Hotels, restaurants and cleaning companies hire many workers without a degree. In Canada you can find work as a room attendant, kitchen helper, cook or cleaner. Many people start here because the work is easy to learn. This guide shows the jobs, the pay in Canada, the papers you need and the safe way to apply.
| Typical pay | Often near the minimum wage: $15.00 to $19.75 an hour, by province |
|---|---|
| Education | No degree needed |
| Experience | None for many starting jobs |
| Language | Basic English or French |
| Hours | Shifts, weekends and holidays are common |
The main jobs
- Room attendant or housekeeper. You clean hotel rooms, change the beds, clean the bathroom and bring fresh towels. You work fast, because each room has a time limit.
- Kitchen helper or dishwasher. You wash dishes and pots, clean the kitchen and help the cooks to prepare food.
- Cook. You prepare meals. This job needs kitchen experience and often training, and it pays more.
- Cleaner. You clean offices, shops, hospitals, schools or buildings. The work is often early in the morning or in the evening.
- Waiter or service staff. You serve guests. For this you must speak the local language or English well.
The work is on your feet all day. Hotels and restaurants are busiest on weekends, in the evening and on holidays, so that is when you work.
Who can do this job
- You are fit, quick and careful with details.
- You are polite with guests and work well in a team.
- You accept shifts, weekends and holidays.
- You can speak and understand basic words in the local language or in English.
Past work in a hotel, a restaurant, a hospital or a private home helps. For cooks, proof of training and letters from past kitchens are very important. Men and women both do these jobs.
How much you can earn in Canada
Starting jobs in hotels and cleaning often pay close to the minimum wage. Each province sets its own minimum wage. In 2026 it goes from $15.00 an hour in Alberta to $19.75 in Nunavut. Ontario is $17.95 and British Columbia is $18.25. For jobs under federal rules it is $18.15. Cooks and heavy-duty cleaners usually earn more than room attendants and dishwashers.
For the exact pay in a town, open the wage page for the job on Job Bank. It shows low, middle and high pay for each region. Tourist towns and remote resorts often need workers the most, and some offer a shared room for staff.
Hours and extras
Full-time work is about 40 hours a week, but the days change from week to week. Some hotels give staff a meal on each shift. Some resorts and hotels far from the city offer a room for staff. Always ask what the room and the meals cost, and get the answer in writing. Tips are possible in service jobs, but do not count on them.
What you need before you can work in Canada
No degree is needed for this work. But you cannot simply fly to Canada and start. In most cases you need three things:
- A real job offer from a Canadian employer.
- A positive LMIA. This is a paper the employer gets from the Canadian government. It shows the employer could not find a worker in Canada. The employer applies and pays for it, not you.
- A work permit. You apply for it yourself on the official website, Canada.ca, with your job offer, the LMIA number and your passport.
Canada limits how many foreign workers come each year. The target for this program is 60,000 new workers in 2026, and many people apply. Most employers can fill only about 10% of their lower-paid jobs with foreign workers. In some big cities with high unemployment, the government does not accept requests for lower-paid foreign workers at all, so many offers come from smaller towns.
Since November 2026, a work permit for a lower-paid job can be given for up to two years. Before, it was one year. There is no maximum age in the work permit rules. You must be an adult, and the employer decides who to hire. Nobody can promise you a job or a visa.
Costs to plan for
Rent is the biggest cost in Canada. A room in a shared home costs much more in Toronto or Vancouver than in a small town. For lower-paid jobs under the foreign worker program, the employer is expected to pay your travel to Canada and back, and to help you find housing you can afford. Ask about both in writing. You also need warm clothes, because winters are very cold in most of the country. Bring enough money for your first weeks, until your first pay arrives.
These are guides, not live vacancies. We are not an employer.
How to apply safely
- Go to Job Bank (jobbank.gc.ca). It is the Canadian government’s free job website.
- Search for the job, then use the filter for employers who want to hire temporary foreign workers.
- Prepare a short CV in English or French: your name, phone, email, past jobs with dates, and your skills.
- Apply the way the job post says. Send the same clear CV each time.
- If an employer answers, ask for a written job offer and the LMIA number. Check both before you pay for any travel.
Mistakes to avoid
- Accepting a job where the room and food are taken from your pay, without knowing the amount.
- Working extra hours without a record. Write down your hours every day.
- Believing an advert that promises a hotel job with “no interview”. Real hotels always speak to you first.
- Paying for a uniform, a “training” or a job offer in advance.
Your rights as a worker in Canada
- You must be paid at least the wage in your contract, and never less than the minimum wage.
- Your employer cannot take your passport or your work permit.
- Your employer cannot make you pay back the LMIA or recruitment costs.
- You have the right to a safe workplace and to say no to unsafe work.
- If an employer abuses you, Canada has a special open work permit for workers in that situation, so you can leave that employer.
Protect yourself from fake job offers
- Never pay for a job. In Canada, employers are not allowed to charge workers recruitment fees under the foreign worker program.
- Be careful with offers that arrive on WhatsApp or Telegram, or from a free email address.
- A real employer does not ask for money for a “visa file”, “medical booking” or “work permit processing”.
- If someone helps you with immigration papers for money, check that they are licensed. Consultants must be listed on the public register of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.
Questions people ask
Can I get a hotel or cleaning job in Canada without experience?
For starting jobs such as dishwasher, kitchen helper, room attendant or cleaner, often yes. Experience helps you get hired and is needed for cook jobs.
Do hotels give a room to staff?
Some do, mostly resorts and hotels in remote places. It is not a rule. Ask about the price and the conditions before you accept.
Can I go to Canada first and look for work there?
Not on a visitor visa. You cannot work as a visitor. The safe way is to get the job offer and the work permit before you travel.
How long does it take?
It is different for each person and each country. The employer first needs the LMIA, then you apply for the permit. Plan for several months.
More guides for Canada
- Factory jobs in Canada
- Driver jobs in Canada
- Construction jobs in Canada
- All jobs in Canada for foreign workers
- How to apply for jobs in Canada
- Canada work permit guide
Last checked: November 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and pay change, so always confirm on the official websites before you decide. We are not a recruiter and we never ask for money.
These are guides, not live vacancies. We are not an employer.