Cleaning Jobs in Canada with Visa Sponsorship (2026 Guide)
Cleaning is one of the few jobs in Canada an employer can fill from abroad without asking for a degree, and a light duty cleaner earns $15.50 to $25.00 an hour according to Job Bank. It is also the job most fake “visa sponsorship” offers are built around. Start with the guide that answers your next question:
Six guides, one for each question that comes next
Each one opens with a two-minute check of whether the route fits you.
Can you really get a cleaning job in Canada from abroad?
Yes — but far fewer postings are open to you than the words “LMIA” and “visa sponsorship” suggest. On 13 September 2026 we opened every cleaning and housekeeping posting we could find under Job Bank’s filter for employers hiring temporary foreign workers: 78 postings. Every one carried the “LMIA requested” badge. Only 8 said the employer would take candidates with or without a valid Canadian work permit. The other 70 told anyone not already authorized to work in Canada not to apply.
That gap explains most of the frustration in this job market. An LMIA request means an employer has asked the government for permission to hire a foreign worker. It does not mean the employer will consider someone who is still outside the country. Many of these employers are recruiting people who are already in Canada on another permit, such as former students or workers whose permit is about to change.
The open postings were not spread evenly. Seven of the eight were in British Columbia and one was in Nunavut. Quebec had more LMIA-requested cleaning postings than any other province, and none of the Quebec postings we opened accepted applicants from abroad.
The cleaning jobs Canada hires for, and their codes
Canada files every job under a five-digit code in the National Occupational Classification. Employers use the code in their LMIA application, and immigration programs use its second digit — the TEER category — to decide who can apply. Knowing the code for your job is the first thing to get right.
| Job | NOC code | TEER | Where the work is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light duty cleaner: office cleaner, hotel room attendant, hospital cleaner | 65310 | 5 | Offices, hotels, hospitals, care homes |
| Specialized cleaner: carpet, window, duct and restoration cleaning | 65311 | 5 | Cleaning contractors, restoration companies |
| Janitor, caretaker or heavy-duty cleaner | 65312 | 5 | Apartment buildings, schools, industrial plants |
| Cleaning supervisor | 62024 | 2 | Contractors, hotels, hospitals |
The second digit of each code is its TEER category. Source: National Occupational Classification.
Three of the four codes are TEER 5, the category for jobs that need no formal education. The fourth, cleaning supervisor, is TEER 2. That single digit changes which permanent residence programs will look at you later, which is why the supervisor role matters far more than its pay rise suggests.
What cleaners earn in each province
Job Bank publishes a low, median and high hourly wage for every occupation, drawn from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. The figures below were updated on 19 November 2025. The median is the useful number: half of the people in that job earn more, half earn less.
| Province | Light duty cleaner: low · median · high | Janitor or heavy-duty cleaner: low · median · high |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | $15.50 · $19.74 · $25.00 | $16.00 · $21.27 · $28.72 |
| British Columbia | $18.25 · $20.00 · $26.00 | $18.25 · $24.65 · $34.00 |
| Ontario | $17.60 · $19.00 · $25.89 | $17.60 · $22.00 · $28.00 |
| Quebec | $16.60 · $20.47 · $25.00 | $17.00 · $21.00 · $26.67 |
| Alberta | $15.00 · $18.20 · $23.08 | $15.00 · $20.03 · $28.00 |
| Saskatchewan | $15.35 · $18.00 · $21.50 | $15.35 · $20.62 · $27.00 |
| Manitoba | $16.00 · $17.00 · $23.00 | $16.00 · $20.15 · $28.00 |
| Nova Scotia | $16.75 · $17.05 · $20.03 | $16.75 · $19.00 · $26.00 |
| New Brunswick | $15.90 · $17.50 · $22.00 | $15.90 · $20.00 · $22.50 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.35 · $19.00 · $22.63 | $16.35 · $20.81 · $27.00 |
| Prince Edward Island | $17.00 · $18.00 · $23.00 | $17.00 · $20.77 · $23.50 |
Hourly wages in Canadian dollars. Sources: Job Bank wage reports for light duty cleaners (65310) and janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners (65312).
Two patterns stand out. British Columbia has the highest floor of any province ($18.25 in both jobs) and the best janitor median at $24.65. And the janitor column beats the light duty column everywhere, because caretaking adds maintenance and heavier equipment. The eight open postings we found paid between $19.50 and $28.40 an hour.
