Working in Toronto: Work Permits, Jobs and Pay for Newcomers

Toronto is Canada's biggest job market, and one of its most expensive cities. This guide is about the work side: who is allowed to work there and how, which routes lead to permanent residence, where the jobs are and how to look for one from abroad, and what a Toronto wage really covers once rent, transit and health cover are paid for.

If you want a broader look at life in the city first, including communities and tenant rights, read our honest guide to Toronto for immigrants. For the rest of the country, see our guide to living and working in Canada.

The facts below were checked against official sources on 13 October 2026. Immigration rules, wages, fares and rents change often, so confirm the details on the official pages before you make a decision.

Toronto at a glance

• Province: Ontario. Minimum wage, health cover and professional licensing follow Ontario's rules.
• Right to work: most foreign nationals need a work permit. A visitor visa or eTA doesn't let you work.
• Minimum wage: CAD 17.95 an hour, from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027.
• Unemployment: 7.2% in the Toronto census metropolitan area in September 2026, against 6.5% for Canada.
• Rent: a vacant one-bedroom in the City of Toronto averaged CAD 2,020 a month in CMHC's October 2025 survey.
• Health cover: OHIP, with no waiting period once you qualify.
• Transit: an adult TTC fare is CAD 3.30 by tap, and trips are free after 47 paid fares in a calendar month.
• Newcomers: 46.6% of people in the Toronto area were immigrants at the 2021 Census.

Why people choose Toronto

The main draw is the size and range of the job market. The City of Toronto's 2025 Employment Survey counted about 1.62 million jobs in the city, about half of them in offices. That's before you add the surrounding cities in the wider region.

The city's economic development office supports more than a dozen sectors. A few stand out:

• Financial services. The city describes Toronto as Canada's business and financial capital, and the second-largest financial centre in North America by employment.
• Technology. The city calls Toronto one of North America's fastest-growing tech markets.
• Education. Toronto is the largest centre of education in Canada.
• Film, music and design. The city has more than 40 years of film and TV production experience, the largest music centre in Canada and the country's largest design workforce.
• Food manufacturing and the visitor economy. The region has Canada's biggest concentration of food and beverage manufacturers, and the city reports more than 26.5 million visitors a year.
• Life sciences, green industries and events are on the city's list of priority sectors too.

The other draw is that newcomers are the norm, not the exception. At the 2021 Census, 46.6% of people in the Toronto census metropolitan area were immigrants, and the area took in 29.5% of all recent immigrants to Canada, more than any other. Finding your community, food and faith is easier here than almost anywhere else in the country.

The trade-off is competition. Statistics Canada put the Toronto area's unemployment rate at 7.2% in September 2026, up from 6.7% in August but 1.4 points lower than a year earlier. Canada's national rate was 6.5%. Many newcomers start in a job below their experience while they build Canadian references or finish a licence.

Working legally in Toronto

IRCC's starting point is simple: most foreign nationals need a work permit to work in Canada. A visitor visa or an electronic travel authorization (eTA) lets you enter, but it doesn't give you the right to work. Working without authorization is illegal. The government lists the consequences as removal from Canada, a five-year ban on returning, a permanent record of fraud with IRCC and lower chances of future approvals, including for permanent residence.

A short list of people can do certain work without a permit, such as some business visitors, performing artists, researchers and full-time students working within their study permit conditions. Each exemption has strict conditions, and most people moving to Toronto for a job aren't covered. Our guide to working in Canada without a work permit explains the exemptions in more detail.

IRCC has an online questionnaire that tells you whether you need a permit and which type fits. There are two main types.

Employer-specific work permits

This is the most common type. It names your employer and lists conditions such as your job and where you can work. You must follow every condition printed on the permit until it expires.

To get one, you need a job offer from an employer that isn't on IRCC's list of non-compliant employers. Most jobs also need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). That's a document from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) showing there's a need to hire a foreign worker for the role. The employer applies for it, not you, and then gives you the documents for your work permit application. Some jobs are LMIA-exempt, and it's the employer's job to check.

If you want to change employer later, you generally need a new permit first. You can't start the new job until you hold a permit with the new conditions.

Open work permits

An open work permit isn't tied to one employer and doesn't need a job offer. You can work for most employers in Canada, except those on the non-compliant list and businesses that regularly offer striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massage. Some open permits still carry limits, for example on location or on jobs that need a medical exam.

