Work Permit Case Type 20 and the Other Case Type Codes: What They Mean in Canada
- Ansari Immigration
- 14 hours ago
- 8 min read
Work permit case type 20 is one of the internal classification codes that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses on a work permit. IRCC does not publish a plain-language public list explaining what each two-digit case type number means, and the number does not decide what you are allowed to do in Canada. What controls your job, employer and location is the information printed under Conditions and Additional Information on your permit, not the case type code.
Why the case type code matters less than you think (and where the real risk is)
Here is the trap. People see a number like 20, 28, 52 or 56 in the case type field, find a website that confidently "decodes" it, and then make a decision based on that meaning: they assume they can switch employers, work extra hours, or that the code changes their path to permanent residence. None of that comes from the case type number. It comes from the conditions IRCC actually wrote on your permit.
If you act on the wrong assumption, the consequences are real. Working for an employer or in a job your permit does not authorize can put you out of status and follow you into later applications, because IRCC and the Canada Border Services Agency look at whether you complied with the conditions of every past permit. On the official employer-specific work permit page, IRCC states plainly that you must comply with all the information listed on your work permit. That sentence, not a forum table, is what governs you. If you are still learning to read the document itself, our guide to the work permit document number walks through the fields alongside this one.
What is the case type field on a work permit?
The case type is one of the reference codes IRCC uses on your file for the IMM 1442, the document used for work permits, study permits and visitor records. It is a short two-digit number that reflects how IRCC categorized your application internally, and you may see it on your permit paperwork or in your IRCC account.
That is the honest and complete answer to "what is case type 20 work permit," and it is where most online guides overreach. Many immigration websites publish tables claiming, for example, that a specific number always means a particular type of worker. IRCC does not publish a plain-language public legend for applicants, so treat any such table with caution. The number is a back-office reference. It is not a rule you can rely on, and it is not something you need to interpret to understand your own status.
When explaining this to people, the clearest way to put it is this: the case type is a label on the file, not a licence with its own terms. The terms are elsewhere on the page.
Work permit case type 20 versus C20: two different things
This is the single biggest source of confusion, so it is worth separating carefully.
Case type 20 is a number in the case type field, as described above. "C20" is something else entirely. It is one of IRCC's LMIA-exemption codes, used under the International Mobility Program when an employer hires a worker without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). C20 corresponds to the reciprocal-employment category. Employers select the exemption in IRCC's Employer Portal, and the system records the code with the offer of employment.
So a letter-and-number exemption code such as C20 is a real, documented thing that describes why a job is LMIA-exempt. A bare two-digit case type number is not the same object and does not carry that meaning. If your interest is in the LMIA-exempt categories themselves, our explainer on the LMIA-exempt work permit and our breakdown of the C11 work permit cover how those codes work in practice.
Did a case type number on your permit send you down a search-engine rabbit hole? Tell us in the comments which code confused you, keeping it general; for advice on your specific permit, book a consultation.
What about case type 28, 52, 53, 54, 56, 58 and 59?
The picture is similar for all of them. IRCC does not publish a plain-language legend that tells applicants what case type 28, 52, 53, 54, 56, 58 or 59 means on a work permit. A few of these numbers do surface inside IRCC's technical processing instructions for officers. Case type 52, for example, is the code the guidance assigns when a permit is issued under the C20 reciprocal-employment exemption. But those are internal processing references, not rules that change your rights, and most of the confident, code-by-code definitions you find online come from private websites rather than from the government.
Two questions come up so often that they are worth answering directly, because both rest on a misunderstanding:
"How many CRS points does case type 52 give?" None. Your Comprehensive Ranking System score in Express Entry is calculated from your profile factors, such as age, education, language and work experience. The case type printed on a work permit is not a scoring input.
"Is case type 52 eligible for provincial health coverage?" Health coverage is decided by the province or territory you live in, using its own residency and permit rules, not by a code on your federal work permit.
In both cases, the number is a distraction. The facts that matter live in your conditions and in the program you are actually in.
In practice, the case type number is the last thing worth worrying about. What decides your options is the numbered Conditions list and the Additional Information on the permit, and reading those correctly is where mistakes get avoided.
How to actually read your work permit
Canada issues two types of work permits: an employer-specific work permit and an open work permit. Which one you hold, and the details printed on it, tell you everything the case type code cannot.
