Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) - Work Permit

Are you looking to hire or retain employees in Canada that are foreign nationals?

Most Canadian employers must receive approval from the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) before they can hire a foreign national. This application is called the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Employers typically need to meet a set of requirements, show significant efforts in trying to recruit Canadians for the position and attend an interview with an ESDC officer.

We recommend employers to hire a professional in their LMIA application, so that they comply with requirements on recruitment efforts and get necessary training for their interview. Employers should also start the application process early, as it may take up to 5 months for the Canadian government to approve the LMIA application.

To start the process, business owners will need to decide if the position they are hiring for falls under the Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) Stream for Low-Wage Positions or Stream for High-Wage Positions:

If you are offering a wage to a temporary foreign worker that is

• At or above the provincial or territorial median hourly wage, the application will be under the Stream for High-Wage Positions 

• Below the provincial or territorial median hourly wage, the application will be under the Stream for Low-Wage Positions

However, before hiring a temporary foreign worker (TFW), the employer must try to hire Canadians and permanent residents. 

Please note that:

• This LMIA application can also be used to support a permanent residence application.
• The employer is always required to pay government processing fee for this LMIA application.
• Employer may use the LMIA to hire one or more foreign workers under the same job title.