Hire a temporary foreign worker in a low-wage position

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

The Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program is intended to be used when you're facing short-term skills and labour shortages, and allows you to hire TFWs for a maximum period of 2 years when no Canadians and permanent residents are available. The employment duration must align with the employer's reasonable employment needs.

To hire a TFW, you may require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to determine if hiring a TFW will have a positive or negative impact on the Canadian labour market.

As an employer, you must comply with the program requirements. These requirements may vary depending on the position you're requesting. We take program integrity very seriously and we have mechanisms in place to verify employer compliance. Employers who fail to comply with these requirements will be subject to consequences.

To get an LMIA, you must submit an application form and all the necessary supporting documents. Your application will be assessed to validate the legitimacy of the business, the job offer and the impact hiring a TFW would have on the Canadian labour market.

Before you apply

Review this checklist:

Determine if you need an LMIA
Determine if your application cannot be processed due to specific conditions or circumstances
Make sure you know about the program requirements for low-wage positions, for example:
- determine if you want to use a third-party representative
- determine if your LMIA application is subject to processing fees
Gather or fill out documents to support your business legitimacy assessment and your LMIA application, such as:
- your most recent business license
- your most recent Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tax documents
- your recruitment and advertisement documents
- Schedule L: Two-year employment duration for meat processors pilot (if applicable)
- a union support letter with union letterhead that’s signed by an authorized union official
- any provincial requirements
Consult the LMIA Online Portal resources page for more information on setting up your LMIA Online account and submitting applications

Don't forget

Review the checklist before starting your application.

Hiring TFWs in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia

If you're hiring TFWs in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia, you must apply for the employer registration certificate with the province first and include a copy of the certificate or proof of exemption with your LMIA application. Your application will be considered incomplete if submitted without the required documentation. Be sure to consider provincial processing times before you submit your LMIA application.

For more information on provincial laws on the employer registration requirement and possible exemptions in the province, visit the following websites:

British Columbia:
- Register to hire foreign workers
- Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act
Manitoba:
- Employer registration information
- Worker Recruitment and Protection Act
Saskatchewan:
- Apply for a certificate of registration
- Foreign Worker and Recruitment Services Act
Nova Scotia (effective for LMIAs received as of July 15, 2024):
- Employer registration – How to register
- Labour Standards Code

Hiring TFWs in Quebec

For positions in Quebec for an employment period of more than 30 consecutive days:

LMIA applications must be submitted at the same time to Service Canada and Quebec's Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) (French only)
- failure to do so will prevent your application from being processed and will result in its closure. No refund of the processing fee will be made
all applications must be submitted to the MIFI in the format required by the provincial government
the names of the TFWs must be included in the application (for exceptions, visit Applying for an unnamed LMIA)

For more information, consult Hiring in the province of Quebec.

Note:

On May 12, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a temporary public policy. The new policy allows some TFWs who are already in Canada to change jobs before a final decision is made on their work permit application.

Employers hiring these TFWs may receive priority processing of the LMIA applications. To do so, employers must notify Service Canada in writing that the TFW:

is in Canada, and
wishes to benefit from IRCC's COVID-19 temporary public policy

How to apply

Apply using LMIA Online. It’s a reliable and secure portal where you can complete and submit online LMIA applications to Service Canada.

Your LMIA application can be submitted up to 6 months before the expected job start date.

Before signing into LMIA Online

You need a Job Bank for employers account to use LMIA Online. For instructions, consult Before you get started.

Submitting your application using LMIA Online

Sign into LMIA Online using the same log-in information you use to access your Job Bank for employers account
Create, fill out and submit your LMIA application from the Employer Dashboard
Upload any required documents
Pay the processing fee (if applicable)

If you don’t have access to LMIA Online, head to LMIA Online resources for troubleshooting steps.

Apply now

Make changes to your pending application

If you need to make changes to your application once submitted, and before the LMIA decision is made, contact the appropriate Service Canada processing centre or the Employer Contact Centre to modify your application and avoid processing delays.

If you need to change the stream you had originally selected, withdraw your application and reapply under the new stream. Processing fees aren't refunded and cannot be transferred to your new application.

After you apply

Additional information is available to find out what happens after you apply for a LMIA for a low-wage or high-wage position.

Contact us

Employer Contact Centre

Page details

Date modified:: 2024-06-05

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