Open permits are for specific situations only. IRCC's list includes:

• post-graduation work permits for eligible international graduates
• International Experience Canada working holiday participants
• some spouses, partners and dependent children of workers, students and permanent residence applicants
• some permanent residence applicants and sponsored family members
• refugees, protected persons and some other vulnerable people, such as victims of workplace abuse

IRCC states plainly that most people applying from outside Canada can't get an open work permit.

LMIA basics, and why low-wage jobs are hard in Toronto

The LMIA process has three points that matter to you as a worker.

1. The employer pays. The processing fee is CAD 1,000 per position. ESDC says the fee can't be paid by or recovered from the worker, and employers must make sure nobody recruiting for them charges workers recruitment fees.
2. High-wage or low-wage. ESDC compares the offered wage with a provincial threshold, which is the median hourly wage plus 20%. For Ontario jobs it's CAD 36.92 an hour for LMIAs received from 17 July 2026. Below that, the job counts as low-wage.
3. Low-wage jobs in Toronto are mostly on hold. ESDC doesn't process low-wage LMIAs in metropolitan areas where unemployment is 6% or more. The Toronto area is on the list for applications submitted from 9 October 2026 to 7 January 2027, and the next update is due on 8 January 2027.

Some positions are exempt from that pause. They include primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, some in-home caregiver jobs and some short-duration jobs. If you're looking at a low-wage job in Toronto outside those sectors, the employer probably can't hire you through an LMIA right now.

Our guide to the Canada work permit application walks through the forms, fees and documents.

Routes to permanent residence

A work permit is temporary. If you want to settle in Toronto for good, these are the main routes. All of them change regularly, and none of them is guaranteed.

Express Entry

Express Entry is the online system IRCC uses to manage permanent residence applications under three federal programs. It is not a work permit. Entering the pool doesn't let you work in Canada or travel there. You create a profile, receive a score and wait to be invited to apply in a draw.

A few points that newcomers often miss:

• Job offers no longer add points. Since 25 March 2025, the Comprehensive Ranking System gives no points for a job offer. An offer can still matter for eligibility in some programs.
• Category draws. IRCC also invites people in specific categories. The current list includes French-language ability, healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education and transport jobs, among others.
• Proof of funds. Federal Skilled Worker and Skilled Trades applicants usually need it. For one person it's CAD 15,263, and it rises with family size. Canadian Experience Class applicants, and people authorized to work in Canada with a valid job offer, don't need it.
• Foreign education. If you studied abroad, you need an educational credential assessment from a designated organization to qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program or to earn points for that education. It must be less than five years old.

Our guide to how Express Entry draws work explains invitations and cut-off scores.

The Canadian Experience Class in practice

Many people who settle in Toronto get there in two stages: a work permit first, then permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class. The rules are strict about what counts:

• at least one year of full-time work, or 1,560 hours in total, in the three years before you apply
• the work must be in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job
• you must have done it in Canada, while authorized to work, and been paid wages or commission
• self-employment and work done while you were a full-time student don't count

There's no education requirement, but you still need an approved language test.

Ontario's nominee program after the 2026 redesign

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) was restructured this year. On 25 June 2026, Ontario removed all eight former streams, including Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker, the Master's and PhD Graduate streams, and the three Express Entry streams, such as Human Capital Priorities.

The Ontario Workforce Priority stream opened for expressions of interest on 4 August 2026. It's the one open stream for most applicants, and it requires a full-time, permanent job offer in Ontario. It has three pathways:

• TEER 0 to 3 jobs: CLB 6 (CLB 5 for some jobs), a post-secondary degree or diploma, and qualifying work experience.
• TEER 4 and 5 jobs: CLB 4, the equivalent of a Canadian secondary school diploma, and nine months of cumulative experience with the employer making the offer in the last two years.
• Self-employed physicians: registration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and eligibility to bill OHIP. They don't need a job offer.

Ontario calls this the first of a two-phase redesign, and it adjusted the stream's scoring in October 2026. Check the official OINP page before you plan around it. A nomination doesn't guarantee permanent residence.

Family sponsorship

If your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or parent is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, they may be able to sponsor you. A sponsor must be at least 18, live in Canada (a citizen abroad must show they'll return when you become a permanent resident) and sign an undertaking to support you. A permanent resident living outside Canada can't sponsor.

