Work Permit

A Canadian employer looking to hire a foreign worker to fill a labour shortage, will usually require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)/Service Canada unless candidate and position is LMIA exempt. A Canadian employer may offer a job offer to a foreign Candidate whether under TFWP or for any other economic program after getting positive LMIA. On an application from Canadian Employer for issue of LMIA, ESDC will inter alia evaluate if the employer has made a sufficient effort to hire a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident to fill the position and it will not have significant negative impact on Canadian Labour market. Therefore, LMIAs are issued for specific position and not for specific individual workers. Based on that LMIA, the foreign worker will apply for work permit to enter Canada.

All work permit types do not require a LMIA for Work Permit to be issued. There are LMIA-exempt work permit streams that come under the International Mobility Program.