T13 vs A75 Work Permits for Provincial Nominees in Canada

Provincial nominees who need to continue working in Canada may encounter two very different LMIA-exempt work permit options: T13 and A75. Although both operate within the International Mobility Program, T13 vs A75 is not simply a choice between two versions of the same work permit. T13 is generally an employer-specific work permit supported by a province or territory, while A75 is the administrative code commonly used for a Bridging Open Work Permit, or BOWP. Understanding the difference is especially important when a nominee’s current work permit is expiring or when processing for permanent residence is expected to take considerable time.

The two options also become available at different stages of the immigration process. A provincial nominee may sometimes qualify for T13 even before submitting the permanent residence application, provided the required provincial support and employment arrangements are in place. By contrast, an A75 BOWP is linked to an already submitted permanent residence application and requires the applicant to have reached a specified stage in federal processing. Therefore, the applicant’s nomination conditions, PR processing stage, employment situation, and temporary resident status all matter when determining the appropriate route.

T13 vs A75: the legal foundation

A T13 work permit is based on paragraph 204(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). That provision allows a work permit to be issued where the proposed work is carried out under an agreement entered into by the federal Minister with a province or group of provinces under subsection 8(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. IRCC uses T13 as the administrative LMIA exemption code for eligible provincial nominees relying on this authority. In practical terms, the province or territory supports the foreign national’s temporary employment while that person proceeds through the provincial nomination and permanent residence process.

A75 has a different regulatory foundation. A Bridging Open Work Permit under administrative code A75 relies on paragraph 205(a) of the IRPR, which permits work that would create or maintain significant social, cultural, or economic benefits or opportunities for Canadians or permanent residents. The bridging work permit policy allows certain permanent residence applicants to continue working while IRCC processes their PR applications. A75 is not exclusive to provincial nominees, since IRCC also uses the BOWP mechanism for eligible applicants in several other economic immigration programs.

What is a T13 work permit?

For provincial nominees, T13 is normally an employer-specific work permit. IRCC’s economic immigration work permit guidance specifically identifies T13 under R204(c) and confirms that a nominee who has not yet submitted a permanent residence application may still qualify where the person holds a valid provincial or territorial nomination, has a provincial support letter, and has an offer of employment under the International Mobility Program. Consequently, T13 can address an important timing issue in which a nominee needs authorization to work but is not yet eligible for a bridging open work permit.

The provincial role is substantial. For example, under the current Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, Ontario may support an R204(c) application if it has determined that the nominee’s entry under a work permit would benefit Ontario. The support letter confirms matters such as the employer’s urgent need for the nominee, the genuineness and economic benefit of the job offer, the fact that the employment is not part-time or seasonal, and the adequacy of wages and working conditions. Other provinces and territories operate under their respective agreements and procedures, so applicants must follow the requirements of the nominating jurisdiction rather than assuming every province uses an identical process.

Because T13 is normally employer-specific, the employer also has an active role in the federal process. In most LMIA-exempt employer-specific cases under the International Mobility Program, the employer must submit the employment information through the Employer Portal and pay the employer compliance fee before the foreign national submits the work permit application, unless a specific exemption applies. The employer then provides the worker with the resulting offer-of-employment number, which typically begins with the letter “A.” This differs significantly from an open work permit, in which there is no employer-specific offer of employment to support the work permit.

What is an A75 Bridging Open Work Permit?

An A75 work permit is generally a Bridging Open Work Permit. Its purpose is to allow certain permanent residence applicants already in Canada to continue working while they wait for IRCC to decide their PR applications. Unlike T13, a BOWP is open to any employer, so the applicant does not normally require an Employer Portal submission or an employer compliance fee to obtain the permit. This additional employment flexibility can make A75 particularly attractive once a provincial nominee becomes eligible.

