common concerns can include an incomplete or expired support document, inconsistencies between the business plan and IMP offer, weak evidence that the work will provide the claimed benefit, doubts about your ability or financing, failure to satisfy temporary resident requirements, or an admissibility issue.

A refusal does not normally prevent a new application. However, sending the same forms and evidence again is likely to produce the same result. First review the refusal reasons, confirm that the supporting business program remains valid, correct factual or documentary gaps, and answer the visa officer's concerns directly with stronger evidence.

08 Frequently Asked Questions