Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
LMIA stands for Labour Market Impact Assessment, which is a process conducted by the Government of Canada to determine if there is a need for a foreign worker to fill a job vacancy in Canada. A positive LMIA means that the employer has demonstrated that there are no Canadian citizens or permanent residents available to fill the job and that hiring a foreign worker will have a positive or neutral impact on the Canadian labour market.
Having a positive LMIA is an important requirement for many types of work opportunities in Canada, such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and certain streams of the International Mobility Program (IMP).
Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is a program regulated through the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and is administered in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
The program allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers on a temporary basis to fill job vacancies for which there are no available Canadian citizens or permanent residents.The program is designed to address labour shortages and support the growth of the Canadian economy by allowing Canadian employers to access the global pool of labour. Work permits under the TFWP are generally issued for a specific job and employer and are valid for a limited period of time. In addition to the LMIA, foreign workers must also meet other eligibility criteria, such as language proficiency and educational or work experience requirements.
A positive LMIA means that the Canadian government has determined that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill a job, and that no Canadian workers are available or willing to do the job. A negative LMIA means that the government has determined that there are available Canadian workers who can do the job.
The TFWP covers a wide range of jobs in various sectors, including agriculture, food processing, hospitality, construction, healthcare, and more.
The length of time that a temporary foreign worker can stay in Canada depends on the type of work permit they have been issued. In most cases, work permits are issued for up to two years, with the option to renew or extend.
In most cases, temporary foreign workers are tied to a specific employer and job. However, there are some programs that allow for job changes under certain circumstances.
Schedule a meeting
Let’s discuss the details
Schedule a meeting at one of our offices or online. Our experienced counsellors will analyze your situation, calculate the cost and help you find the right solution based on your goals.
- Preparation of Documents
- Due Diligence
