LMIA

The LMIA is issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). It requires showing that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill a local job. To get a positive LMIA, it is important to fill the application accurately and effectively with the right process. A small detail or omission in an LMIA application can cause a negative decision and subsequently refusals or delays.

LMIA is followed by a work permit which is an employer-specific. A work permit is an authorization granted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that allows a Foreign National to work legally in Canada.

Some of the work permits are LMIA-exempt. Those occupations include:

• Guest lecturers
• Visiting professors
• Religious Workers
• Post-doctoral fellows
• Research award recipients
• Eminent individuals (e.g., leaders in various fields)
• Intra-Company Transfers
• Self-Employed Persons
• Spouses/Common-Law partners or dependents of Workers or Students (not in all cases, conditions apply)
• Permanent Resident Applicants under special Categories
• Humanitarian applicants under specific Categories