Some Foreign Workers in Canada Can Get their LMIA Approved in as little as 10 business days.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) manage the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to assist Canadian employers in filling labor and skill gaps in their organizations when there are no qualified and accessible Canadians or permanent residents (PR) (TFWP).
Employers acquiring foreign talent must submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to demonstrate that the hire will have a positive or neutral effect the Canadian labor market as a condition of the work permits given under this program.
LMIAs took more than 21 business days on average to process across the seven streams covered by IRCC in December 2022. Global Talent Stream, Agricultural Stream, Permanent Residence Stream, High-wage Stream, Low-wage Stream, and In-home caretakers Stream are among these.
However, in the following cases, the processing period of an LMIA can be reduced to 10 business days.
Please keep in mind that, despite the accelerated processing time, employers in the following categories must still meet all of the standard program requirements required to evaluate TFWP applications.
What is LMIA?
LMIA stands for Labour Market Impact Assessment in Canada. It is a document issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and is used to determine whether a foreign worker’s employment in Canada will positively or negatively impact the Canadian labour market.
An LMIA is required for most types of work visas for foreign workers in Canada, including the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP). The LMIA process involves an assessment of the job offer and the foreign worker’s qualifications, as well as an evaluation of the potential impact on the Canadian labour market, including the availability of Canadian workers to fill the same position.
An LMIA is a pre-requisite for several immigration streams that allow foreign workers to work in Canada temporarily, including the TFWP and the IMP. However, the LMIA itself is not an immigration stream. To become a permanent resident in Canada, you must apply through a specific immigration program, such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Provincial Nominee Program.
In summary, the LMIA is an essential step in the process of hiring foreign workers in Canada. Its purpose is to ensure that hiring foreign workers is not detrimental to the Canadian labour market.
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