A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document issued by ESDC assessing the impact hiring a foreign worker will have on the Canadian labour market. A positive LMIA indicates that there is no Canadian citizen or permanent resident to fill a position, therefore enabling an employer to hire a foreign national.

A negative LMIA indicates that a position should be filled by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Learn more about Labour Market Impact Assessments, including requirements and application procedures.

without the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). While most employers hiring foreign workers will require an LMIA, there are certain circumstances where LMIA-exemptions exist. These LMIA exemptions are based on the following conditions:

• broader economic, cultural or other competitive advantages for Canada; and
• reciprocal benefits enjoyed by Canadians and permanent residents.

The Global Talent Stream (GTS) is a two-year pilot program launched in June 2017 through a partnership between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). The GTS assists certain Canadian employers to hire highly-skilled global talent enabling them to compete on an international scale. Employers who are successfully referred to the program will be able to expedite the process for hiring foreign nationals through the Global Skills Strategy.

If an employer wishes to hire a temporary foreign worker who will be paid at or above the median hourly wage of their province or territory then the employer must apply through the TFWP stream for high-wage workers. The first step in this process requires the employer to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) demonstrating that they were unable to find a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to fill the position.

Once an employer is issued a positive LMIA for a high-wage skilled position, they must inform the foreign worker of the LMIA results and notify them that they must apply for their authorization to work in Canada prior to the expiration of the LMIA. Once a high-wage worker receives a positive LMIA from an employer alongside their official signed employment contract, they may apply for authorization to work in Canada either through a work permit application or a permanent residency application, depending on their eligibility.

If an employer wishes to hire a temporary foreign worker who will be paid less than the median hourly wage of their province or territory then the employer must apply through the TFWP stream for low-wage workers. The first step in this process requires the employer to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) demonstrating that they were unable to find a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to fill the position.

Employers should note that LMIAs for low-wage workers require employers to meet certain stipulations to ensure the workplace rights and safety of low-wage non-resident workers. Once an employer is issued a positive LMIA for a low-wage skilled position, they must inform the foreign worker of the LMIA results and notify them that they must apply for their authorization to work in Canada prior to the expiration of the LMIA.

Once a low-wage worker receives a positive LMIA from an employer alongside their official signed employment contract, they may apply for authorization to work in Canada either through a work permit application or a permanent residency application, depending on their eligibility.

The province of Quebec retains significant autonomy over its immigration policies and procedures. For this reason, the province has a few unique distinctions regarding the hiring of foreign workers.

Language of Submission
All LMIA applications submitted in Quebec must be submitted in French except for LMIAs for in-home caregiver positions. If an employer has difficulty with this protocol they may contact ESDC who will work with employers to minimize the impacts of this language requirement.

Application to MIDI
As with all Quebec-based immigration programs, applications must be approved both by the provincial authorities and the federal authorities. For this reason, applications for LMIAs must be submitted both to Service Canada for ESDC processing at the federal level, as well as to the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) for processing at the provincial level.