Guidelines on the employment of accredited family members

On this page

  1. Persons entitled to work
  2. Obtaining a work authorization from the Office of Protocol: about the process
  3. Persons requiring a work permit from IRCC
  4. Acquiring a Social Insurance Number
  5. Limits to privileges and immunities while employed

For the purposes of these guidelines, the following apply: 

  • Mission means a high commission, an embassy, an international organization or other office enjoying privileges and immunities under the Foreign Missions and International Organizations Act or Privileges and Immunities (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) Act
  • IRCC means Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
  • VCDR means the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
  • VCCR means the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. 

1. Persons entitled to work

Missions must seek written permission from the Office of Protocol before any accredited family member can pursue employment in Canada. In turn, the Office of Protocol makes every reasonable effort to facilitate the issuance of employment authorization notes (or letters, in the case of international organizations) in accordance with these guidelines.

These guidelines are strictly for accredited family members and do not apply to accredited foreign representatives. In accordance with the VCDR and VCCR, accredited staff members of missions must abstain from undertaking new or secondary employment or any professional, commercial, or investment activity in Canada, for personal profit or gain, in addition to their official functions during their assignment. These guidelines are also not applicable to accredited parents and parents-in-law because they are not authorized to work in Canada per the policy on Members of the family forming part of the household: The case of children, parents and in-laws.

Working on school campus and off campus

Accredited children of foreign representatives must not undertake employment on university or college campus, nor can they engage in off-campus gainful occupation, unless authorized in writing by the Office of Protocol pursuant to these guidelines.

2. Obtaining a work authorization from the Office of Protocol: about the process

Upon receiving a request from a mission, the Office of Protocol’s Privileges and Immunities Unit will consider issuing a note of work authorization (or letter, in the case of an international organization) to an accredited spouse or partner or accredited child over 14 years old. Consulates are asked to channel their request through the supervising mission.

The work authorization request must be emailed to xdc-pi@international.gc.ca and include the following:

  • The name of the family members (as it appears in their accreditation documents)
  • A confirmation that the individual remains part of the diplomatic, consular, or official’s household
  • A copy of a valid employment offer, for all children between the ages of 14 and 16; and for any other applicant when specified by the Office of Protocol
  • An acknowledgement that the person’s civil and administrative immunity, with respect to matters arising out of their employment, is waived by the sending country (applicable to family members of a diplomatic agent or an official with equivalent status).

Please don’t send copies of registration forms, pictures, signatures cards, passports, acceptance counterfoils and identification cards because the Office of Protocol already has the related information on file.

If a family member’s accreditation documents are set to expire within 90 days of the work authorization request, the mission must first seek a renewal from the Accreditation Unit of the Office of Protocol, subject to Canada’s accreditation policies.

If a family member is seeking self-employment, the request for a work authorization must include a detailed description of the prospective work. The Office of Protocol will assess the appropriateness of the proposed undertaking and may discuss the plan with the requesting mission before making its decision.

If a family member wishes to telework in Canada for an employer outside Canada and is expected to play a professional role or interact with the local Canadian economy, the mission must consult with the Office of Protocol.

Processing time

The Office of Protocol cannot provide any information regarding the processing time for any application as this depends on the circumstances of each application. Generally, in instances when a reciprocal employment agreement or arrangement is in place, the work authorization will be granted quickly. In the absence of such a framework, approval may be given case by case, although Canada reserves the discretion to seek a written commitment from the sending country stating that a Canadian family member in similar circumstances would be allowed to take up employment in that country.

Permission to be employed is valid only for the duration of the accreditation period in Canada. Family members must stop working immediately upon the foreign representative’s end of functions or if they cease to be a “member of the family forming part of the household.” The Office of Protocol reminds missions that family members are defined through the following policies: Members of the family forming part of the household: the case of spouses and unmarried conjugal partners and Members of the family forming part of the household: the case of children, parents and in-laws.

In instances when an accredited family member is seeking a type of employment that requires a qualification or concurrence from a Canadian professional or industry organization (e.g., medical practitioner), the person will need to apply for separate approval from the relevant body.

Children between the ages of 14 and 16

Once a child in this age bracket has received the Office of Protocol’s permission to work, the mission will need to separately request a Government of Canada identity card from the Accreditation Unit of the Office of Protocol. A copy of the work authorization must be appended to these requests for an identity card.

