Does a rodeo announcer require a work permit and a Labour Market Impact Assessment to give background information on radio contestants during a rodeo? The answer is.. it depends. Section 186(m) 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 (m) as a judge, referee or similar official at an international amateur sports competition, an international cultural or artistic event or competition or an animal or agricultural competition; Amateur Sports Competitions and Events The Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC“) website states that for judges, referees and similar officials involved in an international amateur sports competition, the event should be organized by an international amateur sporting association and should be hosted by a Canadian organization. The distinction between “organizing” and “hosting” becomes important, and supporting documents needs to reflect this. The CIC website further states that events may include international or university games, winter or summer Olympics, etc., and that an “amateur” sports competition is generally defined as one in which the participating athletes are not paid to compete or otherwise participate in the event. The CIC website notes that there are exceptions to this, as of … Read More