Work Permits & LMIA

LMIA-supported work permits

A Canadian job offer, a Labour Market Impact Assessment from Service Canada, and then a work permit from IRCC — three steps, two governments and two separate decisions. Here is what the employer has to do, what you have to prove, and where these applications actually fail.

Book a Consultation Free Online Assessment See LMIA-exempt routes

Status, September 2026

Two restrictions decide whether a low-wage LMIA can even be filed. Applications for low-wage positions in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher are not processed at all, and the list of affected CMAs is refreshed roughly quarterly. Separately, a temporary 15% cap for worksites outside census metropolitan areas runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, but only in participating provinces and territories — Alberta, Ontario and Nunavut are not participating. Check the current position before recruitment begins, not after.

$1,000Employer LMIA processing fee, per position, for standard high-wage and low-wage applications

6 monthsHow long a positive LMIA stays valid for the work permit application

Median +20%The provincial or territorial wage threshold that separates high-wage from low-wage

2 decisionsESDC assesses the employer; IRCC separately assesses you

01 · Overview

What an LMIA-supported work permit actually is

The single most useful thing to understand about this route is that it is not one application.

Step one · the employer

The Labour Market Impact Assessment

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is an employer-side assessment carried out by Employment and Social Development Canada through Service Canada, under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. A positive LMIA says that hiring a foreign worker for that specific position meets the applicable labour market requirements.

The employer applies, the employer pays, and the employer is the one assessed. You are named in it, but it is not your application.

ESDC: hiring a temporary foreign worker →

Step two · the worker

The work permit

With a positive LMIA in hand, you apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for a work permit. IRCC assesses you separately: whether you can actually perform the job, whether you are admissible, and whether you will respect the terms of temporary status.

Most LMIA-supported permits are employer-specific. The permit names the employer and sets conditions on the occupation, the location and the period of work.

IRCC: employer-specific work permits →

The mistake that costs the most time

A positive LMIA is not a work permit, and it does not authorise work

It supports your application. IRCC can still refuse you — and does, where the worker cannot show the experience or qualifications the job requires, where the offer does not match the LMIA, or where the officer is not satisfied the stay is temporary. Nobody may start working on the strength of an LMIA alone.

It also runs out. A positive LMIA issued on an application received since May 1, 2024 is valid for up to six months, so the work permit application has to be filed inside that window. Seasonal agricultural positions are outside this rule.

02 · Eligibility

Two parties, two sets of requirements

Both have to hold. A strong employer will not rescue a weak worker file, and the reverse is just as true.

The employer

What Service Canada examines

Assessed on

A genuine, operating business and a genuine job offer
The ability to actually provide the wages, hours and conditions offered
Recruitment that follows the rules of the chosen stream
A wage that meets the prevailing wage for the occupation and region
A transition plan, where the high-wage stream requires one
Past compliance with program conditions

The worker

What IRCC examines

Assessed on

The education, experience and skills the job genuinely requires
Any provincial or territorial licensing the occupation is regulated by
Medical, criminal and security admissibility
That you will leave at the end of your authorised stay
Passport validity, immigration history and previous refusals
The general work permit requirements for where you apply

IRCC: work permit requirements →

Get this right first

The National Occupational Classification code drives everything else

The NOC code is determined by the actual duties of the job, not by its title. It sets the prevailing wage, it decides whether the position is high-wage or low-wage, it affects whether a cap or a refusal-to-process rule applies, and it determines what experience you have to prove. A job described as one thing and performed as another is a compliance problem for the employer and a credibility problem for the worker. We read the duties before anything is filed.

03 · Streams

Which LMIA stream applies

The stream is not a choice so much as a consequence — of the wage, the occupation, the industry and where the work is.

