Find out if your employer will need to submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for your employment.

 

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) Overview

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that Canadian employers may need to obtain before they can hire foreign workers. 

An LMIA is issued by the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) department. They have to ensure that hiring foreign workers will not have a negative impact on the Canadian labour market.

A positive LMIA, also known as a confirmation letter, indicates that there is a requirement for a foreign worker to fulfill the position and no Canadian worker is available to take on the job.

 

LMIA Streams

Depending on the offered wage for a position, the requirement to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment will fall under either the Stream for High-wage Positions or the Stream for Low-wage Positions, each having their specific criteria.

In case you offer a wage to a temporary foreign worker:

• Equal to or above the provincial or territorial median hourly wage, you must apply through the Stream for High-wage positions.
• Below the provincial or territorial median hourly wage, you must apply through the Stream for Low-wage positions.

 

Median Hourly Wages By Province or Territory
Province/Territory	Median hourly wages prior to April 30, 2022	Median hourly wages as of April 30, 2022
Alberta	$27.28	$28.85
British Columbia	$25.00	$26.44
Manitoba	$21.60	$23.00
New Brunswick	$20.12	$21.79
Newfoundland and Labrador	$23.00	$24.29
Northwest Territories	$34.36	$37.30
Nova Scotia	$20.00	$22.00
Nunavut	$32.00	$36.00
Ontario	$24.04	$26.06
Prince Edward Island	$20.00	$21.63
Quebec	$23.08	$25.00
Saskatchewan	$24.55	$25.96
Yukon	$30.00	$32.00

 

Who Needs an LMIA?

If you want to check whether you and the temporary foreign worker you intend to hire are exempted from obtaining an LMIA or work permit, you can take either of the following steps:

• Go through the list of LMIA exemption codes and work permit exemptions and identify the most suitable option for your hiring scenario. Read the comprehensive description provided for that LMIA or work permit exemption code. If you are eligible for an exemption code, you need to include it in your offer of employment.
• If you are hiring a temporary foreign worker who is currently outside Canada and belongs to a country with visa-exemption, you can contact the International Mobility Workers Unit.

 

Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and Work Permit

After an employer obtains the LMIA, the worker can proceed to apply for a work permit. To apply for a work permit, the worker should have the following documents:

• A job offer letter
• A contract
• A copy of the LMIA
• The LMIA number