Dependent children can also be sponsored. The program for parents and grandparents was listed as paused on IRCC's family sponsorship page when we checked.

Where the jobs are: sectors and example roles

The table below shows the main sectors for newcomers, with typical roles. The last column matters most. In Ontario, a regulated profession or compulsory trade needs a licence, certificate or registration before you can work in it or use its title.

A few notes on each:

• Technology jobs are spread across downtown and the wider region. Our guide to IT jobs in Toronto has wages and outlooks by occupation.
• Finance employers often ask for Canadian designations, and accounting roles that use the CPA title need registration with CPA Ontario.
• Healthcare has steady demand, but internationally trained professionals must go through their regulatory college before they can practise. That can take a long time, so plan for a bridge job.
• Construction has an advantage for foreign workers right now: it's one of the sectors exempt from the low-wage LMIA pause in Toronto. If your trade is compulsory, you still need Ontario certification before you can work in it.
• Education jobs in public schools need Ontario College of Teachers certification. Colleges and universities hire for many non-teaching roles too.
• Hospitality and retail jobs are the easiest to enter, but most are low-wage, which limits sponsorship. They're most realistic for people who already hold an open work permit.
• Film, TV and creative work is often project-based or freelance. A portfolio and local contacts matter more than formal credentials.

Jobs that may not need a degree

Plenty of Toronto jobs ask for skills, a short course or a licence rather than a university degree. Common examples:

• Retail and customer service: sales associates, cashiers and call centre agents.
• Food service and hotels: cooks, kitchen helpers, servers and housekeeping staff. Anyone who serves alcohol in Ontario needs Smart Serve certification.
• Warehousing and logistics: pickers, packers and forklift operators.
• Security: security guards need an Ontario licence. You must be 18 or older and legally entitled to work in Canada, with mandatory training, a test and a criminal record check.
• Driving and delivery: you need the right Ontario licence class. New residents can drive on a valid foreign licence for 60 days. After that, you exchange it if your country has an agreement with Ontario, or go through Ontario's tests if it doesn't.
• Construction labouring: general labourers and helpers, often a first step towards an apprenticeship.
• Cleaning and building maintenance.

There are exceptions. Construction, food manufacturing, hospitals and nursing homes are exempt from the LMIA pause. And the Ontario Workforce Priority stream's TEER 4 and 5 pathway can lead to permanent residence for people already working for an Ontario employer. Our guide to moving to Canada without a degree covers the federal options.

How to look for a Toronto job from abroad, step by step

1. Confirm your right to work. Use IRCC's questionnaire to see which permit could fit your situation. If you'd need an employer-specific permit, focus on employers that can support an LMIA or an LMIA-exempt route, and on jobs above the low-wage threshold.
2. Search Job Bank, the government's job site. Its service for foreign candidates lets you see only jobs open to people outside Canada. In the advanced search, tick "Canadians and international candidates" under intended applicants, and check "Who can apply for this job?" on each posting. If you don't hold a Canadian work permit, applications to other jobs won't get a response. Job Bank also has a separate search for temporary foreign worker jobs, which shows whether the employer has applied for or received an LMIA.
3. Go to employers' own career pages. Large Toronto employers in banking, healthcare, education, government and technology post jobs on their own websites. Apply there rather than through a third party, and make sure any job you're offered also appears on the employer's site.
4. Write a Canadian-style résumé. Job Bank's advice is to keep it to two pages, tailor it to each posting and focus on recent experience. Leave out your age, marital status and photo, and never include your Social Insurance Number. Say clearly where you live and whether you hold a Canadian work permit.
5. Check the posting against Ontario's rules. Since 1 January 2026, employers with 25 or more staff must include the expected pay or a pay range in public job postings. They can't ask for Canadian experience, must say whether the vacancy actually exists and must disclose if they use AI to screen applicants. If you're interviewed, they must tell you within 45 days whether a decision has been made.
6. Research the employer and watch for scams. Look the company up independently, and check Job Bank's wage data to see whether the pay makes sense for the job. The warning signs IRCC lists are below.
7. Check whether your occupation is regulated and start recognition early. If it is, contact the regulator before you move. Details are in the next section.
8. Compare the pay with Toronto costs. Before you accept, run the offer through the budget section below.