Stream	What puts you in it	What needs attention
High-wage positions	The offered wage is at or above the provincial or territorial median hourly wage plus 20%.	Recruitment and advertising, the prevailing wage, and a mandatory transition plan unless an exemption applies. Employment duration of up to three years may be requested.
Low-wage positions	The offered wage falls below that threshold.	Workforce caps, the regional refusal-to-process rule, transportation and housing obligations. Maximum employment duration is one year.
Global Talent Stream	A referral from a designated partner, or an occupation on the Global Talent Occupations List.	An LMIA is still required, along with a Labour Market Benefits Plan. The published service standard is 10 business days, 80% of the time.
Primary agriculture	On-farm primary production in the specified occupations, including the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Agricultural Stream.	The $1,000 processing fee does not apply, and the workforce cap does not apply. Housing and transportation requirements are specific to these streams.
Caregiver positions	Home care for a person with medical needs, or childcare in the employer's home.	Two family-level fee exemptions exist, including childcare for a child under 13 where gross annual household income is $150,000 or less.
Support for permanent residence	The employer is supporting a permanent residence application only, not a work permit.	The processing fee does not apply, and the refusal-to-process rule does not apply — but a transition plan may still be required.
Foreign academic positions	Academic appointments at eligible institutions.	Uses its own requirements and checklist rather than the ordinary high-wage or low-wage rules.
Recognized Employer Pilot	Employers already enrolled before the pilot stopped accepting entrants.	Closed to new applicants since September 16, 2024. Employers already in the pilot can continue to use a simplified LMIA for listed occupations. This is not a route a new employer can join.

A distinction people get wrong constantly

High-wage and low-wage are about the wage, not the TEER level

They are wage-based LMIA categories, set by comparing the offered hourly wage against the provincial or territorial threshold. They are not the same thing as the NOC TEER levels used elsewhere in the immigration system. A TEER 1 occupation paid below the threshold is a low-wage LMIA; a TEER 4 occupation paid above it is a high-wage LMIA.

The thresholds are updated periodically and differ by province and territory, so check the current ESDC wage table for the place where the work will actually be performed.

Quebec

Quebec adds a provincial step

Employment in Quebec normally involves provincial requirements alongside the federal LMIA, and most LMIA-supported workers also need an attestation of issuance of a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ). Workers who do not need an LMIA usually do not need a CAQ either. Build the Quebec step into the timeline from the start rather than discovering it after the LMIA is issued.

04 · Restrictions

Caps, the refusal-to-process rule, and why some LMIAs cannot be filed at all

These are the rules that most often end a plan before it starts. They apply to low-wage positions.

Workforce cap

10% of the workforce at a given location

An employer can generally fill no more than 10% of the positions at a specific work location with low-wage temporary foreign workers. A 20% cap applies in construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and certain in-home caregiver positions.

No cap applies to on-farm primary agriculture, caregiving in health care institutions, positions supporting permanent residence, short-duration positions of 120 days or less, and seasonal positions of 270 days or less.

Temporary measureUntil Mar 31, 2027

15% cap for rural worksites

For worksites outside census metropolitan areas, a temporary 15% cap replaces the usual 10% from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 — but only where the province or territory has opted in.

Participating so far: Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Northwest Territories. Alberta, Ontario and Nunavut are not participating. Confirm the current list before relying on it.

ESDC: temporary measures →

Refusal to processHard stop

6% unemployment in the census metropolitan area

Applications for low-wage positions in a census metropolitan area with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher are not processed. This has applied to applications submitted since September 26, 2024, and the list of affected CMAs is refreshed roughly quarterly — so an area can move on and off it.

Exempt from the rule: primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care, certain in-home caregiver positions, positions of 120 days or less, and permanent-residence-support applications.

ESDC: current CMA list →

Why this page does not list the affected cities

Because the list changes, and a stale list is worse than none

The unemployment figures and the census metropolitan areas they apply to are republished on a quarterly cycle. Any website that hard-codes them is wrong within months, and an employer who recruits on the strength of an out-of-date list has spent money on a position that cannot be filed. The official page above is always current; that is the one to check on the day.

05 · Process

From job offer to lawful employment

The order is not optional, and the most common failure is starting at step three.

Assess the job, the employer and the route

Confirm the business, the actual duties, the NOC code, the wage against the current threshold, the work location and the intended duration. Check first whether an LMIA exemption applies — an exemption is faster and cheaper, and it is worth ruling out before committing to the LMIA route.

Run the recruitment the stream requires

Follow the advertising and recruitment rules for the chosen stream, retain the results, and document the employer's genuineness and ability to provide the job. Recruitment done before the rules were checked usually has to be redone.

Submit the LMIA application

The employer files the application and pays the applicable fee. Service Canada may request clarification, further documents or an employer interview. A negative decision or a withdrawal does not produce a refund.

