Our country is proud to offer a strong economy, competitive wages, and incredible opportunities to transform temporary work permit status into a Permanent Residency. Foundry Immigration has a tight network with Canadian employers who are recruiting skilled foreign nationals for their employment needs. If you are ready to share your knowledge and expertise, you should contact our office now for further recruitment opportunities.

Types of Work Permits

LMIA-based Work Permits

In most cases, a foreign national cannot apply for a Work Permit without a positive LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment). The LMIA application process and its streams are outlined in the specialized Temporary Foreign Worker Program section.

The Canadian employer should undergo a vigorous process of obtaining this LMIA document, which grants a right to a foreign national to submit a well-prepared Work Permit application.

Also, it is important to note that a positive LMIA provides additional points for a Canadian job offer.

LMIA-exempted Work Permits

• R204: International agreements

• R205: Canadian interests

• R206: No other means of support

• R207: Permanent residence applicants in Canada

• R207.1: Vulnerable workers

• R208: Humanitarian reasons

Open Work Permits

• Post-Graduate Work Permit

• International Experience Canada

• Inland Spousal/Common-Law Sponsorship Open Work Permit

• Bridging Open Work Permit

Jobs that do not require a Work Permit

Even though the majority of the jobs in Canada require the employer to obtain a positive LMIA for the foreign national’s work permit, there are some exceptions. Below you will find a list of job types that, with careful consideration, may require neither an LMIA nor a work permit. 

IMPORTANT: If you meet the requirements of the below job list, it does not mean that you automatically may engage in employment in Canada. Indeed, a person’s job should meet additional exemption criteria and eligibility requirements, which are outlined as a part of the International Mobility Program section. If a foreign national is employed in one of the positions or scenarios listed below, they may be eligible for a work permit exemption.

• Athlete or coach

• Aviation accident or incident investigator

• Business visitor

• Civil aviation inspector

• Clergy

• Convention organizer

• Crew member

• Emergency service provider

• Examiner and evaluator

• Expert witness or investigator

• A family member of a foreign representative

• Foreign government officer or representative

• Health care student

• Judge, referee or similar official

• Military personnel

• News reporter or film and media crew

• Producer or staff member working on advertisements

• Performing artist

• Public speaker

• Short-term highly-skilled worker

• Short-term researcher

• Student working off-campus

• Student working on-campus

Work Permit Programs

Before the foreign national obtains a right to apply for a work permit, the Canadian Employer should undergo the selective process to determine which of the below-noted programs will suit the needs to expedite the recruitment process:

Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Labour Market Impact Assessment process and its streams:

• High Wage Workers

• Low Wage Workers

• Foreign Agricultural Workers

Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the Canadian employers are prompted to obtain a neutral or positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), a complex application, which is processed by the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). The process, involves recruitment efforts, selection reports, and proof of business legitimacy, which results in an inability to find a Canadian citizen or permanent resident with the right set of skills and required expertise.  

Upon the receipt of the positive or neutral LMIA,  the employer provides a copy of the LMIA approval along with the detailed job offer letter to the foreign worker it wishes to hire. A foreign national then may proceed with the LMIA-based Work Permit application, which requires different from the LMIA application set of documents, proof of employment experience ability to fulfil the required job duties, etc.  This application process differs from the LMIA application itself and should be treated very seriously, as the LMIA approval letter does not constitute to be a guarantee for a Work Permit approval. 

International Mobility Program

The International Mobility Program (IMP) enables Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers without the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). While most employers hiring foreign workers will require an LMIA, there are certain circumstances where LMIA-exemptions exist. 

These LMIA exemptions are based on the following conditions:

• Broader economic, cultural or other competitive advantages for Canada; and

• Reciprocal benefits enjoyed by Canadians and permanent residents.

In order to hire a foreign worker through the IMP, a Canadian employer must follow three steps:

• Confirm the position or worker in question qualifies for an LMIA-exemption;

• Pay the employer compliance fee of $230 CAD;

• Submit the official job offer through the IMP’s Employer Portal.

Only after completing these three steps will the foreign national be eligible to apply for their own work permit. LMIA-exempt workers may qualify for expedited work permit processing through the Global Skills Strategy if their position is NOC Skill Level A or 0 and they are applying from outside of Canada.