A Labor Market Impact Assessment, also known as an LMIA, allows Canadian employers to hire Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW). Foreign national applicants are not eligible to apply for an LMIA; rather, a Canadian employer is entitled to apply for this document.
Although there are some cases where foreign workers are exempt from needing an LMIA, the majority of Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) streams require the employer to obtain an LMIA in order to hire workers from outside Canada.
LMIA-based Work Permit Application Process generally has 2 steps:
Step 1: Employers apply for LMIA for TFW
A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that a Canadian employer may require before hiring a foreign worker.
A positive LMIA will demonstrate the need for a foreign worker to fill the position. It will also demonstrate that there are no Canadian workers or permanent residents available to do the job. A positive LMIA also qualifies as a confirmation letter.
If employers require an A Labour Market Impact Assessment, they must apply for one.
TFW’s job is a high-wage or low-wage position. To assess this, determine whether the offered income is higher or lower than the standard provincial median average rate.
Step 2: The candidate applies to Work Permit with A Labour Market Impact Assessment
The recruitment is the part of the second stage of the LMIA application. Here the employer must execute and provide evidence of recruitment efforts made to employ Canadian citizens or permanent residents before offering the position to a TFW.
Once the employer has obtained the positive impact, the worker can apply for a work permit.
Applications submitted within Canada (extensions to previously issued work permits) typically take approximately 38 days for a paper application and approximately 25 days for an online application.
The processing time for applications submitted to visa offices outside of Canada is highly dependent on your location.
Due to the current pandemic conditions, the application processing time may be extended.
A worker must meet certain requirements in order to apply for a work permit.
A letter of employment,
A contract,
A copy of the A Labour Market Impact Assessment,
and the A Labour Market Impact Assessment number.
Source : Government of Canada