Visa Types
Canada Employers: Information for Canadian Employers
Canada’s immigration system allows employers to address labor shortages by hiring foreign workers. Here’s a breakdown of the different options:
Hiring foreign workers and recent graduates can be a strategic approach to address labor or skills shortages within a company. Here's a breakdown of steps you can take to achieve this and support employees in their journey to permanent residence:
- Hire a skilled worker or tradesperson:This is the most general option and could involve recruiting a new worker from outside Canada or supporting an existing employee in obtaining permanent residency.
- Hire through the Atlantic Immigration Program:This program is specifically designed for employers in Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) who want to hire skilled workers or international graduates. To participate, you need to become a designated employer.
- Make a valid job offer (for Express Entry):Express Entry is a system for managing applications for permanent residence in Canada. If you plan to hire someone through Express Entry, you need to create a valid job offer that meets specific criteria to support their application.
- Hire a home child care provider or home support worker:This section details the eligibility requirements for these specific roles and how to make a job offer to a qualified candidate.
- Outreach services for employers:This section provides information and resources to help employers understand and utilize various immigration programs for hiring foreign skilled workers.
- Hire a provincial nominee:Some provinces and territories have their own immigration programs where they nominate skilled workers to apply for permanent residency. This section explains how to collaborate with a province/territory for this purpose.
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Learn whether a Labour Market Impact Assessment is required to hire a temporary worker, which work permit program is suitable, the post-hiring procedures, and how to assist your employee in extending their work permit.
- LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment): An LMIA is a document issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) that allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers when there are no Canadians or permanent residents available to do the job. Employers typically need an LMIA to hire temporary foreign workers unless the worker is exempt under specific programs.
- Hiring Temporary Foreign Workers with an LMIA:
- Once you receive a positive LMIA, you can hire through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). This program ensures that the employment of foreign workers will not have a negative impact on the Canadian labor market.
- In Quebec, employers must follow the specific requirements outlined by the province's immigration authorities when hiring temporary foreign workers.
- Hiring Without an LMIA:
- The International Mobility Program (IMP) allows employers to hire foreign workers without an LMIA under certain circumstances, such as through international agreements like NAFTA or through specific pilot programs.
- Employers must submit an offer of employment through the Employer Portal and fulfill other requirements to hire under the IMP.
- Responsibilities After Hiring a Worker Without an LMIA:
- Employers must comply with the terms and conditions outlined in the job offer and ensure that the temporary worker maintains legal status in Canada throughout their employment.
- Hiring French-Speaking Workers:
- Employers outside Quebec can hire French-speaking or bilingual foreign workers through programs like the Express Entry system, Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), or other immigration pathways that prioritize language skills.
- Hiring Ukrainian Nationals:
- The Job Bank has simplified processes to assist employers in supporting Ukrainian nationals in Canada by providing them with job opportunities.
- Extending a Worker's Permit:
- Employers and workers must follow specific procedures, submit required forms, pay fees, and choose between renewing online or using paper forms when extending a temporary worker's permit.
- International Experience Canada (IEC):
- IEC allows employers to quickly fill temporary positions with skilled foreign workers aged 18 to 35 through reciprocal agreements with partner countries.
- Outreach Services for Employers:
- Information and resources are available to help employers navigate immigration programs and hire skilled foreign workers.
- Hiring International Students:
- Employers can hire international students while they are studying in Canada or after they graduate through programs like the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) or other student-related pathways.
- Global Skills Strategy (GSS):
- The GSS allows certain employers to benefit from expedited processing times (as short as 2 weeks) for work permit applications for highly skilled foreign workers.
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The FIN Program helps employers in select locations fill skilled labor shortages by hiring skilled newcomers. These employers can be federal government departments or agencies, government organizations, or businesses in specific cities like Fredericton, Halifax, Moncton, Ottawa-Gatineau, St. John’s, Toronto, and Victoria.
Who can you hire?
You can hire skilled newcomers for roles in administration, project management, policy and research, procurement and material management, and computer science.
Benefits of hiring through FIN:
Skilled newcomers can enhance your workplace by increasing productivity, bringing new perspectives, and helping to expand local and global networks.
Qualifications of candidates:
Candidates have good language skills, job-readiness training (if needed), and have been assessed and evaluated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Support for interns: Interns are matched with mentors and offered training sessions. Employers can support interns by allowing them to attend professional development sessions.
Hiring process:
- Send the statement of criteria via email or submit the online request form.
- Candidates' profiles will be sent to you within five business days.
- Review profiles, conduct interviews, and check references on VidCruiter.
- Prepare a letter of offer and initiate security clearance.
- Pay your hired candidate(s) their salary.
Support for employers:
Employers receive a resource guide, tip sheets, mentoring opportunities, and other resources throughout the internship.
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