Canadian employers who want to hire a foreign worker usually need either a Labour Market Impact Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada, or an exemption from one. Getting this wrong is expensive: employers are subject to inspection, and penalties for non-compliance include fines and being barred from the program.
What is covered
- Assessing whether an LMIA is required, or whether an exemption applies
- Recruitment and advertising requirements before an application
- Preparing and filing the LMIA application
- Transition plans and the employer obligations that follow a positive decision
- Employer compliance reviews and inspection readiness
- Intra company transfers and other international agreement categories
A note on who pays
Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the employer pays the LMIA processing fee and it may not be recovered from the worker. Where both an employer and a worker are involved in the same hire, the potential conflict of interest is disclosed in writing and each party is told they may obtain their own advice.
Information only. The information on this page is general and is not advice about your situation. Immigration rules change often. No outcome can be promised, and nothing here creates a professional relationship. Advice about your own case is given in a consultation, under a written agreement.
Scope of licence. Amaninder Kaur holds a Class L2 licence and is authorised to provide immigration and citizenship advice and representation to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency and provincial immigration programs. Matters before the Immigration and Refugee Board, including refugee claims, appeals, admissibility hearings and detention reviews, require a Class L3 RCIC-IRB licence or a lawyer, and are referred out.