Find out how to hire a foreign worker in Canada
Answer a few questions to get the information you need to hire a foreign worker.
Get help with the Employer Portal
Your candidate has a work permit or an open work permit: Hire your candidate
You should be able to hire your candidate if
- your business isn’t impacted by one of our restrictions
- the worker’s work permit is still valid
- their work permit doesn’t contain conditions that would prevent them from working for you
If you hire a temporary worker who has an open work permit, you don’t need to submit an offer of employment form or pay the employer compliance fee. An open work permit allows the permit holder to work for any Canadian employer.
Your candidate has a work permit, but they don’t have an open work permit: Hiring a candidate without an open work permit
If you aren’t listed as the employer on your candidate’s work permit, your candidate will likely need to apply to change the conditions on their work permit before coming to work for you.
Your candidate has a work permit, but you’re not sure if they have an open work permit or you don’t know what an open work permit is: Information on open work permits
An open work permit is a work permit that is not job-specific. If you hire a temporary worker who has an open work permit, you don’t need to submit an offer of employment form or pay the employer compliance fee. An open work permit allows the permit holder to work for any Canadian employer.
Your candidate doesn’t have a work permit, they need a work permit and you already have an LMIA: Your candidate can complete their application
If you know your candidate needs a work permit and you have already completed an LMIA, the worker can complete the work permit application.
Once you have an LMIA number or an offer of employment number, send those details to the worker, along with your job offer. They need to use this information to apply for a work permit.
We'll review their application to see if they're eligible to work in Canada.
Your candidate needs a work permit, you need a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) but you don’t have an LMIA yet: Apply for a labour market impact assessment
Most employers need an LMIA before they can hire a temporary foreign worker. You need to determine which type of LMIA application you should submit.
Find out how to apply for an LMIA to hire
- high-wage workers
- low-wage workers
- workers through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program
- workers through the agricultural stream
Find assistance or get an update on your LMIA application.
Once you have an LMIA number or an offer of employment number, send those details to the worker, along with your job offer. They need to use this information to apply for a work permit.
Your candidate doesn’t have a work permit, they need a work permit and you don’t need a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) to hire them: Hire without a labour market impact assessment
Before you start the hiring process, make sure you don’t need an LMIA.
The International Mobility Program (IMP) lets you hire a temporary worker without an LMIA.
If the worker is outside Canada and from a visa-exempt country, you can request an opinion from IRCC’s International Mobility Worker’s Unit (IMWU) to find out if an LMIA or work permit exemption applies to your situation.
Your candidate doesn’t have a work permit, they need a work permit and you don’t know what a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) is or if you need one: Understanding labour market impact assessments
Find out if you need a labour market impact assessment (LMIA). The LMIA will verify that there’s a need for the job you are offering and that there is no Canadian worker available to do it. Read about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to find out more about LMIAs and where to apply.
If you don’t need an LMIA, submit an offer of employment, complete the employer attestations and certifications, and pay the employer compliance fee using the Employer Portal. Give the offer of employment number to the worker you want to hire so they can apply for their work permit.
Some employers don’t need to submit an offer of employment in the Employer Portal or pay the employer compliance fee. Find out if you are exempt.
Your candidate doesn’t need a work permit: Hiring a candidate without a work permit
Make sure your candidate meets one of the regulatory authorizations to work without a work permit. Learn about how to hire a candidate without a work permit through the Global Skills Strategy.
Use our work permit tool to find out if your worker needs a work permit and how they can apply to come to Canada.
Your candidate doesn’t have a work permit and you don’t know if they need a work permit: Information on work permits
Most foreign nationals need a work permit to work in Canada. Your candidate may be eligible for either
- an employer-specific work permit or
- an open work permit
Use our work permit tool to find out if your worker needs a work permit and how they can apply to come to Canada.
You may or may not have a candidate in mind and would like information on the Global Skills Strategy
To help employers find highly skilled workers faster, we introduced the Global Skills Strategy (GSS). This strategy features
- faster application processing times
- work permit exemptions
- dedicated account manager service
You may or may not have a specific candidate in mind and would like more Information on hiring skilled refugees
The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) is a unique opportunity for employers in Canada to connect with and hire skilled refugees overseas. Through the EMPP, you can hire skilled refugees to fill full-time jobs. If you’ve already hired someone through EMPP, learn how to support newcomer employees.
You may or may not have a specific candidate in mind and would like Information on hiring French-speaking and bilingual candidates outside of Quebec
There are many options available for hiring French-speaking and bilingual candidates outside of Quebec.
You can recruit pre-screened workers from a global pool of candidates through the Destination Canada Mobility Forum or discover the benefits of hiring through the Express Entry system.
