Hire a Foreign Worker 

Are you a Canadian company looking to hire a foreign worker to work for your company? Before you can hire the foreign worker, you may need to have a Labour Market Impact Assessment – which is a document that allows you to extend an offer of employment to a foreign worker. In this blog, we will provide some useful information about the Labour Market Impact Assessment process, when it is required and how to get one.

What is a Labour Market Impact Assessment

The government of Canada understands Canadian companies may sometimes experience temporary labour or skill shortages. In cases where a Canadian company cannot find qualified Canadian workers to fill these shortages, the company may need to hire a foreign worker. The Labour Market Impact Assessment Process is required to show that hiring the temporary foreign worker will not have a negative impact on the Canadian job market by ensuring that qualified Canadians are not bypassed for a foreign worker.

High Wage Earners

Canadian employers looking to hire foreign workers will first need to determine whether they require a Labour Market Impact Assessment. Employers requiring a Labour Market Impact Assessment can only hire the foreign worker through the government of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). There are two streams under this program – the low-wage stream and the high-wage stream. The stream under which the employer may apply will be determined by the wage being offered and the location of the position. In this blog, we will focus on the high-wage stream, its requirements, the application process and the do’s and don’ts for employers looking to hire foreign workers through this stream.

What is the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s High Wage Position Stream

Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, employers may use the provincial and territorial hourly wage as a guideline for setting the wages for the temporary foreign worker they are looking to hire. If the wage being offered will be at or above the provincial or territorial median hourly wage, then the employer must apply under the stream for high-wage positions.

You as a lower-skilled worker can be hired by employer for up to a maximum of 24 months where there is a demonstrable shortage of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

An employer needs to get Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) once that is approved that can then give the LMIA to you as the foreign worker and then you are to take it to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to apply for a work permit.