Where the better-paid cleaning work is
Two guides that go deeper on money.
The rule that decides where cleaners can be hired from abroad
Nearly every cleaning job pays less than its province’s wage threshold, so the employer applies through the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Since 26 September 2024, Service Canada has refused to process low-wage LMIA applications for jobs in any census metropolitan area whose unemployment rate is 6% or higher. The list is recalculated every three months.
For applications submitted from 10 July to 8 October 2026, it covers 26 areas: St. John’s (NL), Moncton (NB), Montréal (QC), Ottawa–Gatineau (ON/QC), Belleville–Quinte West (ON), Peterborough (ON), Oshawa (ON), Toronto (ON), Hamilton (ON), Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (ON), Brantford (ON), Guelph (ON), London (ON), Windsor (ON), Barrie (ON), Greater Sudbury (ON), Saskatoon (SK), Calgary (AB), Red Deer (AB), Edmonton (AB), Kelowna (BC), Kamloops (BC), Chilliwack (BC), Abbotsford–Mission (BC), Vancouver (BC), Nanaimo (BC).
Halifax, Saint John, Fredericton, Drummondville, Kingston, St. Catharines–Niagara, Winnipeg and Regina came off the list on 10 July 2026, so low-wage applications there are processed again. The next update is due on 9 October 2026.
The exemptions that keep some cleaning jobs open everywhere
- Hospitals (industry code NAICS 622)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623) — long-term care homes and retirement residences
- Construction (NAICS 23)
- Food manufacturing (NAICS 311)
- Primary agriculture
- Short positions of generally 120 calendar days or less that meet the program’s criteria
- Positions in support of permanent residence only
The industry codes describe the employer’s business. A housekeeping aide hired directly by a care home is in an exempt sector; a cleaner hired by a contractor that services the same care home generally is not. The same exempt sectors may fill up to 20% of a worksite with low-wage foreign workers, where everyone else is capped at 10%.
Hotels and resorts: where the housekeeping jobs are
Resort towns are small, so most are not census metropolitan areas at all. Whistler, Banff, Canmore, Tofino and Golden are all outside the refusal list, and that is visible in the postings: half of the eight open cleaning jobs we found were hotel housekeeping, and two were at Whistler resorts. Four Seasons Resort Whistler alone was advertising 26 room attendant vacancies at $24.70 to $28.40 an hour.
What the employer must pay for, not you
The low-wage stream puts several costs on the employer by law. If an offer asks you to cover any of these, treat it as a warning sign:
- Round-trip transportation from your country of residence to the job in Canada, and back.
- Suitable and affordable housing — the employer must provide it or make sure it is available.
- Private emergency health insurance for any period before provincial health coverage starts.
- The $1,000 LMIA processing fee, which cannot be paid by or recovered from the worker.
- No recruitment fees — neither the employer nor anyone recruiting for them may charge you.
What you do pay is modest by comparison: $155 for the work permit and $85 for biometrics, on IRCC’s fee list, plus your passport, police certificates and a medical exam if one is required. Source for the employer obligations: Program requirements for low-wage positions.
From a work permit to permanent residence
A cleaning job from abroad starts with an employer-specific work permit: it names your employer, your job and where you work. Turning that into permanent residence is harder for cleaners than for most workers, and it is better to know why now.
- Express Entry counts experience in TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 jobs. TEER 5 cleaning experience does not qualify. Express Entry, Canada.ca.
- The Atlantic Immigration Program needs experience in a TEER 0 to 4 job, so TEER 5 cleaning work does not count there either. AIP job offer rules.
- The Rural Community Immigration Pilot does accept TEER 5 job offers in some of its 14 communities, from designated employers. For a TEER 5 offer your experience must be in the same five-digit NOC code, with at least 1,560 hours in the past three years. RCIP work experience rules.
The route that opens most doors is promotion. Cleaning supervisor, NOC 62024, is a TEER 2 job, which puts it inside Express Entry. A reliable cleaner who becomes a shift lead and then a supervisor changes not just their pay but their immigration options.
How to apply, in the right order
- Pick your code. Light duty cleaner (65310), specialized cleaner (65311), janitor or heavy-duty cleaner (65312). Your CV should describe duties that match it.
- Search Job Bank with the temporary foreign worker filter, not a general job board: cleaning postings from employers using the program.
