Hire a skilled worker or tradesperson through Express Entry

You can hire skilled foreign workers or tradespeople through Express Entry when you can’t find Canadians or permanent residents to fill jobs. Hiring through Express Entry could benefit you as an employer because it will allow you to

• have a direct role in recruiting skilled workers
• be matched with candidates through Job Bank
• apply for a free Labour Market Impact Assessment (lmia)

What an LMIA is/lets you do

You need to apply for an LMIA through the Service Canada Centre responsible for processing skilled worker applications.

An lmia is a document that confirms

• there is a need for a temporary foreign worker
• no Canadians or permanent residents are available to do the job

Once you’ve received your lmia, give it to your worker. They’ll need to submit it with their application for permanent residence and/or their work permit application.

If you’re a Canadian employer with a business outside Quebec, you can hire Express Entry candidates to meet your needs when you can’t find Canadians or permanent residents to fill job vacancies.

If you have questions, our outreach officers, located across Canada, can explain

• how Express Entry works, and
• how you can support an employee’s application through Express Entry with a valid job offer

How employers can access Express Entry’s pool of candidates

Express Entry is a system used to manage applications for

• the Federal Skilled Worker Program
• the Federal Skilled Trades Program
• the Canadian Experience Class, and
• a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program

To hire a skilled worker or tradesperson, you can access candidates through any of these options:

• the same recruiting and hiring practices you use now
  • When you find someone you want to hire, they must create an Express Entry profile
• private sector job boards
• Provincial Nominee Programs
• the Job Match function of Canada’s Job Bank, which connects eligible employers with Express Entry candidates

How to improve your worker’s chances

As an employer, you can improve your worker’s chances of being invited to apply by making a valid job offer in a skilled job. Candidates are ranked based on criteria that are known to contribute to economic success once in Canada, including

• language skills
• education, and
• work experience

Candidates with a valid job offer can earn 50 or 200 points based on the type of job.

Only the highest-ranked candidates, including those with provincial nominations, are invited to apply for permanent residence.

Once invited, candidates have 60 days to apply for permanent residence online.

More resources

• Outreach Services for employers hiring foreign workers
• How to make a job offer to support a permanent resident application
• Express Entry factsheet for employers
• Job Bank for employers
• Employers roadmap