Spotting job and immigration scams

IRCC is blunt: no one can guarantee you a job or a visa to Canada, and visa decisions are made only by immigration officers. A legitimate Canadian employer doesn't sell jobs, and nobody can sell you a work permit. Be wary if:

• a recruiter charges you to find a job, or you're asked to pay for the right to apply
• you're asked to pay for the LMIA, training, a uniform or tools
• you're told you can move and start work within a few weeks
• the pay looks too high for the job or the area
• the job description is vague, or there's no interview and no experience needed
• you're promised that your family can join you, or that permanent residence is guaranteed
• someone asks you to send money to a personal bank account or through a private money transfer service

Only authorized representatives can charge for immigration advice, and using one doesn't speed up or guarantee your application. Report online and phone scams to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and suspected immigration fraud to the Canada Border Services Agency's Border Watch Line.

Regulated jobs and credential recognition

Ontario regulates more than 100 professions and trades. If yours is one of them, you'll likely need a licence or certificate and registration with the right body before you can work in it or use the title. Not every job is regulated. Business, project management and sales roles generally aren't.

Where to start:

• Ontario's list of regulated professions and compulsory trades names the regulator for each one. Check the regulator's website for its requirements.
• Global Experience Ontario gives information and referrals for non-health regulated professions and skilled trades, and you can contact it before you arrive.
• HealthForceOntario's Access Centre helps internationally educated health professionals work towards licensing or an alternative career.
• The Ontario Bridge Training Program offers job-specific training and help getting licensed.
• Skilled Trades Ontario runs the Trade Equivalency Assessment, which compares training and experience gained outside Canada with Ontario apprenticeship standards for more than 80 trades with certifying exams. Ontario has 23 compulsory trades, including plumber, electrician, steamfitter and hairstylist. To work in one, you need a Certificate of Qualification, a Provisional Certificate of Qualification or a registered training agreement.
• Job Bank's Foreign Credential Recognition Tool shows whether your job is regulated, roughly how long and how much recognition costs, and related jobs you could do in the meantime.
• An educational credential assessment from an IRCC-designated organization shows what your degree is worth in Canada. It's needed for Express Entry and some employers ask for one too.

What pay looks like against rent

Ontario's general minimum wage rose to CAD 17.95 an hour on 1 October 2026, from CAD 17.60. It applies until 30 September 2027. Ontario indexes the rate to inflation each year, and Toronto has no separate city minimum.

At 40 hours a week, CAD 17.95 an hour works out to about CAD 37,300 a year, or roughly CAD 3,100 a month, before tax. That's our own calculation, and income tax, Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance deductions come off it.

Now compare that with rent. CMHC's annual survey of purpose-built rental apartments shows a gap between what existing tenants pay and what an empty unit costs. A newcomer always signs a new lease, so the vacant-unit column is the one to budget from.

Source: CMHC Rental Market Survey, Toronto data tables, Table 1.1.9. Condo rentals listed by individual owners aren't included and are often more expensive.

On a full-time minimum wage, an average vacant one-bedroom would take about two-thirds of gross pay. That's why so many newcomers share, rent a room or a basement unit, or start in the suburbs.

There's some good news. CMHC's 2026 mid-year update said Toronto asking rents fell between early 2024 and late 2025, and that landlords increasingly offer incentives such as move-in credits, free parking or gift cards. Ask about them before you sign.

Choosing where to live

Pick an area by your commute first and the rent second. A cheaper room an hour away by bus can cost you more in time and fares than a slightly dearer one near a subway line. Before you sign, try the trip to work at rush hour, check whether you'd also need GO Transit or another regional system (they charge separately from the TTC), and look at the walk to groceries and a bank.

Getting around

The TTC changed how you pay on 31 August 2026. Most monthly passes ended and monthly fare capping started: once you've paid 47 eligible TTC fares in a calendar month, the rest of that month's TTC trips are free. The count resets on the first of each month.

At the time of writing, an adult fare is CAD 3.30 with PRESTO, a debit or credit card or a mobile wallet, and CAD 3.35 in cash. Using the tap fare, the most a regular adult rider pays for TTC trips in a month is about CAD 155 (our calculation).

Two details save money. Capping only counts fares paid by tapping the same PRESTO card, bank card or phone each time, so stick to one. Cash fares and PRESTO tickets don't count towards the cap. And when you tap, any further TTC trips within two hours of your first tap are free. Cash payments don't get that two-hour transfer.

