Canada

Work

In almost all cases, you need a valid work permit to work in Canada. Obtaining one may be difficult, as employment opportunities go to Canadians first. Before you can even apply, you need a specific job offer from an employer who in turn must have been granted permission from the government to give the position to a foreign national. Applications must be filed at a visa office of a Canadian embassy or consulate in your home country. Some jobs are exempt from the permit requirement. For full details, check with Citizenship & Immigration Canada (www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/index.asp).

Employers hiring temporary service workers (hotel, bar, restaurant, resort) and construction, farm or forestry workers often don’t ask for a permit. If you get caught, however, you can kiss Canada goodbye.

Students aged 18 to 30 from over a dozen countries, including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa, are eligible to apply for a spot in the Student Work Abroad Program (SWAP; www.swap.ca). If successful, you get a one-year, nonextendable visa that allows you to work anywhere in Canada in any job you can get. Most ‘SWAPpers’ find work in the service industry as waiters or bartenders.

Even if you’re not a student, you may be able to spend up to a year in Canada on a Working Holiday Program. You must be between 18 and 30 years old and a citizen of Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden or the UK. There are quotas for each country and spaces are filled on a first-come first-served basis. Check with the Canadian embassy in your country for details; a list of Canadian diplomatic and consular missions is available from Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada (www.international.gc.ca/world/embassies/cra-en.asp).

Business hours

Standard business hours, including for most government offices, are 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Bank hours vary but are generally 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday and sometimes 9am to noon on Saturday. Post offices are generally open from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, but outlets in retail stores (eg pharmacies, grocery stores) may stay open later and on weekends.

Most restaurants serve lunch between 11:30am and 2:30pm Monday to Friday and dinner from 5pm to 9:30pm daily, later on weekends. Some are closed on Monday. A few serve breakfast from 8am to 11am on weekdays and brunch from 8am to 1pm on Saturday and/or Sunday.

Pubs are generally open from 11am to 2am daily, although exact times vary by province. Bars welcome patrons from around 5pm until 2am nightly, while music and dance clubs in cities open their doors at 9pm, though often Wednesday through Saturday only. Most close at 2am, but if they’re busy they may stay open until 3am or 4am.

Shops are generally open from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. In shopping malls and districts, stores often stay open until 8pm or 9pm on Thursday and Friday evenings. Many shops also open on Sunday from noon to 5pm, although this is less prevalent on Prince Edward Island and in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Supermarkets stay open from 9am to 8pm throughout the week, with some open 24 hours.