Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
If your business is facing a labour shortage, or you are unable to find the talent your business needs, why not look outside of Canada? Your business may be eligible to access a pool of foreign workers to hire on a temporary basis when Canadian citizens and/or permanent residents are not available.
The Temporary foreign worker program or TFWP is a program of the Canadian Government to allow employers in Canada to hire foreign workers. The program is jointly administered by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Canadian employers are required to obtain a document from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)/Service Canada stating that they can hire the temporary worker. This is known as a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), formerly known as a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) that gives the employer permission to hire a temporary foreign worker. It shows that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job and no Canadian worker is available to do the job.
The purpose of the LMIA is to make sure that foreign workers are not being chosen over Canadian citizens and/or permanent residents those are qualified for the job. Positive LMIA determines that hiring foreign nationals in the specified occupation and at the specified work location is likely to have a positive or neutral impact on the Canadian labour market.
Documents required for an LMIA application
LMIA application(s) can be different depending on the type of business/industry, business location, and the foreign worker they are looking to hire. Following is a generic checklist for reference:
- We also assist our clients/employers with the advertisement posting.
- We help Canadian employers for applying Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application and legally representing them before ESDC during the procedure.
- Copy of advertisement and information to demonstrate where, when and for how long the position was advertised.
- Business registration or legal Incorporation documents (if first LMIA application). This does not apply to employers of In-home Caregivers.
LMIA application processing times
|
LMIA Stream
|
Processing Time (in business days)
|
|---|---|
Global Talent Stream and applications that qualify for expedited service have a service standard of 10-business days that is expected to be met 80% of the time. The service standard date starts on the business day after the application has been received.