Temporary Foreign Workers
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is intended to be used when you are facing short-term skills and labour shortages, and only when no Canadians and permanent residents are available.
To hire a temporary foreign worker, you may require a Labour Market Impact Assessment to determine if the hiring of a temporary foreign worker will have a positive or negative impact on the Canadian labour market.
As an employer, you must comply with the Program requirements. These requirements may vary depending on the position you are requesting. We take the integrity of the Program very seriously and we have mechanisms in place to verify employers’ compliance with the Program requirements. Employers who fail to comply with these requirements will be subject to consequences for non-compliance.
To get a Labour Market Impact Assessment, you must submit an application form and all the necessary supporting documents. Your application will be assessed to validate the legitimacy of the business, the job offer and the impact of hiring a temporary foreign worker would have on the Canadian labour market.
Stream for High-wage position
How to apply - Stream for high-wage positions
​
Before you apply
-
Determine if you need a Labour Market Impact Assessment
-
Verify if we will refuse to process your Labour Market Impact Assessment application
-
Ensure you know about the Program requirements for high-wage positions
-
Ensure you want to apply through the stream for high-wage positions. If after applying you decide you want to apply under a different stream, you will need to cancel your original application and reapply under the new stream. Processing fees are not refunded and cannot be transferred to your new application
Important: Changes to the LMIA fee collection
As of October 23, 2020, Service Canada is making changes to better protect employers’ financial information. LMIA application forms will now only request partial digits from a credit card. Upon application receipt, Service Canada will contact the employer to obtain the remaining digits in order to process payment.
Apply
Your Labour Market Impact Assessment application can be submitted up to 6 months prior to the expected job start date.
Apply via LMIA Online portal
To access LMIA Online, an employer and a third party (if applicable) must have a valid Job Bank user account for authentication purposes. If you have not yet completed the one time registration in Job Bank for Employers, we invite you to do so by clicking on the link below and following the “Don’t have an account? Sign up now.” button. The registration process will take approximately 10 minutes. Once your Job Bank account(s) is/are created, you will be able to complete an LMIA application via the LMIA Online Portal.
Apply on Application Form
You must complete, sign and send it along with all required documentation and the processing fee, to the appropriate Service Canada Processing Centre. The application package must include:
A complete application means that you have:
-
used the latest version of the application form
-
filled out all the fields in all the required forms (except for the temporary foreign worker information in the case of an Unnamed Labour Market Impact Assessment application)
-
included all the required supporting documentation
-
signed all the forms, where required
-
submitted the processing fee for each position requested
Incomplete applications will not be processed or returned. It is recommended that you submit copies of documents rather than originals.
​
However, you can still apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment for specific positions in specific provinces or territories, even if the temporary foreign worker information is not available at the time of the application. These applications are also known as "Unnamed Labour Market Impact Assessment" applications.
Stream for Low-wage position
How to apply - Stream for low-wage positions
Before you apply
​
-
Determine if you need a Labour Market Impact Assessment
-
Verify if we will refuse to process your Labour Market Impact Assessment application
-
Ensure you know about the Program requirements for low-wage positions
-
Ensure you want to apply through the stream for low-wage positions. If after applying you decide you want to apply under a different stream, you will need to cancel your original application and reapply under the new stream. Processing fees are not refunded and cannot be transferred to your new application.
Important: Changes to the LMIA fee collection
As of October 23, 2020, Service Canada is making changes to better protect employers’ financial information. LMIA application forms will now only request partial digits from a credit card. Upon application receipt, Service Canada will contact the employer to obtain the remaining digits in order to process payment.
​
Apply
Your Labour Market Impact Assessment application can be submitted up to 6 months prior to the expected job start date.
​
Apply via LMIA Online portal
To access LMIA Online, an employer and a third party (if applicable) must have a valid Job Bank user account for authentication purposes. If you have not yet completed the one time registration in Job Bank for Employers, we invite you to do so by clicking on the link below and following the “Don’t have an account? Sign up now.” button. The registration process will take approximately 10 minutes. Once your Job Bank account(s) is/are created, you will be able to complete an LMIA application via the LMIA Online Portal.
​
Apply on Application Form
You must complete, sign and send it along with all required documentation and the processing fee, to the appropriate Service Canada Processing Centre. The application package must include:
-
Labour Market Impact Assessment application form for low-wage positions (EMP5627)
-
proof of business legitimacy
-
proof of recruitment
-
If you are applying under the 2-year duration pilot for meat processors:
-
Schedule L: Two-year Employment Duration for Meat Processors Pilot
-
if applicable, a letter of union support which is on union letterhead and signed by an authorized union official. Here is a sample letter that can be adapted by your union.
-
A complete application means that you have:
-
used the latest version of the application form
-
filled out all the fields in all the required forms (except for the temporary foreign worker information in the case of an Unnamed Labour Market Impact Assessment application)
-
included all the required supporting documentation
-
signed all the forms, where required
-
submitted the processing fee for each position requested, if applicable
Incomplete applications will not be processed or returned. It is recommended that you submit copies of documents rather than originals.
However, you can still apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment for specific positions in specific provinces or territories, even if the temporary foreign worker information is not available at the time of the application. These applications are also known as "Unnamed Labour Market Impact Assessment" applications.
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
An LMIA confirms
-
there is a need for a temporary foreign worker
-
no Canadians or permanent residents are available to do the job
​
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.
​
-
workers through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program
-
workers through the Agricultural Stream
​
The International Mobility Program lets you hire temporary foreign workers without an LMIA. Check the LMIA exemption code that matches your respective job posting.
​
If you hire a temporary foreign worker through the International Mobility Program, 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.
​
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.
