Labour Market Impact Assessment

In addition to immigration services provided to individuals and their family members, our professionals at ICC provide practical advice and assistance to Canadian employers in the process of hiring foreign workers on a temporary basis or retention of skilled immigrants permanently.

 

Canadian employers who are looking to fill the labour shortage in their company by hiring a Temporary Foreign Worker need to ensure that the worker has appropriate work authorization (work permit) to start working in Canada legally.

 

There are various types of work permits (e.g., open work permits and employer-specific work permits). If the worker is not a holder of an open work permit, the employer would need to go through the process of obtaining permission from the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC/Service Canada) to hire a foreign worker by proving that they are unable to fill the position locally. This process is called Labour Market Impact Assessment Application (LMIA) which is administered through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

 

There are different kinds of LMIA applications that may be submitted, for example:

 

• Application to support worker’s temporary residency only (work permit);
• Application to support permanent residency only;
• Dual-intent application that supports temporary and permanent residency;
• Application under Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program;
• Agricultural Stream Application

Depending on the type of application, the employer may need to meet certain eligibility criteria and a mandatory advertising process. The application processing times vary depending on the process chosen, the complexity of the case and the backlog of applications at the assigned Service Canada office.

 

If a positive LMIA confirmation is received, the worker may then apply for a work permit at the visa office outside Canada or at the Port of Entry (depending on the worker’s eligibility) based on the job offer and valid LMIA.

 

Contact us to enquire about our employer services which include:

 

• Representation before Service Canada in the process of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications for employers who wish to hire foreign worker(s);

• Consulting in regards to Canadian work authorization for foreign workers, work permits and LMIA exemptions;

• Counselling as to the employer’s options on retaining their present foreign worker(s) permanently.