One Interview Question That Didn’t Sit Right With Me.

Some time ago, I went for a job interview, and this was the first question the interviewer asked me: “Do you need a work permit to work in Canada”?
I answered, “No, I don’t need a work permit to work in Canada.”

I honestly thought that would be the end of the conversation and that we would move on to questions about my experience, skills and suitability for the position.

But the interviewer followed up with another question: “When will your work permit expire?”

I remember feeling a little uncomfortable because I had already answered that I did not need a work permit to work in Canada.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was being profiled based on an assumption about my immigration background.

To be fair, I don’t know what was going through the interviewer’s mind, and perhaps there was a reason for asking the follow-up question. But as an applicant, that’s how the question made me feel.

Interestingly, Ontario human rights guidance says employers can ask whether someone is legally entitled to work in Canada, while interview questions should generally focus on the qualifications and requirements needed for the job.

It made me think about how one question in an interview can make a candidate feel very differently about the entire process.

Have you ever been asked an interview question that made you stop and wonder, “Why are you asking me this?”

Do you think the interviewer was simply trying to clarify my work eligibility, or did the follow-up question go too far? I’m genuinely curious to hear your thoughts.
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