- Open each posting and read Who can apply. Keep only those that accept candidates without a Canadian work permit.
- Check the location against the 26 areas above, unless the employer is a hospital, care home or other exempt sector.
- Apply the way the posting says — usually by email, sometimes through a careers portal — with a one-page Canadian-style CV.
- Wait for the employer’s LMIA decision. Only a positive LMIA lets you apply for the work permit.
- Apply for the work permit yourself through IRCC’s own portal and give biometrics.
- Confirm housing and your arrival date in writing before you book anything the employer has not already paid for.
Red flags in cleaning job offers
- Any fee for the job itself. An employer using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program may not charge you, or let a recruiter charge you, a recruitment fee — and the $1,000 LMIA fee cannot be recovered from the worker.
- A posting you cannot find on Job Bank or on the employer’s own site. Real LMIA recruitment has to be advertised on Job Bank for weeks before the employer applies.
- “LMIA approved” with no company name, address or posting number. An approval belongs to a named employer and a named position.
- Contact only through WhatsApp, Telegram or a free email address. The care-home operator Extendicare, for example, tells applicants that interview invitations come only from its own company domains.
- A promise of permanent residence. No employer can promise it. A job offer supports an application; an immigration officer decides it.
- Pressure to pay today. Visa fees are paid to the Government of Canada through its own portal, never to a person or a private bank account.
Where to go from here
Most readers who finish this page want one of these next.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a cleaning job in Canada without experience?
Often, yes. Of the eight postings open to applicants abroad that we checked, four said no experience was needed and the employer would train, and three asked for between one and seven months. Half asked for a high school certificate and half for no formal education. Experience still helps, and some permanent residence programs require it later.
What is the NOC code for cleaners in Canada?
Light duty cleaners are 65310, specialized cleaners are 65311, and janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners are 65312. Cleaning supervisors are 62024. The first three are TEER 5; the supervisor code is TEER 2.
How much does a cleaner earn in Canada?
Job Bank puts light duty cleaners at $15.50 to $25.00 an hour nationally, with a median of $19.74. Janitors and heavy-duty cleaners earn $16.00 to $28.72, with a median of $21.27. British Columbia and the territories pay the most.
Does an LMIA-requested posting mean the employer will sponsor me?
No. It means the employer applied to hire a foreign worker. Of the 78 LMIA-requested cleaning postings we opened, 70 still told applicants without Canadian work authorization not to apply. Read the Who can apply section of every posting.
Why can employers in Toronto or Vancouver not hire cleaners from abroad right now?
Both cities have an unemployment rate above 6%, and Service Canada does not process low-wage LMIA applications in those areas. Hospitals, care homes and a few other sectors are exempt. The list changes every three months; the next update is on 9 October 2026.
Who pays my flight to Canada for a cleaning job?
In the low-wage stream, which covers almost all cleaning jobs, the employer must pay your round-trip transportation. The employer must also arrange affordable housing and cover emergency health insurance until provincial coverage begins.
Can a cleaning job lead to permanent residence in Canada?
It can, but not through Express Entry or the Atlantic Immigration Program while you are in a TEER 5 job. The Rural Community Immigration Pilot accepts some TEER 5 job offers, and moving up to cleaning supervisor, a TEER 2 job, opens Express Entry.
Should I pay an agent to find me a cleaning job in Canada?
No. Employers in the program may not charge recruitment fees, directly or through anyone recruiting for them. If you want professional help with an immigration application, use a licensed consultant and check the licence yourself.
Sources
- Job Bank — postings from employers using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- Job Bank — wages for light duty cleaners (65310)
- Job Bank — wages for janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners (65312)
- ESDC — refusal to process LMIA applications in the low-wage stream
- ESDC — program requirements for low-wage positions
- IRCC — fee list
- IRCC — Express Entry
- IRCC — Atlantic Immigration Program job offers
- IRCC — Rural Community Immigration Pilot work experience
- National Occupational Classification
Kept current. Every figure on this page was checked against the sources listed above on 13 September 2026. Wage tables, fees and the list of cities where low-wage applications are refused all change; where this page and the government page disagree, the government page is right.
Disclaimer. We are an independent publisher. We do not recruit, we are not paid by any employer named here, and we cannot place you in a job or speed up an application. This page explains public rules and public postings in plain language; it is not legal or immigration advice. If you decide to pay someone to represent you, check their licence first on the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants register.