Hire a temporary foreign worker in a high-wage position

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is intended to be used when you are facing short-term skills and labour shortages, and only when no Canadians and permanent residents are available.

To hire a temporary foreign worker, you may require a Labour Market Impact Assessment to determine if the hiring of a temporary foreign worker will have a positive or negative impact on the Canadian labour market.

As an employer, you must comply with the Program requirements. These requirements may vary depending on the position you are requesting. We take the integrity of the Program very seriously and we have mechanisms in place to verify employers’ compliance with the Program requirements. Employers who fail to comply with these requirements will be subject to consequences for non-compliance.

To get a Labour Market Impact Assessment, you must submit an application form and all the necessary supporting documents. Your application will be assessed to validate the legitimacy of the business, the job offer and the impact of hiring a temporary foreign worker would have on the Canadian labour market.

As of April 4, 2022, employers submitting an LMIA application for a high-wage position may request an employment duration of up to 3 years. The employment duration must align with the employer’s reasonable employment needs. (High-wage positions include the Global Talent Stream, High-wage Stream including caregiver positions, Agricultural Stream and Express Entry). The duration may be issued for longer in exceptional circumstances whereby the employer provides an adequate rationale.

Employers awaiting a decision who wish to modify the duration in their LMIA applications may contact the Employer Contact Centre or the applicable Service Canada processing centre. The option to increase the duration does not apply to already issued positive LMIA decisions.