Apply to IRCC for the work permit

Use the positive LMIA and the employer's offer together with the worker's own evidence. Watch the six-month LMIA validity, and add the Quebec step if the work is in Quebec.

Complete biometrics, medicals and any requests

Respond within the stated deadlines and consistently with what was already filed. Inconsistencies between the LMIA, the offer and the work permit application are a frequent cause of refusal.

Confirm authorisation before the first day of work

If you applied from outside Canada, approval produces a letter of introduction — that letter is not the work permit and does not guarantee entry. An officer at the port of entry assesses admissibility on arrival and issues the permit there. Read the conditions printed on it before starting.

06 · Documents

What the file is built from

Two files, assembled in parallel. Your IRCC checklist and visa office instructions decide the final list.

Employer file

Assembled for Service Canada

Typically includes

Business registration, financial statements and proof of active operations
Job duties, wage, hours and full employment terms
Advertising and recruitment records, with results
A transition plan where the stream requires one
The signed offer of employment
Provincial documents where applicable

Worker file

Assembled for IRCC

Typically includes

Passport and any current status documents
Employment reference letters showing duties and dates
Education, training and credential documents
Licensing or certification for a regulated occupation
The positive LMIA and the employment contract
Proof of funds, family circumstances and ties, as applicable

Two details that quietly sink files

Reference letters and translations

Employment reference letters are the single most under-prepared document in this process. A letter that gives a job title and dates but not the duties performed cannot demonstrate that you can do the Canadian job, which is precisely what the officer has to be satisfied of. Ask for duties, hours per week and the exact period, on company letterhead, signed, with contact details.

Documents in any language other than English or French need a translation that meets IRCC's requirements. A translation done informally by a relative is a common reason for a file to come back incomplete.

07 · Fees and timing

What it costs and how long it takes

Cost	Paid by	Amount and notes
LMIA processing fee	Employer	$1,000 per position requested. Not refundable on a negative decision or a withdrawal. Does not apply to primary agriculture occupations, to applications supporting permanent residence only, or to the two in-home caregiver exemptions.
Recruitment costs	Employer	Advertising and any third-party representative. The LMIA fee and prohibited recruitment costs cannot be recovered from the worker — an employer asking you to pay them is breaching program conditions.
Work permit processing fee	Worker	Payable to IRCC with the application. Check the current IRCC fee list on the day you apply.
Biometrics	Worker	Payable where biometrics are required, with a family maximum in some circumstances.
Medical examination	Worker	Where required by the occupation, the length of stay or the country of residence. Paid directly to the panel physician.

On timelines

No guaranteed approval, and no fixed processing time

Timing depends on the stream, where the application is made, how complete it is and current government capacity. The only published commitment of this kind is the Global Talent Stream's 10-business-day LMIA service standard, met 80% of the time, with a matching two-week IRCC work permit standard. Everything else should be planned against IRCC's current processing times, the six-month LMIA validity and the worker's own status expiry — whichever runs out first.

Swodeshi's professional fees are set out in a written service agreement before any work begins.

08 · After approval

Changing employers, extending status and family members

Changing jobs

An employer-specific permit ties you to that employer

You generally cannot start work for a different employer on the same permit. A new work permit is normally required, and any temporary authorisation to begin working for a new employer sooner has to be assessed and obtained under the applicable rules before the new work starts.

This is worth knowing before you accept the job, not after a working relationship has gone wrong.

Extensions

Apply before your permit expires

If you file a qualifying extension before expiry and stay in Canada, you may be able to keep working under the same conditions while IRCC decides. A pending LMIA does not maintain status and does not authorise work, and leaving Canada while an application is pending can affect your ability to work on return.

IRCC: after applying to extend →

Family

A spousal open work permit is not automatic

Holding an LMIA-supported permit does not by itself qualify your spouse or partner for an open work permit. Under the general measure the principal worker must be employed in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation, or in a selected TEER 2 or 3 occupation, with work authorisation valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives the spouse's application.

Dependent children are no longer eligible under that family measure. Each family member needs their own status assessment.

