High Skilled
- Municipal/provincial/territorial/ business license;
- Business registration or legal incorporation documents;
- Employment contract;
- a formal letter from a legal business confirming the existence of a contract for a good and/or service with the employer applying for an LMIA;
- Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) documents (T2 Schedule 100 Balance Sheet Information and T2 Schedule 125 Income Statement Information) for the most recent 2 years;
- Good standing for service in Canada and good financial standing attestation by a lawyer/notary public or chartered accountant;
- Commercial lease agreement of the physical presence of the company;
- Provincial/territorial workplace safety and insurance (e.g. workers compensation board) clearance letter;
- Transition Plans for high-wage positions;
- Proof of advertising of recruitment efforts (e.g. Job Bank records, newspaper ads) for a minimum of 4 consecutive weeks, 3 months prior to submission;
- Offer the posted prevailing wage for the employee;
- Must be in compliance with previous undertakings of Temporary Foreign Workers;
- Application fee – $1,000.
Low Skilled
- Seeking to hire TFWs in an economic region with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher;
- Classified under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) as Accommodation and Food Service or Retail Trade);
- Applying to hire TFWs for specific lower-skilled occupations, classified under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) as:
- Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related occupations (NOC 6641);
- Light duty cleaners (NOC 6661);
- Cashiers (NO 6611);
- Grocery clerks and store shelf stockers (NOC 6622);
- Construction trades helpers and labourers (NOC 7611);
- Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers (NOC 8612);
- Other attendants in accommodation and travel (NOC 6672);
- Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents (NOC 6663);
- Specialized cleaners (NOC 6662);
- Security guards and related occupations (NOC 6651)
- Employers must always pay for the transportation costs (e.g. plane, train, boat, car, bus);
- Provide the worker with suitable and affordable accommodation;
- Employers must always pay for the TFW’s private health insurance;
- Employers must arrange and pay for workplace safety insurance coverage;
- Municipal/provincial/territorial/ business license;
- Business registration or legal incorporation documents;
- Employment contract;
- Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) documents (T2 Schedule 100 Balance Sheet Information and T2 Schedule 125 Income Statement Information) for the most recent 2 years;
- Good standing/ or service in Canada and good financial standing attestation by a lawyer/notary public/ or chartered accountant;
- Commercial lease agreement of the physical presence of the company;
- Proof of advertising of recruitment efforts (e.g. Job Bank records, newspaper ads) for a minimum of 4 consecutive weeks, 3 months prior to submission;
- Offer the posted prevailing wage for the employee;
- Must be in compliance with previous undertakings of Temporary Foreign Workers;
- Application fee – $1,000.
LMIA Exempt
Pay the employer compliance fee of $230;
The following types of workers are exempt from an LMIA, but need a work permit:
- Workers covered under international agreements (professionals, traders, and investors)
- People taking part in exchange programs (youth exchange programs, teacher exchange programs, and other joint programs);
- Accompanying spouses;
- Workers who are eligible for a work permit through a federal-provincial/territorial agreement;
- Workers nominated by a province or territory for permanent residence;
- People already working in Canada who have applied for permanent residence through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program or Canadian Experience Class;
- Repair personnel for industrial or commercial equipment;
- Workers transferred within a company;
- Academics;
- Co-op students;
- Religious workers;
- Workers who are essential to a television or film production;
- Performers or workers in a related job in dance (such as ballet and contemporary), opera, orchestral music or live theatre whose employer must:
- be a Canadian non-profit performing arts company or organization;
- receive federal funding, and
- show that reciprocal opportunities exist for Canadians and permanent residents abroad in the same discipline.
Read more about work permit Canada.