However, receiving a provincial nomination does not automatically create A75 eligibility. For a PNP applicant, IRCC requires that the applicant be in Canada, be the principal applicant in the permanent residence application, and have the necessary temporary resident status, maintained status, or eligibility for restoration. Most importantly, IRCC expressly requires the provincial nomination to contain no employment restrictions as a condition of the nomination. This requirement can become decisive in cases where the nomination is tied to continued employment with a particular employer.

T13 vs A75: timing can decide the route

One of the most important differences in T13 vs A75 is when the applicant can use each option. IRCC’s published economic immigration table recognizes T13 for provincial nominees who have already submitted their PR application. Still, it also expressly recognizes T13 when the PR application has not yet been submitted, provided the nominee has a valid nomination, a provincial support letter, and a qualifying IMP employment offer. Therefore, T13 can serve as an interim work authorization mechanism earlier in the immigration process.

A75 cannot ordinarily perform that same function because a BOWP depends on an existing permanent residence application. For a provincial nominee who applied through Express Entry, IRCC requires a complete permanent residence application that has passed the completeness check, together with the acknowledgement of receipt. For a provincial nominee who applied outside Express Entry, the requirement goes further: IRCC states that the permanent residence application must have been submitted and must have passed the eligibility assessment. IRCC also warns that, for a non-Express Entry PNP applicant, simply receiving an acknowledgement of receipt does not mean the BOWP will be processed. immediately

This distinction has considerable practical significance. A non-Express Entry provincial nominee may hold an AOR and still not yet satisfy the federal eligibility stage required for A75. In contrast, the same person may potentially have a T13 option if the province provides the appropriate work permit support letter and the employer completes the necessary IMP steps. Therefore, representatives should not treat the mere existence of an AOR as proof that a provincial nominee qualifies for a BOWP. The PR stream and the actual processing stage must be identified before choosing the work permit category.

T13 vs A75: employer-specific or open

The nature of the work authorization is another fundamental distinction. T13 normally ties the worker to the employer identified in the qualifying employment arrangement, meaning the worker must comply with the employer-specific conditions listed on the work permit. Changing employers may therefore require a new immigration strategy, new provincial support, and a new work permit application, where applicable. The employer is also subject to the compliance framework applicable to employer-specific IMP work permits.

A75, by contrast, is an open work permit. The applicant applies as an open work permit applicant and pays the applicable work permit processing fee and open work permit holder fee. IRCC does not require an employer to submit an offer through the Employer Portal simply because someone holds an open work permit, nor does the employer pay the employer compliance fee for hiring someone who already has that authorization. Consequently, an eligible A75 holder generally has considerably greater flexibility in changing employers while the permanent residence application remains under processing.

That flexibility does not eliminate the underlying requirements of the Provincial Nominee Program. A provincial nominee remains someone nominated with the intention to establish economic ties and reside in the nominating province or territory, and changes in circumstances can have implications beyond the work permit itself. Therefore, applicants should not interpret the word “open” as meaning that the conditions underlying their provincial nomination have become irrelevant. Work permit flexibility and continuing eligibility for permanent residence are related issues, but they are not the same legal question.

A key issue: employment restrictions on the nomination

For many provincial nominees, the most consequential question is whether the nomination itself contains an employment restriction. IRCC explicitly requires a PNP applicant seeking an A75 BOWP to have no employment restrictions as a condition of the nomination. As a result, a nominee whose provincial nomination is employment-restricted may not qualify for the PNP BOWP even though the person has submitted the permanent residence application and received an AOR.

T13 operates differently because its very purpose can involve provincial support for a particular employment relationship. A province may support the nominee’s employer-specific work permit where its agreement with Canada permits it, and the provincial requirements are met. Thus, a nominee who cannot use A75 due to employment restrictions may still qualify for T13, although the existence of a nomination alone is insufficient. The applicant must still satisfy the applicable provincial support requirements and the federal requirements for issuance of the work permit.

Comparison of T13 and A75

The table highlights why these categories should not be used interchangeably. Both are LMIA-exempt and may allow a provincial nominee to remain employed while moving toward permanent residence, but the legal mechanism differs. T13 begins with provincial support for employment under a federal-provincial or territorial agreement, whereas A75 begins with the applicant’s sufficiently advanced permanent residence application. As a result, the appropriate option depends less on which permit appears more attractive and more on which legal requirements the applicant actually meets.

