WORK VISA

What is LMIA?
If you are struggling to find a job in Canada, it may be that the job you are looking for is not exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which is a document required by many Canadian employers before they can hire a foreign worker. Some foreign employers do allow foreigners to live and work temporarily in Canada without requiring an LMIA, yet are still categorized under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which require LMIAs and other immigration programs that enable applicants to claim points for having an employment opportunity in the country.
As a person that wants to apply for a job in Canada, if you have an LMIA or still need to apply for one, you must ensure that you have a positive LMIA status that shows that your employer wasn’t able to fill a certain job in Canada with a resident suitable for the position. If you get a negative LMIA status, it will show that there are sufficient permanent or Canadian resident candidates that can fill the job.
A positive LMIA status will indicate whether it is required for a foreigner to fill a job, which increases your chances of landing the job you are applying for.
As a person that wants to apply for a job in Canada, if you have an LMIA or still need to apply for one, you must ensure that you have a positive LMIA status that shows that your employer wasn’t able to fill a certain job in Canada with a resident suitable for the position. If you get a negative LMIA status, it will show that there are sufficient permanent or Canadian resident candidates that can fill the job.
A positive LMIA status will indicate whether it is required for a foreigner to fill a job, which increases your chances of landing the job you are applying for.
Canadian employers have a list of requirements that must be met to receive a positive LMIA, which includes:
- Show that they were unsuccessful to fill a job locally
The employer must previously have advertised a vacant position for at least 4four consecutive weeks in the past three months before submitting an LMIA application. - Develop a transition or labour market benefits plan
Employers must produce a transition plan that should be submitted with the candidate’s LMIA application. A transition plan must describe the attempts that an employer has made to undertake, employ, retain, and train permanent residents or Canadians to reduce employers’ reliance on TFWP. Any highly skilled positions that get filled by a foreigner in Canada are beneficial to the Canadian market and are what they aim for, with caregivers, roles under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or Agricultural stream, time-limiting jobs, and jobs that very few people have been exempted from. - Create an employment contract
All employment contracts must be prepped and signed by an employer, along with the temporary foreign worker to make sure that each party involved is aware of their obligations and rights. Temporary foreign workers are required to sign it before moving to Canada. - Meet additional requirements for low-wage roles
Employers must ensure that employee benefits, including affordable housing, transportation, and healthcare should be arranged for low-wage foreign workers. The governing body, Employment, Social Development Canada (ESDC), must conduct inspections to ensure that all employers keep to this requirement. - Pay LMIA application fees
All employers are required to pay a CAD $1,000 fee for the Labour Market Impact Assessment application. The only time employers are exempt from paying this application fee is when they hire through the Agricultural Worker Streams and Caregiver Stream. LMIA’s are valid for six6 months after it is issued to an employer in Canada. During this period is when potential applicants may apply for a job from the relevant employer.
- Job offer letter
- Contract
- Copy of the LMIA
- LMIA number

Canadian employers have a list of requirements that must be met to receive a positive LMIA, which includes:
- Show that they were unsuccessful to fill a job locally
The employer must previously have advertised a vacant position for at least 4four consecutive weeks in the past three months before submitting an LMIA application. - Develop a transition or labour market benefits plan
Employers must produce a transition plan that should be submitted with the candidate’s LMIA application. A transition plan must describe the attempts that an employer has made to undertake, employ, retain, and train permanent residents or Canadians to reduce employers’ reliance on TFWP. Any highly skilled positions that get filled by a foreigner in Canada are beneficial to the Canadian market and are what they aim for, with caregivers, roles under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program or Agricultural stream, time-limiting jobs, and jobs that very few people have been exempted from. - Create an employment contract
All employment contracts must be prepped and signed by an employer, along with the temporary foreign worker to make sure that each party involved is aware of their obligations and rights. Temporary foreign workers are required to sign it before moving to Canada. - Meet additional requirements for low-wage roles
Employers must ensure that employee benefits, including affordable housing, transportation, and healthcare should be arranged for low-wage foreign workers. The governing body, Employment, Social Development Canada (ESDC), must conduct inspections to ensure that all employers keep to this requirement. - Pay LMIA application fees
All employers are required to pay a CAD $1,000 fee for the Labour Market Impact Assessment application. The only time employers are exempt from paying this application fee is when they hire through the Agricultural Worker Streams and Caregiver Stream. LMIA’s are valid for six6 months after it is issued to an employer in Canada. During this period is when potential applicants may apply for a job from the relevant employer.
- Job offer letter
- Contract
- Copy of the LMIA
- LMIA number