Religious & Charitable Work Visa
International Mobility Program: Canadian Interests – Charitable or Religious Work
For foreign nationals seeking out ways to do religious and charitable work in Canada, The Religious and Charitable Work visa is the ideal choice. In order to qualify for this category, applicants need to have relevant experience and necessary skills for the position they are applying for. This visa allows foreign nationals to work in Canada only on a temporary basis. However, while working in Canada on Religious and Charitable Work visa, foreign nationals can also apply for permanent residency in Canada, if eligible.
The applying candidates need to meet following requirements in order to get their visa approved:
Work for which an individual has applied for the visa must be religious or charitable in nature such as work that relieves poverty or benefits the community through education and religion
The sponsoring organization or institution will not receive any money for the work done by the candidate
The work performed should extend beyond normal work as per Labor Market Impact Assessment
In addition to these requirements, foreign nationals looking forward to work in Canada as clergy who preaches doctrine, presides at liturgical functions or provides spiritual counseling as ordained minister or layman; or as a member of religious order may also enter Canada through this visa.
An unremunerated foreign national can be fee exempt. In order to qualify for that, the candidate must not be receiving any money other than stipend for living expenses, which too should be below prevailing minimum wage level.
On Religious and Charitable Work visa, applicants are allowed to live and work in Canada for a specific period of time, depending on the nature of duties and job requirements. The visa may be granted from 1 to 37 months. After this period, if applicants want to continue to work in Canada, then they can apply for visa extension.
On the Religious and Charitable visa, foreign nationals can also bring their dependent family members to Canada. In certain cases, dependent family members are also allowed to work and study in Canada.
