Does a professional ballet teacher require a work permit and a Labour Market Impact Assessment to give a 4 day seminar in Vancouver? The answer is.. it depends. Section 186(j) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (“IRPR“) provides that: Work Without a Work Permit 186. A foreign national may work in Canada without a work permit (j) as a guest speaker for the sole purpose of making a speech or delivering a paper at a dinner, graduation, convention or similar function, or as a commercial speaker or seminar leader delivering a seminar that lasts no longer than five days; No Work Permit Required In accordance with IRPR 186(j), the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC“) website explicitly states that guest speakers for specific events, including as an academic speaker at a university or college function, and commercial speakers or seminar leaders, can enter Canada to work without a work permit provided the seminar to be given by the foreign speaker does not last longer than five days. IRCC defines a seminar as “a small class at a university, etc. for discussion and research, or a short intensive course of study, or a conference of specialists.” IRCC defines commercial speakers as “people who sell tickets or registrations … Read More