I’m a Canadian citizen and my spouse is not. Can my spouse and dependent children work in Canada?

It depends on the immigration status of your family members. If your family members are temporary residents (visitors), they have to apply for a work permit to be able to work.

Your family members can apply for a work permit from within Canada if they are in 1 of the following situations:

• They’re in Canada and eligible for an open work permit for sponsored spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners and their accompanying dependent children.
• They’re eligible to apply for a work permit supported by a labour market impact assessment (LMIA), which is an authorization from Employment and Social Development Canada that an employer needs in order to hire a foreign worker.
• They’re eligible to apply for a work permit based on an exemption from the LMIA process.

Find out how to apply for a work permit.