Undertaking a medical examination

A family member planning to pursue employment in the area of childcare, health care, or primary or secondary school education, who has not already undergone an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada medical examination, must schedule an appointment for one. This exam is required by law to ensure workers do not have a medical condition that presents a risk to public health or that will create an excessive demand on Canadian healthcare services.

Accredited family members may be liable to pay income tax and other contributions levied on their remuneration. Refer to sub-section 5. Limits to privileges and immunities while employed for more information.

3. Persons requiring a work permit from IRCC

Under section 186 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, a foreign national may work in Canada without a work permit if “(c) the foreign national is a family member of a foreign representative in Canada who is accredited with diplomatic status by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and that Department has stated in writing that it does not object to the foreign national working in Canada”.

Family members of administrative and technical staff of a diplomatic mission, consular officers or employees, service staff at missions or consular posts, and of administrative staff of international organizations and other representative offices who do not enjoy diplomatic status need to additionally apply for a work permit through IRCC. The serial number on the Government of Canada identity card of persons requiring a work permit begins with the letter C (consular) or J (official).

Once a work authorization is obtained from the Office of Protocol, family members must apply for a work permit (Form IMM 5770) with IRCC and include as part of their applications scanned copies of their work authorization and Government of Canada identity card, in addition to other required documents. The permit is free of charge and will normally be valid for the duration of the identity card. Once the online work permit application has been submitted to IRCC, the mission is asked to email the file number to XDC-IRCC@international.gc.ca and copy XDC-PI@international.gc.ca. The applicant will find the file number on the ‘acknowledgement of receipt’ email they receive after submitting the application. The file number is also accessible within the secure IRCC portal. The file number begins with the letter W and contains 9 digits (for example W317722097).

Renewing a work permit

If a permit needs to be renewed, persons may extend or change the conditions on their work permit from within Canada at least 30 days prior to the existing permit’s expiry date. If the letter of no objection issued by the Office of Protocol does not have an expiry date, it must be submitted again as part of the work permit renewal application.

Working after graduating

Work authorizations issued by Global Affairs Canada cannot be used for employment under the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program of IRCC. Please note that there is a separate guide for children of foreign representatives wishing to apply for a PGWP. To obtain a copy of this separate guide, please contact the Office of Protocol’s Immigration Liaison Unit.

4. Acquiring a Social Insurance Number

Missions are asked to ensure that persons who are authorized to work in Canada obtain a Social Insurance Number (SIN) prior to any employment. A SIN is a 9-digit number issued by the Government of Canada and is mandatory for working in the country. Applications for a SIN online must include scanned copies of the applicant’s work authorization and Government of Canada identity card issued by Global Affairs Canada. A family member with an identity card serial number beginning with the letter C (consular) or J (official) will also need to submit a copy of their work permit with the application.

You may apply for a SIN using one of the following channels:

The SIN will be valid for the duration of the person’s accreditation, as indicated on the identity card. If the work authorization does not have an expiry date, it must be submitted again as part of a SIN renewal application.

As foreign representatives are not authorized to undertake other employment or any activity in Canada for personal gain or profit outside of their official functions, they are not permitted to obtain a SIN. This same directive applies to parents and parents-in-law when accredited as “members of the family forming part of the household”.

A foreign representative or parent cannot apply for a SIN on behalf of a child. Each person, including any child between the ages of 14 and 16, must have a valid Government of Canada identity card when applying for a SIN.

5. Limit to privileges and immunities while employed

For employment to proceed in the case of a family member of a representative with diplomatic privileges and immunities, the sending country will be required to waive that the person’s civil and administrative immunity with respect to matters arising out of their employment only.

An employed family member may be liable for paying income tax and other payroll premiums and contributions deducted by their employer on their remuneration. Beneficiaries of a work authorization seeking guidance regarding their local tax or other obligations should feel free to consult a legal practitioner or tax expert, and they may also wish to consult any bilateral tax treaty that the sending State has entered with Canada. The Office of Protocol does not provide guidance to holders of a work authorization regarding their tax exposure or to their private employers.

A number of accredited spouses and partners of foreign representatives in Canada are exempt from the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) through a rebate system. However, there are exceptions to this regime. Based on article 57(2)(c) of the VCCR, privileges (such tax and customs exemptions) and immunities are not accorded to family members of consular officials/employees employed in Canada. The Office of Protocol will provide Canada Revenue Agency the names of accredited spouses and partners of career consular officers/employees eligible to pursue employment in Canada.