Health cover: OHIP rules for newcomers

Ontario has no waiting period for OHIP, so coverage starts once you qualify and register. Qualifying is the important part. You generally need to:

• have eligible status, such as permanent residence, or a valid work permit and full-time work in Ontario for an Ontario employer for at least six months
• live in Ontario
• be physically in Ontario for at least 153 of the first 183 days after you start living here, and for 153 days in any 12-month period

You apply in person at a ServiceOntario centre with three separate original documents: one proving your status, one proving Ontario residence and one proving identity. Photocopies aren't accepted. Spouses and dependants of eligible full-time work permit holders may also qualify.

If you plan to study in Toronto first

Some people come to Toronto as international students and look for work after graduating. Most foreign nationals need a study permit, which costs CAD 150, and an acceptance from a designated learning institution.

While studying, eligible full-time students can work up to 24 hours a week off campus during classes and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks. Graduates of eligible programs may qualify for a post-graduation work permit, which is one of the open work permit categories. Read our guides to the Canada study permit and finding work as an international student before you choose a program.

Free help after you arrive

Ontario's settlement agencies offer free help, often in several languages, with housing, job searches, language classes, credential assessment and access to health and social services. Federally funded newcomer services are mainly for permanent residents, people approved for permanent residence, protected persons and some temporary residents in specific programs. Since 1 April 2026, economic-class permanent residents can use them for up to six years after becoming permanent residents.

If you're on a work permit, ask the agency what you're eligible for, or call 2-1-1 for referrals. Employment Ontario centres also offer free one-to-one job search help to people who are allowed to work in Canada, although eligibility for some services varies by program.

Your first month in Toronto, step by step

1. Day 1 to 3: get your Social Insurance Number. You need a SIN to work and be paid. There's no fee, and you can apply online, in person or by mail. A SIN that starts with 9 is temporary and has an expiry date, which you must update when your permit is extended.
2. Day 1 to 5: open a bank account. Employers pay by direct deposit. Compare newcomer packages and monthly fees, and ask about a secured credit card. Landlords often ask for a credit score, so starting early matters.
3. Week 1: sort transit and a phone. Pick one way to pay for the TTC and stick to it, so your fares count towards the monthly cap. Choose a phone plan so employers and landlords can reach you.
4. Week 1 to 2: register for OHIP at ServiceOntario if you're eligible, with your three original documents. Keep your private insurance until your OHIP coverage is confirmed.
5. Week 1 to 2: contact a settlement agency or Employment Ontario centre. Ask what free help you qualify for with résumés, job search, housing and language classes.
6. Week 2 to 3: secure longer-term housing. View units in person, read the lease before you sign and never pay a deposit for a place you haven't seen.
7. Week 2 to 4: step up your job search. Use a Canadian-style résumé, check Job Bank for your occupation's wages and outlook, and contact your regulator if your profession is licensed.
8. Within 60 days: sort your driving licence if you plan to drive, since a foreign licence is only valid in Ontario for 60 days after you move.
9. End of month 1: review your budget. Compare what you spent with your plan, and decide how many more months your savings will last.

Your documents and money checklist

• Passport, plus your confirmation of permanent residence or work permit
• Your job offer, LMIA documents if you have them, and contact details for your employer
• Originals for OHIP: proof of status, proof of Ontario address and proof of identity
• Education documents and transcripts, plus an educational credential assessment if you have one
• Licences and certificates for your profession or trade, and any correspondence with an Ontario regulator
• Reference letters from past employers, ideally on letterhead with dates and duties
• A two-page Canadian-style résumé, tailored for your target jobs
• Your driving licence, and an authentication letter from the issuing authority if you want credit for driving experience
• Proof of funds, if your Express Entry program required it
• Several months of savings to cover rent, food and transit without income
• First month's rent, a possible last-month deposit and money for furniture
• Winter clothing, or a budget to buy it locally
• Private health insurance for any gap before OHIP
• A printed copy of key phone numbers and addresses in case your phone fails

Is Toronto right for you?

Toronto suits people whose skills are in demand in its big sectors, who can arrive with a valid work permit or permanent residence, and who have savings to carry them through a slow start. It's harder for people relying on a low-wage job offer from abroad, since that route is largely closed for now, and for those in regulated professions who haven't started licensing.

Before you move, get the paperwork right: the correct permit, a realistic budget built on vacant-unit rents, and a plan for your SIN, bank account and OHIP in the first weeks. And treat any promise of a guaranteed job, permit or visa as a warning sign, not an opportunity.