Hiring in the province of Quebec
Employing temporary foreign workers (TFWs) can be an essential part of a company's business strategy or a necessity for a household with children, seniors or persons with high medical needs who require a caregiver. Foreign workers can fill labour shortages in Canada and bring new skills and knowledge to help the country's economy grow.
- Exemption from Labour Market Impact Assessment process
- Facilitated Labour Market Impact Assessment process
- Regular Labour Market Impact Assessment process
- Hire a top foreign talent through the Global Talent Stream
- Hire a temporary foreign worker as an in-home caregiver
- Quebec Pilot Project
Special Instructions
For positions located in Quebec for an employment period of more than 30 consecutive days:
- Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications must be submitted simultaneously to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) 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
- the names of the TFWs must be included in the application
- the MIFI requires that all LMIA applications are submitted in French, except for LMIA applications for in-home caregiver positions
- all applications must be submitted to MIFI in paper format
- to print your LMIA application in French and submit it to the MIFI, French must be selected in the LMIA Online Portal before filling your LMIA application online
You can contact the MIFI at 1-877-864-9191 or visit their website for more information.
ESDC will work with employers to help minimize the impact of these requirements, as required. If employers have any questions related to this, they can contact the Employer Contact Centre from Monday to Friday, between 7:00 am and 8:00 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: 1-506-546-7569 (collect calls accepted).
National Occupational Classification (NOC) Migration
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has switched to the 2021 version of the NOC. Learn more about the NOC 2021 transition.
Note: Effective June 10, 2020, the program is prioritizing certain occupations in Quebec which are considered essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Occupations with an asterisk (*) are also exempt from the minimum recruitment requirements.
For a list of occupations specific to the other provinces and territories, please refer to Hire a temporary worker through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Important:
- any Refusal to Process supersedes prioritization
- if the NOC is on the list of target occupations under the Facilitated LMIA Process, the Facilitated Process requirements will apply
- * 31100 - Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- * 31101 - Specialists in surgery
- * 31102 - General practitioners and family physicians
- * 31120 - Pharmacists
- * 31301 - Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- * 31302 - Nurse practitioners
- * 31303 - Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
- * 32101 - Licensed practical nurses
- * 32103 - Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- * 32109 - Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
- * 32120 - Medical laboratory technologists
- * 32124 - Pharmacy technicians
- * 32129 - Other medical technologists and technicians
- * 33101 - Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
- * 33102 - Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- * 33103 - Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
- * 33109 - Other assisting occupations in support of health services
- 41200 - University professors and lecturers
- 41210 - College and other vocational instructors
- 41220 - Secondary school teachers
- 41221 - Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
- 42202 – Early childhood educators and assistants
- 43100 - Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
- 45100 - Student monitors, crossing guards and related occupations
- 63201 - Butchers - retail and wholesale
- 65202 - Meat cutters and fishmongers - retail and wholesale
- * 65310 - Light duty cleaners
- * 82030 - Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors
- * 84120 - Specialized livestock workers and farm machinery operators
- * 85100 - Livestock labourers
- * 85101 - Harvesting labourers
- * 85103 - Nursery and greenhouse labourers
- 94141 - Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
- 94142 - Fish and seafood plant workers
- 95106 - Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing
- 95107 - Labourers in fish and seafood processing
*NOC/Position is exempt from the minimum recruitment requirements.
Note:
Effective January 12, 2022 and until June 30, 2023, Employment and Social Development Canada will suspend minimum advertising requirements for employers applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire temporary foreign workers in primary agriculture. Employers are expected to continue efforts to recruit Canadians and permanent residents. However, employers will not be required to meet TFWP minimum advertising requirements or submit proof with their LMIA application.
Quebec Pilot Project
The governments of Canada and Quebec have reached an agreement to launch a pilot project under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The agreement will introduce flexibilities for Quebec employers in the TFWP.
Advertising and recruitment exemption
As of December 6, 2021, and until December 31, 2023, the following occupations are exempt from advertising and recruitment requirements.
Occupations marked with an asterisk (*) are exempt as of February 24, 2023:
- 65100 - Cashiers
- 65102 - Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers
- 65201 - Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations
- *65211 - Operators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport
- 65310 - Light duty cleaners
- 65311 - Specialized cleaners
- 65312 - Janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners
- 73201 - General building maintenance workers and building superintendents
- *75110 – Construction trades helpers and labourers
- *75212 – Public works and maintenance labourers
- 85121 - Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
- *85110 – Mine labourers
- 85120 - Logging and forestry labourers
- *95100 – Labourers in mineral and metal processing
- 95101 - Labourers in metal fabrication
- 95103 - Labourers in wood, pulp and paper processing
- 95104 - Labourers in rubber and plastic products manufacturing
- 95106 - Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing
- 95107 - Labourers in fish and seafood processing
Cap on proportion of low-wage positions
As of January 10, 2022, and until December 31, 2023, applications received for workplace in Quebec for employers in the following sectors and sub-sectors are subject to a 20% established cap limit on the proportion of TFWs in low-wage positions at a specific work location.
- NAICS 113 and 1153 - Forestry and logging
- NAICS 311 and 312 - Food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing
- NAICS 321 - Wood products manufacturing
- NAICS 326 - Plastics and rubber products manufacturing
- NAICS 332 - Fabricated metal product manufacturing
- NAICS 44 and 45 without 445 - Retail trade excluding food
- NAICS 55 and 56 - Management of companies and enterprises, and administrative and support services and others
- NAICS 621, 622 and 623 - Health care, and
- NAICS 72 - Accommodation and food services
Please note that as of April 30, 2022, all employers across Canada including those in Quebec that use the TFW Program are subject to a 20% cap limit (until further notice) or for defined sectors and sub-sectors a 30% cap limit (until April 30, 2023) on the proportion of temporary foreign workers that they can hire in low-wage positions at a specific work location. For more details, please refer to the cap section of the program requirements for low-wage positions page.
Facilitated process
As of May 24, 2022, and until February 24, 2024, National Occupational Classification (NOC) TEER 4 occupations are added to the list of occupations eligible to the facilitated process as identified by Quebec.
Also, applications received between May 24, 2022 and December 31, 2023 in the Low-Wage Stream for applications eligible for the facilitated process are exempt from the cap proportion of low-wage positions requirements at a specific work location.
Please refer to the Facilitated Labour Market Impact Assessment process page for more information on the application process for the facilitated process.
Exemption from Labour Market Impact Assessment process
The MIFI in Quebec implemented provisions to simplify the hiring of TFWs. These provisions include employers not being required to apply for a LMIA from ESDC/Service Canada, if they are hiring a TFW who:
- has a valid work permit
- holds a skilled worker Certificate of Selection in Quebec (CSQ)
- resides in the province of Quebec
- has applied for permanent residency under the Quebec Skilled Worker class
The TFW must also fall under one of the following categories:
- is seeking to extend the work permit for their current employer
- is seeking to renew the work authorization with a new employer in Quebec
- is a foreign student who has obtained a post-graduation work permit and has a job offer in the province of Quebec
- is a work permit holder through participation in a program under the initiative International Experience Canada (IEC) and:
- is seeking to extend the work authorization for the current employer
- renew it for a new employer in Quebec
For more information on LMIA exemptions, consult the operational bulletin issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, there may be additional situations where employers may not require a LMIA and / or the TFW is not required to apply for a work permit from IRCC. For more information on occupations that are exempted from a LMIA or a work permit.
Employers wishing to hire TFWs that do not meet these criteria, must apply for an LMIA and follow the regular LMIA process for hiring TFWs in Quebec.
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