Hire a temporary foreign worker through the Agricultural Stream - Apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment

Before you apply

Review this checklist:

Determine if you need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
Determine if your application cannot be processed due to specific condition or circumstances
Make sure you know about the program requirements for agricultural positions, for example:
- determine if you want to use a third-party representative
- determine if your LMIA application is subject to processing fees
Gather documents that support your business legitimacy and LMIA application. Examples:
- your most recent business license
- your most recent Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tax documents
- your recruitment and advertisement documents
- a copy of your signed off-site housing contract, if applicable
- your housing inspection report
View the LMIA Online Portal resources page for helpful hints

Don’t forget

Review the checklist before starting your application.

Hiring temporary foreign workers in British Columbia or Manitoba

If you’re hiring temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in British Columbia or Manitoba, 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 applications.

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

British Columbia:
- Provincial website: Register to hire foreign workers
- Provincial law: Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act
Manitoba:
- Provincial website: Employer Registration Information
- Provincial law: Worker Recruitment and Protection Act

Hiring temporary foreign workers 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) (in 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 MIFI in paper format
the names of the TFWs must be included in the application

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

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

There are 2 ways you can apply:

online through the LMIA Online Portal, or
by emailing or faxing a PDF application form

Apply online

The fastest way to apply is through the LMIA Online Portal. It’s a reliable and secure platform that allows you to complete and submit an online application to Service Canada.

To access the LMIA Online Portal, you need to have a Job Bank account.

1) Create a Job Bank for employers account if you don't already have one

It takes about 10 minutes to register, and up to 5 business days for Job Bank to process a new employer file.

2) Access the LMIA Online Portal using your Job Bank for employers’ credentials

Your account details will be required for authentication purposes.

3) Submit your application

Create and fill out your LMIA application
Upload all required documents supporting your business legitimacy (if applicable)
Submit the application form along with the required documents and the processing fee (if applicable) via the LMIA Online Portal

Send a PDF application form by email or fax

If you don't have a business number issued by the CRA or if you don't have a social insurance number, complete the EMP5519 PDF form and send it by email or fax. Make sure:

you use the latest version of the application form
all fields are completed (except for the TFW information in case of an unnamed LMIA application)
all documentation is submitted
all documents are signed where required
the processing fee payment is submitted with the application (if applicable)

For applications where the work location is in Canada, but not in Quebec

Submit your application to the Service Canada processing centre responsible for this specific program or for processing the LMIA applications in the region where the TFW will be employed.

For positions in Quebec

Submit your application by email to EDSC.QC.PTET.INFO-INFO.TFWP.QC.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca.

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 the application and avoid processing delays.

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

Contact us

To obtain immediate assistance with your application, contact the Employer Contact Centre from Monday to Friday, between 7 am and 8 pm, Eastern time.

Canada and the United States:

Toll-free: 1-800-367-5693
TTY: 1-855-881-9874

Outside Canada and the United States:

506-546-7569 (collect calls accepted)

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