Which work permit is better?

Where a nominee qualifies for A75, an open work permit may offer obvious practical advantages because the worker is not tied to one specific employer through the work permit itself. It also removes the need for the employer to prepare an IMP offer of employment and pay the employer compliance fee for that application. Nevertheless, A75 is not automatically the “better” application, as the applicant cannot use it until all eligibility requirements are met. Filing an A75 application prematurely can create a serious status problem if the applicant assumes that an AOR alone is sufficient, even though IRCC requires a later processing milestone.

T13 may be the more appropriate option where the provincial nominee needs a work permit before becoming eligible for A75, particularly where the province is prepared to issue a work permit support letter. It may also be relevant where the nomination contains employment restrictions that prevent the applicant from meeting the PNP BOWP criteria. At the same time, T13 creates a closer connection between the immigration authorization and the specific employer. Hence, the Employer Portal submission, job details, wages, duties, and compliance obligations require careful attention. In other words, the correct strategy depends on timing, nomination conditions, the PR stream, and the continuing employment relationship.

Can someone move from T13 to A75 later?

In some cases, yes. A provincial nominee may initially obtain an employer-specific T13 permit because the PR application has not yet reached the point where an A75 BOWP is available. After the permanent residence application is submitted and reaches the required federal processing stage, the nominee may later become eligible for A75 if all BOWP conditions are satisfied, including the requirement that the nomination have no employment restrictions. Therefore, the two categories can sometimes operate sequentially rather than as competing applications.

However, representatives should assess the nomination documents carefully before assuming that this transition will be available. A T13 support letter does not itself establish future A75 eligibility, and an AOR does not erase employment restrictions contained in a nomination. In addition, provincial support letters may contain their own validity periods or instructions, so an applicant relying on T13 should review the actual letter and file within the period specified by the issuing province or territory. Careful timing can prevent a nominee from losing status or unnecessarily depending on an employer-specific permit longer than required.

Final thoughts on T13 vs A75

The central distinction between T13 and A75 is the source of work permit eligibility. T13 is based on provincial or territorial support for an employer-specific work arrangement under IRPR 204(c). At the same time, A75 is a bridging mechanism under IRPR 205(a) for eligible permanent residence applicants who have reached the required stage of processing. Both are LMIA-exempt, but their documentary requirements, timing, employer involvement, and degree of employment flexibility differ significantly.

For provincial nominees, the decision should therefore begin with four questions: what does the nomination say about employment restrictions, has the permanent residence application been submitted, what federal processing stage has it reached, and has the province issued or agreed to issue work permit support? Once those questions are answered, the appropriate work permit route is usually much clearer. Applicants should also remember that immigration policies and program delivery instructions can change, so the applicable IRCC and provincial requirements should be confirmed immediately before filing.

Sources

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, section 204: legal authority for work permits issued under federal-provincial or territorial agreements. IRPR section 204
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, section 205: legal authority underlying the A75 bridging work permit framework. IRPR section 205
• IRCC, Bridging open work permits for permanent residence applicants: current eligibility requirements for Express Entry and non-Express Entry PNP applicants. IRCC Bridging Open Work Permit guidance
• IRCC economic PR work permit eligibility and coding table: identifies T13 under R204(c), A75 under R205(a), and the circumstances in which provincial nominees may use the respective categories. IRCC Economic PR Work Permit Table
• Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, Annex A: explains Ontario’s authority to issue work permit support for qualifying nominees under IRPR 204(c). Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, Provincial Nominees
• IRCC Employer Portal User Guide: explains the employer submission and compliance requirements for LMIA-exempt employer-specific work permits under the International Mobility Program. IRCC Employer Portal User Guide

This article reflects federal guidance available as of September 2026. Provincial and territorial procedures, support-letter practices, and federal work permit instructions can change.