Foreign Worker Programs: Academics

Foreign Worker Home > Academics: Introduction

This section contains information on the following topics:

• Temporary Academic Visitors
• Temporary Academic Workers
• Academic Appointments

Foreign academics who come to Canada temporarily to hold the following positions do not require work permits:

• Academic Consultants
• Academic Examiners
• Guest Speakers
• Self-Funded Researchers
• Graduate, Teaching and Research Assistants (foreign students working on campus)

Definitions and Canadian entry requirements are available on the Temporary Academic Visitors page.

Foreign academics who come to Canada temporarily to hold the following positions require work permits to be issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) but there is no requirement for the Canadian institutions to apply to Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) for confirmed offers of employment:

• Guest Lecturers
• Post Doctoral Fellows
• Visiting Professors
• Research Award Recipients
• American, Mexican and Chilean College, University and Seminary Teachers-International Agreements
• Canada Research Chairs

Definitions and Canadian Entry requirements are available on the Temporary Academic Workers page.

Foreign academics who come to Canada to take permanent appointments, and temporary appointments not described in the previous sections, must have offers of appointment that have been confirmd by HRDC.

The procedures to be followed fall into two categories depending on the discipline to which the appointment is to be made:

• designated temporary exemptions
• simultaneous search protocol

Procedural details for each category are available on the Academic Appointments page.