Applying for an Unnamed Labour Market Impact Assessment

Exceptions

This unnamed LMIA option does not apply to all Program streams and is not offered in all provinces/territories.

How to apply

The process for an unnamed LMIA application consists of:

1. the employer submits an LMIA application without completing the "Foreign Worker Information" section or by indicating "Unnamed" in that section
2. the application must be accompanied by all supporting documentation as the assessment is the same as a standard LMIA application
3. the employer must continue to make efforts to recruit Canadians and permanent residents until the names of the TFWs have been provided
4. ESDC/Service Canada verifies that the LMIA application meets the criteria for an unnamed LMIA, and assesses the application according to the Program requirements
5. if the result of the assessment is positive, a positive LMIA letter labelled "Unnamed LMIA" will be sent to the employer for a given number of positions, and a specific period of employment
6. as soon as the TFWs have been identified, the employer must complete and submit the form "Request to Add or Remove a name on an LMIA (EMP5661)" to the appropriate Service Canada processing centre. When the request is to add 5 names or less, employers can also call the Employer Contact Centre for assistance. Note the names cannot be added after the expiry date on the positive LMIA.
7. ESDC/Service Canada will add the names of the TFWs into the system and issue an official positive LMIA letter to the employer within 5 to 10 business days. The official positive LMIA letter will include the same expiry date as the unnamed positive LMIA letter.

TFWs must apply for a work permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before the expiry date of the positive LMIA. Their applications for a work permit must include a copy of the official positive LMIA letter, the annexes, and the employment contract.