Hire a Foreign Worker

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)

If a Canadian employer wants to hire a foreign national under this program, he/she must have an LMIA document, which shows that they are capable to hire a temporary worker. This document is known as ‘Labour market impact assessment (LMIA), it shows that they are indeed in need of a temporary worker, because there is no Canadian found that is interested in doing the work. In some cases, an employer may be LMIA exempt if the right circumstances are provided.

Work Permit

To work in Canada under this program, you must have a work permit; also the Canadian employer must provide an LMIA document. Usually, work permit can be applied from outside Canada, but most times you can apply for it when you come to Canada.

Note: In certain circumstances, foreign workers are not expected to have a work permit. To learn more about this, you can read here

Temporary Foreign Workers Process

This process is made up of four essential steps:

Step 1

This first step is highly essential- it means your future employer will need to have an LMIA document. The employment agency must apply with Services Canada, and then get a positive result- by this; we mean that Services Canada will prove that there is no Canadian citizen who is able to fill the vacant position.

Step 2

If the Canadian employer gets a positive LMIA, they will now present you with a temporary offer of employment, which must come with a detailed letter and a copy of the positive labour market impact assessment.

Step 3

After gathering all the required documents, you can now apply for a temporary work permit.

Step 4

If your work permit application is approved, it will now be issued to you at the point of entry (POE) by border service officer.

Temporary Foreign Workers Program Benefits

This program is highly beneficial both to you and the employment agency.

For employers who were unable to recruit permanent residents or Canadian citizens to fill the vacant positions, this program provides them with ample opportunity to hire foreigners.

Also Canadian employers might even find and hire other foreign nationals who are in Canada already, or those that are almost completing their job contract with another employment agency.

This program provides short-term job offer for foreigners; some people under this program that earlier came to fill one or two Canadian vacant positions might become permanent residents, if they meet certain criteria.

For example, some of them that have a full-time work, and whose skills are in constant demand might be promoted to permanent resident status via the provincial Nominee Program or Canadian Experience Class.