by Learn about restaurant jobs in Canada that offer visa sponsorship, including positions, qualifications, salaries, and procedures leading to hiring.
Canada has huge demand for foreign workers who wish to try their luck due to its versatile job market and friendly immigration policies toward workers. Among all highly demanded sectors, the restaurant industry comes at the top because it continuously needs both skilled and unskilled laborers due to growing demands in the food service sector of this country.
Be it chefs, cooks, waiters, or dish cleaners, the list is endless, not to mention larger cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. Generally speaking, an international applicant may seize their employment opportunities by means of sponsorship for a visa. This post outlines the various roles available, their salaries, requirements, and the steps for securing restaurant work in Canada that offers sponsorship for a visa.
The Overview of the Canadian Restaurant Industry
Food and drinking places in Canada play an important role in the nation’s economy, having provided over 1.2 million jobs as of 2023. This industry, which is growing, has many demands for casual and fine dining restaurants, cafes, fast food chains, and food trucks. For this reason, continuous growth has paved the way for international workers to find work in Canada, and many restaurants are willing to sponsor visas for qualified candidates.
Due to this, there is a shortage of labour in the country, especially in rural areas and as such, restaurant owners have been showing interest in hiring abroad by providing visa sponsorship especially for on-the-front and back-of-the-house positions.
2. Restaurant Job Available
The restaurants in Canada provide two large kinds of jobs that can be categorized as:
Skilled Positions
Chefs: Employers require both experienced and internationally/luxury food specialized chefs, as well as vegan, gluten-free, and ethnic cuisine cooks. Some of their roles include preparing food, managing the kitchen staff, and maintaining the quality of the food.
Salary: $40,000 to $70,000 annually, depending on experience and the restaurant location.
Cooks: Unlike chefs, cooks are usually responsible for actual food preparation based on the recipe or instruction of a chef. Several restaurants sponsor talented cooks so as to keep their kitchen operations running smoothly.
Salary: The annual income ranges between $30,000 to $50,000, with entry-level cooks earning at the lower spectrum.
Restaurant Managers: They organize the day-to-day running of the restaurant, supervise the staff, handle customer complaints, and see that the financial goals are met. Many of them are also involved in hiring new employees.
Salary: $50,000 to $75,000 annually, depending on the size and reputation of the establishment.
Sous Chefs: They are second in command to head chefs and can well be referred to as the assistant head chefs. Sous chefs are very crucial to ensuring that there is efficiency in the kitchen. They may perform tasks ranging from food preparation to supervising other kitchen workers.
Salary: $45,000 to $65,000 per year.
Unskilled Jobs
Waitstaff/Servers: Probably the most common restaurant occupation, waitstaff are involved in serving food and drinks to customers and taking orders while ensuring that the customer experience of dining is not awful.
Salary: $25,000 to $35,000 a year. However, through tips, servers can increase their income much higher.
Dishwashers: This usually requires very minimal experience and thus plays an important part in the cleanliness of the kitchen.
Salary: $25,000 to $30,000 a year.
Host/Hostess: Hosts and hostesses greet customers and handle reservations and seating.
Salary: $25,000 to $35,000 a year.
Bartenders: Bartenders mix drinks, talk to customers, and keep the supplies filled.
Salary: $28,000 to $40,000 per year, with the possibility of further earnings in tips.
Visa Sponsorship and Immigration Pathways
Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
TFWP allows Canadian employers to hire workers temporarily from outside Canada to help address a labour shortage. Many restaurants use this for sponsorship. First, the employer must apply and receive a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA, showing that no Canadian citizens or permanent residents are available to perform the job. The employer has to demonstrate that they tried to hire within the locale and did not find suitable candidates.
Once the LMIA has been approved, the worker may apply for a work permit through the Canadian Embassy or Consulate in their home country. This stream is known to be an especially popular pathway to immigration among cooks, chefs, and restaurant managers alike.
Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
Other ways of obtaining a work visa are through different Provincial Nominee Programs of Canada. Different provinces have their own PNPs, designed to fit the needs of the labor market in that region. For example, provinces like British Columbia and Alberta generally need restaurant workers and offer a faster track toward permanent residency status.
In case of a hiring through the PNP, that very province will nominate you, and you can apply for your work permit. Over time, this can lead to permanent residency if you continue working in Canada.
Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
The AIP might also be a good option for candidates who wish to have employment in one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, or Prince Edward Island. This would allow an employer in the above-named provinces to employ a foreign worker without the necessity of processing through LMIA. Jobs in restaurants often appear under the AIP, especially in cities that hold substantial travel and tourism businesses, such as Halifax.
International Experience Canada (IEC)
You may also be eligible for the International Experience Canada program if you are between 18 and 35 years of age. This allows temporary work in Canada for young people from a group of over 30 participating countries. This does not require an LMIA, but this program is normally for short-term employment and thus aimed by those individuals seeking waitstaff or bartender employment in the larger Canadian cities.
5. How to Apply for Restaurant Jobs in Canada with Visa Sponsorship
The restaurant job with visa sponsorship is hard to find and requires persistence and know-how on where to find them. Among the most popular job boards are the following:
Job Bank Canada: The government-run website frequently posts jobs that come with LMIA approval.
Indeed: Indeed is a well-visited job search engine posting job vacancies from a wide range of Canadian employers.
LinkedIn: A great resource to network, and employers who are foreign worker-friendly post their companies on it.
Local Provincial Websites: Smaller provincial job boards like WorkBC (British Columbia) and Alberta Job Bank list jobs, some of which will include visa sponsorship.
Salary Expectations
Salaries for restaurant jobs in Canada also vary depending on the position, experience, and location. On average, the following is what restaurant workers are expected to take home:
Chefs – Average: $40 000 – 70 000 a year;
Cooks – Average: $30 000 – 50 000 a year;
Waitstaff – Average: $25 000 – 35 000 a year;
Dishwashers – Average: $25 000 – 30 000 a year;
Bartenders – Average: $28 000 – 40 000 a year.
Conclusion
The restaurant industry in Canada is a very good avenue through which foreign workers can get a job with visa sponsorship. Opportunities abound in both skilled chefs and unskilled waitstaff across the country, most especially for qualified applicants who are willing to work in any province. By utilizing a multifunctional immigration pathway and job searching platform, many international workers are able to achieve this goal of landing a job in the Canadian restaurant industry.