You may or may not have a specific candidate in mind and you would like Information on hiring international students or post-graduate work permit (PGWP) holders
Current study permit holders may be eligible to work off campus without a work permit as soon as they begin their studies in Canada.
If you’re interested in hiring a student for a co-op placement or internship, you can reach out to DLIs in your community to see if they have co-op students who would be a good fit for your company.
Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) holders are able to work for any eligible employer in Canada for up to three years, depending on the length of their study program.
You may or may not have a specific candidate in mind and would like more Information on hiring someone through International Experience Canada
If you’re a Canadian employer, you can hire skilled youth participating in International Experience Canada (IEC) to fill temporary jobs you haven’t been able to fill locally.
IEC has agreements with more than 30 foreign countries and territories that help youth (aged 18 to 35) from those areas get work permits faster. By hiring an IEC participant, you may be able to find skilled workers to fill jobs sooner.
You don’t need to get a labour market impact assessment to hire an IEC participant.
You want to Extend or update your worker’s work permit
If the worker has a work permit that’s about to expire or that they need to change, they must apply to extend it or change the conditions on it. They should apply to extend their work permit at least 30 days before their current work permit expires. They will also be required to renew their SIN.
Make sure the worker can keep working if their work permit expires while we process their application, or if their work permit expired before they applied.
You want to Support a worker’s application for permanent residence in Quebec
Please visit the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration du Québec (MIFI) website for more information.
Your employee can refer to our Come to Canada Tool for information on programs they might be able to apply for.
Your employee could also apply for the IMP+ open work permit program that would allow them to work for almost any employer in the province of Quebec.
You want to support a temporary foreign worker’s application for permanent residence and you’re located in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island: Hiring through the Atlantic Immigration Program
You may be able to hire through the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). This program helps you hire qualified candidates for jobs you haven’t been able to fill locally. If you and the candidate meet all the requirements, they can then apply for permanent resident status in Canada.
Find out more about the programs you can use to hire on a permanent basis.
Learn how to submit a valid job offer to support a temporary foreign worker’s application for permanent residence.
You want to support a temporary foreign worker’s application for permanent residence and you’re located in one of the communities included in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP): Hiring through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
You may be able to hire through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). This program creates a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in one of the participating communities.
Find out more about the programs you can use to hire on a permanent basis.
Learn how to submit a valid job offer to support a temporary foreign worker’s application for permanent residence.
You want to support a temporary foreign worker’s application for permanent residence and you’re not located in Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island and you’re not located in one of the communities included in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP): Information on hiring for permanent positions
You can hire a foreign worker to fill a permanent position and support them in their application for permanent residence.
You want to support a temporary foreign worker’s application for permanent residence and you don’t know if you’re located in one of the communities included in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP): Information on the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) creates a path to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers who want to work and live in one of the participating communities. Find out if you’re on the list of communities to see if you can hire through the RNIP.
If your community is not on the list, you can still hire a foreign worker to fill a permanent position and support them in their application for permanent residence. Find out more about the programs you can use to hire on a permanent basis.
Learn how to submit a valid job offer to support a temporary foreign worker’s application for permanent residence.
You have questions about an application in progress or about IRCC’s Employer Portal and you want to request an update: Get an update on a case in progress
Find more information on general processing times, or track, update and change information about an application in progress.
You have questions about an application in progress or about IRCC’s Employer Portal and need general Information on using the Employer Portal
The Employer Portal is a bridge between your business and hiring temporary workers from abroad through the International Mobility Program. You can use the Employer Portal to submit job offers if you don’t need a labour market impact assessment (LMIA). Before you enrol, you should make sure you don’t need an LMIA to hire your candidate.
Use our enrolment guide to learn how to enrol in the Employer Portal.
Once you’re enrolled, the Employer Portal user guide can guide you through
- fixing a mistake in your business information
- resetting your PIN
- creating a secondary user
You would like information on special measures for Ukrainian nationals and their family members and would like Information on recruiting Ukrainians
A Ukrainian national or their family member can apply for an open work permit. An open work permit will allow them to work for almost any employer in Canada for up to 3 years.
You would like information on special measures for Ukrainian nationals and their family members and would like Information on open work permits for Ukrainians
A Ukrainian national or their family member can apply for an open work permit. An open work permit will allow them to work for almost any employer in Canada for up to 3 years.
You would like information on special measures, immigration measures and support for Ukrainian nationals and their family members: Immigration measures and support for Ukrainians
Canada is committed to supporting those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Measures put in place include
You would like help contacting an IRCC outreach officer: Contacting an IRCC outreach officer
To contact an outreach officer for questions or to request an information session related to economic immigration, send us an email request.
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