Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)

Despite opening its doors to Skilled Workers through Express Entry and PNP’s, Canada is still not able to meet its labour requirements for the small scale businesses, industries, and other sectors. This has resulted in hiring more temporary foreign workers by Canadian employers in recent years. Temporary foreign workers can work with or without a work permit, but in most of the cases, a foreign worker will need a work permit to work in Canada.

Most of those work permits are based on Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which allows foreign workers to work with a particular employer for a specific period of time.

An LMIA is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) that gives an employer permission to hire a temporary worker to fill temporary labour and skill gaps. A positive LMIA will show that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job. It will also confirm that no Canadian worker is available to do the job. It is also called a “confirmation letter” to hire a foreign worker. Once an employer gets a positive LMIA, the worker can apply for a work permit.

In order to get an LMIA, an employer must apply through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC.). The eligibility requirements, fees and processing times for applying an LMIA vary from position to position.

For more information on program requirements, contact us.