Fired or threatened after reporting your employer: your work permit options

By Sundeep S. Grewal, lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation · Reviewed November 13, 2026

Published November 13, 2026

Sundeep S. Grewal is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2018, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Updated November 13, 2026: IRPR ss. 196.2 and 207.1 and IRCC’s February 2026 instructions checked that day.

Some workers are fired, have their hours cut, or are threatened with deportation after they complain about unpaid wages or unsafe conditions, or after they speak to an inspector. Canada’s regulations treat that as reprisal, one of the five kinds of abuse that can support an open work permit for vulnerable workers (IRPR s. 196.2). You can apply even after you have lost the job, as long as your employer-specific permit hasn’t expired.

Lawgical Law Corporation, an immigration law firm in Surrey, Abbotsford and Vancouver, BC, prepares open work permit applications for vulnerable workers, from the letter of explanation and evidence to refusals and Federal Court reviews; this guide is by Sundeep S. Grewal.

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What reprisal looks like

• Being fired or demoted after a complaint.
• Hours or pay cut after you spoke to an inspector.
• Threats to cancel your permit or have you deported.
• Being moved to worse work or housing.

Showing the link

IRCC says a reasonable firing for cause isn’t abuse, so the timing and the link to your complaint matter. Keep the complaint, its date, and anything the employer said or sent afterwards. See the letter of explanation and evidence.

Threats about your immigration status

Your employer can’t cancel your work permit or have you deported. Threats like that are psychological abuse. Your permit stays valid until it expires or IRCC decides otherwise.

What to do now

1. Check your permit’s expiry date.
2. Save the complaint and everything that followed.
3. Apply for the open work permit for vulnerable workers while the permit is valid. See the vulnerable worker open work permit.

Why this needs a lawyer

One lawyer, one file, every step:

• showing the link between your complaint and what followed;
• preparing the application and evidence;
• planning your next job and permit;
• refusals and Federal Court reviews.

Reprisal cases turn on timing and evidence. Act before the permit expires.

Immigration lawyers are members of a provincial law society (in our case, the Law Society of British Columbia), and only a lawyer can represent you in the Federal Court if a refusal has to be challenged there. An immigration consultant cannot appear in that court for you.

Mistakes I have seen

• Not keeping a copy of your complaint.
• Waiting after being fired.
• Believing the employer can cancel your permit.
• Signing documents you don’t understand.

Frequently asked questions

Can my employer cancel my work permit?

No. Only IRCC can, and your permit stays valid until it expires or IRCC acts.

I was fired. Can I still apply?

Yes, if your employer-specific permit is still valid.

What if the firing was for a real reason?

A reasonable firing for cause usually isn’t abuse.

Related guides: the vulnerable worker open work permit, the letter of explanation and evidence, an employer not paying wages or keeping your passport, employer compliance inspections.

What should I do right now?

Write down the dates of your complaint and what followed, and apply while your permit is valid.

Book a consultation with our immigration lawyers in Surrey, Abbotsford or Vancouver, or online from anywhere.

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Sources (official)

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s. 196.2
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s. 207.1
• IRCC instructions: Open work permits for vulnerable workers [R207.1 – A72] (modified February 6, 2026)

This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.