Temporary workers

A work permit or authorization to work without a permit is required in order for a foreign national to be allowed to work in Canada under either of the following programs:

• the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
  • Employers must obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire foreign workers to fill temporary labour and skill shortages. The LMIA verifies that there is a need for a temporary worker and that no Canadians are available to do the job.
• the International Mobility Program (IMP)
  • The IMP lets employers hire temporary workers without an LMIA. Exemptions from the LMIA process are based on both of the following:
    • the broader economic, cultural or other competitive advantages for Canada
    • the reciprocal benefits enjoyed by Canadians and permanent residents

A complete list of all instructions related to temporary residence is available.

• See the table of contents.

For additional information, see the following:

• the transition table for information on where previous manual content can now be found in the new format
• the officer quick reference guide to occupations

Intake

• What is work?
• Authorization to work without a work permit
• Place of application
  • Applying at a visa office before entry
  • Persons who may apply at a port of entry
  • Persons who may apply from within Canada
• Cumulative duration (four-year maximum)
• Employer review: Protecting workers from abuse and exploitation

Processing

• Steps to determine work and assessment of work permit application
• Eligibility and admissibility (conditions, medical requirements, urgent referrals and more)
  • Work permit issuance prohibitions
  • Strike situations
  • Language requirements
  • Immigration warrants
• Employer reviews and procedures
  • Assessing the genuineness of the offer of employment on a work permit application
  • Review of wages, occupation and working conditions provided to previous temporary workers
  • Employer name changes and corporate restructurings
• Priority processing (14 days) of work permits under the Global Skills Strategy
• Open work permits
• Employer-specific work permits with Labour Market Impact Assessment exemptions
• Conditions of the work permit including validity period
• Assessing medical requirements
• Urgent referrals process for work permits
• Quebec cases (Temporary Foreign Worker Program and International Mobility Program)

Labour Market Impact Assessments

• Overview
• Labour Market Impact Assessment validity and suspension, and duration of employment
• Limited validity period for LMIAs
• Occupations requiring lower levels of formal training
• Caregivers

Labour Market Impact Assessment exemptions

• LMIA exemption codes list
• Agreements [R204]
  • Applying the North American Free Trade Agreement and other international free trade agreements
  • Canada-International non-trade agreements
  • Provincial nominees
• Canadian interests [R205] (See LMIA codes)
• Applicants with no other means of support [R206]
• Permanent residence applicants in Canada [R207]
• Humanitarian reasons [R208]
• Unique work situations
• Special initiatives and pilot projects

Special initiatives and pilot projects

Provincial and territorial

• Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (C18)
• Assessing a temporary foreign worker’s eligibility to work in Alberta in a compulsory certification trade position
• Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement: Foreign Worker Protection [R204(c)]

Federal

• Open work permit pilot for permanent residence applicants in the spouse or common-law partner in Canada (SCLPC) class
• Stream for lower-skilled occupations
• Work permits issued to seafood-processing workers

Employer compliance regime

• Employer compliance inspection
• Revocation of work permit due to public policy consideration
• Application of consequences where an employer is found non-compliant with the conditions
  • Assessing the severity of violation
• Public list of employers who have been non-compliant
  • Employers who have been non-compliant
• Collecting administrative monetary penalties and determining when employers are in default of payment
• Exemption from the employer compliance regime for the International Mobility Program