Visitors can’t upgrade from visitor to worker from inside Canada. Any first initial visa must be applied for from outside the country prior to arrival. For highly skilled positions in the NOC levels O, A or B and where there is a labor shortage in Canada, there are processes that a foreign national can do to get a work permit, provided they have the right education and the approval of Service Canada ESDC. Only work in the NOC levels O, A or B qualify for LMIA’s and immigration, and bartenders and wait staff are C level NOCs. Please refer to the Temporary Foreign Worker LMIA page of our website for more details on the LMIA process.