IRCC: family members of workers →

FAQ

Common Questions

No. IRCC assesses the worker independently of the LMIA — your qualifications and experience, your admissibility and whether you satisfy an officer that you will respect the terms of temporary status. The job offer and the LMIA also have to match the employment actually proposed. Two separate decisions, and the second one can go against you.

Not through this route — it exists to connect a specific employer to a specific worker. Without an offer, the question is whether you qualify for an open work permit or another immigration category. Our LMIA-exempt work permits page covers the open permit categories, and Express Entry is the main route to permanent residence without an employer.

The employer pays $1,000 for each position requested on a standard high-wage or low-wage application, and it is not refunded if the decision is negative or the application is withdrawn. The fee does not apply to primary agriculture occupations, to permanent-residence-support applications, or to the two in-home caregiver exemptions. The employer cannot pass the LMIA fee or prohibited recruitment costs on to you — being asked to pay is a warning sign about the employer, not a normal cost of the process.

No. A pending LMIA authorises nothing. You need an existing valid work authorisation or some other lawful basis to work. Working without authorisation puts your current status and any future application at risk, and it is not cured by the LMIA later coming back positive.

There is no single language test requirement applying to every LMIA-supported work permit. What you must be able to show is that you can perform the job. Language evidence, occupational licensing or specific program requirements may still call for a test in a particular case — and some regulated occupations require one for licensing regardless of immigration rules.

Indirectly, and often. Skilled Canadian work experience gained on the permit can count toward the Canadian Experience Class and other programs, and a qualifying job offer can support a provincial nomination. But the work permit itself grants nothing permanent — permanent residence is a separate application under a separate program, and the connection should be planned for from the start rather than assumed. See our Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs pages.

First check whether the position is actually low-wage — if the offered wage is at or above the provincial threshold, the rule does not apply. Then check whether the occupation or industry is exempt, since construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care, primary agriculture and short-duration positions are carved out. If neither applies, the realistic options are a different work location, a higher wage that clears the threshold, or an LMIA exemption. The list is also refreshed quarterly, so an area can come off it.

A high-wage LMIA can request an employment duration of up to three years. A low-wage LMIA is limited to one year. The work permit itself will not normally exceed the duration supported by the LMIA, and it can be shorter — passport validity is a common limiting factor people do not anticipate.

No, and anyone who does is worth walking away from. LMIA decisions belong to Service Canada and work permit decisions to IRCC. Be especially wary of anyone offering to sell you an LMIA or a job offer — buying one is misrepresentation, it can lead to a refusal and a multi-year ban, and the employer faces penalties too. What a regulated representative can do is assess whether the job and the employer will actually support an application before anyone spends money.

Working with us

What we do on an LMIA file

Route assessment before the money moves

We check whether an LMIA exemption applies first, confirm the NOC from the real duties, test the wage against the current threshold, and check the caps and refusal-to-process rules for that work location — before recruitment starts.

Employer-side preparation

Recruitment planning, the transition plan where one is required, business genuineness evidence and the LMIA submission, with responses to Service Canada requests and interviews.

Worker-side preparation

Reference letters that actually demonstrate the duties, credential and licensing evidence, the work permit application, and responses to IRCC requests.

Regulated representation

Your file is handled by Mehrul Rajib, RCIC, licence R708721, regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, with service in English, Bangla, Hindi or Urdu from our Edmonton and Dhaka offices.

Not sure an LMIA is needed at all?

Many workers qualify under an exemption — a spousal or post-graduation open permit, an intra-company transfer, a trade agreement, Francophone Mobility or provincial support. Those routes skip the LMIA entirely, and they are usually faster and cheaper. Rule them out before committing to this one.

LMIA-exempt work permits →

Have the job offer reviewed before the employer files

Mehrul Rajib, RCIC, assesses the employer, the occupation, the wage and the work location against the rules that are actually in force, and tells you plainly whether the application can succeed — or whether an exemption would serve you better.

Book a Consultation Free Online Assessment

This page is general information, not legal advice. Labour Market Impact Assessment requirements, wage thresholds, workforce caps, refusal-to-process areas and work permit rules change without notice, and no approval is guaranteed. Every figure here was checked against the relevant Employment and Social Development Canada or IRCC source in September 2026 and each rule links to that source; confirm the current position there, and take advice on your own circumstances, before recruiting or applying.