WORK PERMITS
LMIA: Labour Market Impact Assessment
The LMIA is the gateway to most employer-specific work permits in Canada, and one of the most demanding processes in the immigration system. Here is how it works, and how I help employers and workers get it right.
What Is an LMIA?
A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a decision issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) confirming that hiring a foreign worker for a specific position will not negatively affect the Canadian labour market. A positive LMIA is the employer’s proof that no Canadian or permanent resident was available for the job, and it is what allows the foreign worker to apply for an employer-specific work permit.
The employer applies, pays the fee, and carries the burden of proof. The worker’s permit application comes after. Most refusals trace back to gaps on the employer side: recruitment that doesn’t meet the program’s exact specifications, wage errors, or weak business-legitimacy documentation.
Not every job needs an LMIA, many workers qualify for LMIA-exempt permits under the International Mobility Program (intra-company transfers, CUSMA professionals, Francophone Mobility and more). Determining which route applies is the first strategic decision.
High-Wage vs. Low-Wage: Two Very Different Streams
Your stream is decided by one number: whether the offered wage is at or above the provincial hourly wage threshold (the provincial median wage plus 20%). In British Columbia, the threshold is $36.60/hour for LMIAs received on or after June 27, 2025. Thresholds are updated periodically, offering a higher wage just to reach the high-wage stream is itself a ground for refusal.
High-Wage Stream
- Wage at or above the provincial threshold
- Minimum 4 consecutive weeks of advertising
- Job Bank posting + 2 other methods (one national in scope)
- Mandatory transition plan to reduce reliance on foreign workers
- Job Match: invite all 4-star+ matches in first 30 days
Low-Wage Stream
- Wage below the provincial threshold
- Minimum 8 consecutive weeks of advertising (as of April 1, 2026)
- Youth-targeted recruitment now mandatory
- Cap: max 10% of workforce (20% in construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, care facilities)
- Not processed in metro areas with 6%+ unemployment
- Employer pays round-trip transportation, ensures housing & private health insurance
The Key Numbers
- $1,000 processing fee per position, non-refundable, and it can never be charged to the worker
- 30 hours/week minimum, the position must be full-time
- Prevailing wage, the higher of the Job Bank median or what you pay current employees in the same role, reviewed annually
- 3 months, recruitment must occur within the 3 months before applying, with one method running until a decision
- 6 years, how long employers must keep recruitment records for compliance inspections
Certain positions are exempt from the fee or the caps (on-farm primary agriculture, some caregiver situations, positions supporting a permanent residence application only), and a list of prioritized healthcare, food and agriculture occupations receives faster attention. These carve-outs change frequently, this is where current, case-specific advice matters.
How I Help
For Employers
- Stream selection & wage strategy before you advertise
- Recruitment plans that meet the exact program specifications
- Transition plans for high-wage positions
- Business legitimacy documentation
- Dual-intent LMIAs supporting an employee’s permanent residence
- Compliance guidance, inspections, records, prevailing-wage reviews
For Workers
- Work permit applications after a positive LMIA
- Assessing whether you actually need an LMIA, or qualify for an exempt permit
- Maintaining status while the process runs
- Refused applications, strategy and reapplication
- Connecting the LMIA to your permanent residence plan
Note: only authorized representatives, including lawyers who are members of a Canadian law society, may be paid to represent employers in the LMIA process.
Official Sources & Notes
Program details current as of mid-2026 and subject to change. Official sources: wage thresholds, high-wage requirements and low-wage requirements (ESDC).
Hiring, or being hired, through an LMIA?
One recruitment misstep can cost an employer months and $1,000 per position. Get the strategy right before you start.