Find out if you need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), and how to hire a temporary foreign worker

Most employers need an LMIA before they can hire a temporary foreign worker. Before you start the hiring process, you must determine if you need an LMIA.

An LMIA confirms

• there is a need for a temporary foreign worker
• no Canadians or permanent residents are available to do the job

To see if you and the temporary foreign worker you want to hire are exempt from needing an LMIA or work permit, do one of the following:

• review the LMIA exemption codes and work permit exemptions
  • select the LMIA exemption or work permit code that seems most relevant to your hiring situation and read the detailed description
  • if an exemption code applies to you, you’ll need to include it in your offer of employment

  or

• contact the International Mobility Workers Unit (IMWU)
  • available only if you’re hiring a temporary foreign worker who is both
    • currently outside Canada
    • from a country whose nationals are visa-exempt

How to get an LMIA

You’ll need an LMIA from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

The LMIA application process depends on the type of program you’re hiring through.

Find out how to apply for an LMIA to hire

• high-wage workers
• low-wage workers
• workers through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program
• workers through the Agricultural Stream

How to hire if you need an LMIA

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) lets you hire temporary foreign workers to fill labour and skill shortages.

Once an LMIA has been issued, you should provide a copy of the confirmation letter to each temporary foreign worker and tell each of them to apply for a work permit.

You’ll need an LMIA from ESDC, Service Canada.

How to hire if you don’t need an LMIA

• The International Mobility Program (IMP) lets you hire temporary foreign workers without an LMIA.

If you hire a temporary foreign worker through the IMP, you need to

• pay an employer compliance fee
• submit an offer of employment form through the Employer Portal

This must be done before the temporary foreign worker you want to hire can apply for a work permit.

Hiring in the province of Quebec

If you’re an employer in Quebec and are hiring through the TFWP, the temporary foreign worker will need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) from the Quebec Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) before a work permit can be issued.

If you’re an employer in Quebec and are hiring a temporary foreign worker through the IMP, a CAQ from the MIFI is not required.