Will Canada let me in if I'm deaf?

[Ysn ryn]

Like, I don't know what jobs I can even get!? Will they deny my work visa just because I'm deaf?? I can talk, and sign. I speak English fluently. I read lips a little bit. Nuf to get by. If I don't understand them, I ask them to type it out on my phone or something. I'm still learning to read lips. It can take yrs to master.

[bw022]

In order to apply for a work permit, you must have a job offer from a Canadian company which has permission to hire foreign workers. That company must obtain a labour market opinion (LMO) report which shows a shortage of Canadian workers in that profession along with proof that they advertised for the position in Canada and no Canadians applied. LMOs are only issued for highly skilled professions (doctors, engineers, nurses, specialized trades, etc.) or highly temporary jobs (seasonal farm workers, off season hotel workers, etc.). That company must send you a job offer letter and the original LMO and you must submit both with your work permit application. No job offer or LMO... no work permit.

Provided you can get a job offer, Citizenship and Immigration Canada won't deny your work permit unless your disability endangers the health of safety of Canadians or puts excessive demands on Canada's social or medical systems. Deafness typically doesn't mean either of these.

Not a lot of employers are looking for deaf workers -- especially in extremely skilled professions. However, if you can convince an employer to hire you, you can apply for a work permit and likely won't be denied entry into Canada on medical grounds -- provided you don't need any expensive treatments in Canada due to your disability.

[thinkingtime]

A lot depends on your work skills.