Freelancing for US commpanies while Visiting Canada

[hemlockmark]

I'm a US citizen. I hope to be visiting Canada long-term until I get my PR through spousal sponsorship. Can I work for (and be paid by) US companies or Canadian clients, (I'm an online freelance writer) while in Canada as a long-term visitor? Will I need a work permit?

I have seen similar questions but never quite like this.

Thanks all!

 

[CDNPR2014]

yes to us clients. not really to canadian clients. even though you are a freelancer and would most likely still do the work if you were in the us, it is a very fine line as to what CBSA considers "working illegally". depending on what you do, they may decide there are canadians who can do the job which would mean you would need a work permit to do it legally while in canada. remember, visitors are not in canada to work, so working for canadian customers even though you're freelance is getting into the grey zone. if your canadian customers are hiring you through a 3rd party that is NOT in canada, then that may fly. it is still very gray and it is best to not service canadian clients when actually in canada to avoid any issues if it ever comes up at the border. while it is a slim chance it would actually come up, it's better to be safe than sorry.