According to IRCC, an employer-specific permit lists its details in these sections:
Section on your permit | What it tells you |
|---|---|
Additional Information | The employer you may work for, the location, and the occupation |
Conditions | A numbered list of requirements you must meet |
Remarks | Any extra clarifications or conditions that also apply |
Source: Employer-specific work permits, IRCC. Verified August 2026.
An open work permit works differently. It is not tied to one employer, so you can work for most employers in Canada, with two exceptions: employers on IRCC's list of those who failed to meet their conditions, and employers who regularly offer certain adult services. Because an open permit is not job-specific, the employer does not submit an offer of employment or pay the compliance fee. For an employer-specific permit under the International Mobility Program, the employer pays a $230 compliance fee, submits an offer of employment through the Employer Portal, and gives you a seven-digit offer of employment number for your application. That number, and the conditions that follow, are the ones that matter, as IRCC sets out in its guide on how to hire a worker.
Check whether your permit is open or employer-specific
Read the Additional Information section for your employer, location and occupation
Read the numbered Conditions list in full and follow every item
Check Remarks for any extra conditions
If a condition is unclear, confirm it before you start or change work, not after
Why this matters for your immigration application
Getting this right is not just tidiness. If you already have status in Canada and you are building toward permanent residence, consistency across your work permits matters. When you later apply through the Canadian Experience Class or a provincial stream, IRCC assesses whether your work was authorized under the conditions of the permits you held. A period worked outside your conditions, based on a misread code, is exactly the kind of gap that surfaces later. In Metro Vancouver, where many workers move between employers as their work permits allow, we regularly meet clients who assumed a code let them switch jobs when their actual conditions did not. As a licensed RCIC practice, that is the sequence we most want people to avoid: a small assumption today that quietly weakens a permanent residence application a year from now. If a closed permit is limiting you, our guide on moving from a closed work permit to an open work permit explains the real routes.
Not sure whether your permit's conditions actually let you change jobs or work more hours? That is a 30-minute question for Ansari Immigration's licensed RCIC before you risk your status, not after.
Frequently asked questions about work permit case type 20
What is case type 20 on a work permit?
It is an internal IRCC classification number used in the case type field of your permit. IRCC does not publish an official definition of the two-digit numbers, and the code does not change what you are allowed to do. Your Conditions and Additional Information sections control that.
What does case type mean on a work permit?
Case type is a back-office label IRCC uses to categorize your file, and you may see it on your permit paperwork or in your IRCC account. It is a reference field, not a set of terms you need to interpret to understand your status.
What is case type 28 work permit?
The same answer applies to 28 as to every other number: IRCC does not publish a public meaning for it. Do not rely on private websites that assign a fixed definition. Read the Conditions and Additional Information on your own permit instead.
Is case type 20 the same as the C20 exemption code?
No. Case type 20 is a number in the case type field. C20 is an LMIA-exemption code used under the International Mobility Program for reciprocal employment, selected by an employer in the Employer Portal. They are different things and should not be treated as equivalent.
Does the case type code affect my Express Entry CRS points?
No. Your CRS score comes from your Express Entry profile factors, such as age, education, language and work experience. The case type on a work permit is not a scoring input.
Where do I find what my work permit actually allows?
Read the Additional Information section (employer, location, occupation), the numbered Conditions section, and Remarks. IRCC says you must comply with all the information listed on your permit. If anything is unclear, confirm it before you act.
Related Posts
Work Permit Document Number: Where to Find It, What It Looks Like, and When You'll Need It: How to locate and read the document number field on your permit, the sibling of the case type field.
Open Work Permit in Canada: Who Qualifies, How to Apply, and Processing Times (2026): What an open work permit lets you do and who is eligible for one.
LMIA-Exempt Work Permit in Canada: Who Qualifies and How to Apply (2026): How the LMIA-exemption codes such as C20 actually work under the International Mobility Program.
Reading your permit from a forum thread versus with Ansari Immigration. Alone, you match a two-digit code to a website's guess. With Ansari Immigration, the firm's licensed RCIC, who trains other immigration consultants, reads the actual Conditions and Additional Information on your permit and tells you what it authorizes. Flat fees from $750 for open work permits and $1,000 for LMIA-based permits, quoted upfront, additional family members quoted separately. A 30-minute consultation ($80) is where that starts.
And if your permit is straightforward, we will tell you so. Have a question about your own permit? Ask it in the comments, keeping details general, and we read every one.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.
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