A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that an employer in Canada may need to obtain before hiring a temporary foreign worker — a positive LMIA confirms that there is a genuine need for a foreign worker to fill the position and that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available to do the job. The LMIA is applied for by the employer to Service Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada), not to IRCC — the worker then applies to IRCC for a work permit using the positive LMIA. The LMIA process requires the employer to have genuinely attempted to recruit Canadian workers before applying, typically through advertising on the Job Bank and at least two other recruitment methods. From April 1, 2026, low-wage LMIA positions require at least 8 consecutive weeks of advertising before applying. A $1,000 processing fee applies per position. This page explains the step-by-step employer process for applying for an LMIA, the advertising requirements, and what a positive LMIA means for the worker's work permit application.

For current LMIA application requirements, Job Bank registration, and processing times, refer to the Service Canada Hire a temporary foreign worker page.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s 200(1) — IRCC officers must consider whether the employment of a foreign national is likely to have a neutral or positive effect on the labour market in Canada; a positive LMIA from Service Canada is the primary evidence of this effect for LMIA-required work permits
• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s 203 — sets out the factors Service Canada considers in issuing an LMIA, including whether the employer has genuinely tried to fill the position with a Canadian worker, the wages and working conditions offered, and the labour market impact
• Employment and Social Development Canada — TFWP policy — the operational framework for processing LMIA applications; maintained by Service Canada; updated periodically; the April 1, 2026 low-wage advertising change is set out in the updated policy
• Service Canada: Hire a temporary foreign worker — canada.ca/tfwp

Overview — LMIA vs work permit (two separate steps)

The LMIA and work permit are two separate steps administered by two separate federal agencies:

1. LMIA (employer): the employer applies to Service Canada for the LMIA — Service Canada assesses whether the position meets the labour market requirements; if approved, Service Canada issues a positive LMIA and a corresponding LMIA number
2. Work permit (worker): the worker applies to IRCC for a work permit, providing the positive LMIA and the LMIA number along with their personal documentation (identity, qualifications, health, character if required)

The employer does not apply for the worker's work permit — only the worker (or their authorized representative) can apply to IRCC for the work permit. The LMIA must be issued before the worker can apply for a work permit under most LMIA-required streams.

Step 1 — Determine if an LMIA is required

Not all temporary foreign worker positions require an LMIA. The employer should first determine whether the position requires an LMIA or whether an exemption applies. Common exemptions include:

• Workers covered by trade agreements (CUSMA Chapter 16 categories, CETA T23, CPTPP professionals)
• Intra-company transferees (significant benefit category)
• Post-graduation work permit holders (no LMIA needed)
• International Experience Canada (IEC) participants

For a full list of LMIA exemptions, refer to the LMIA exemptions page.

Step 2 — Conduct recruitment

Before applying for an LMIA, the employer must have genuinely attempted to recruit Canadian citizens and permanent residents for the position. Recruitment requirements:

• Mandatory Job Bank advertising: the position must be posted on the Government of Canada's Job Bank — Job Bank is free for employers and is the primary platform assessed by Service Canada
• At least 2 additional recruitment methods: in addition to Job Bank, the employer must use at least 2 other recruitment methods appropriate to the occupation and region — for example, professional association websites, trade journals, LinkedIn, local newspapers, or other job boards
• Recruitment period: the recruitment must have taken place within the 3 months before submitting the LMIA application; recruitment more than 3 months old does not count
• Low-wage positions — 8-week minimum from April 1, 2026: from April 1, 2026, LMIA applications for positions paying below the provincial/territorial median hourly wage must show that the position was advertised for at least 8 consecutive weeks in the 3 months before the application date; employers should plan recruitment timelines accordingly; refer to the LMIA advertising requirements page for full details
• Youth recruitment (from April 1, 2026): for low-wage LMIA applications, employers must also demonstrate efforts to recruit youth (persons under 30 or under 35 for some groups)

Service Canada will assess whether the recruitment was genuine — employers who have not meaningfully tried to fill the position with Canadian workers will receive a negative LMIA regardless of the worker's qualifications.

Step 3 — Submit the LMIA application

LMIA applications are submitted online through LMIA Online (Service Canada's LMIA submission portal). The application includes:

• Details about the employer and the position (wage, location, duties, working conditions)
• Evidence of recruitment efforts (Job Bank posting, screenshots, results of recruitment)
• Information about the foreign worker being considered for the position
• The $1,000 processing fee per position (paid at submission)
• Provincial employer registration certificate, if required (see below)

Applications can be submitted up to 6 months before the expected job start date. For current processing times, refer to the Service Canada LMIA processing times page.

Provincial employer registration requirements

Employers in the following provinces must register with the provincial government before submitting an LMIA application:

• British Columbia: register with the BC Employment Standards Branch
• Manitoba: register with the Manitoba Employment Standards
• Saskatchewan: register with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
• Nova Scotia: register with the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration

The provincial registration certificate must be included with the LMIA submission — an LMIA application submitted without the required provincial certificate will be returned as incomplete.

Positive and negative LMIA — what happens next

After reviewing the application, Service Canada issues either a positive or negative LMIA:

• Positive LMIA: Service Canada is satisfied that the hiring of the foreign worker is unlikely to have a negative impact on the Canadian labour market; the employer receives a positive LMIA document and an LMIA number; the positive LMIA is valid for 18 months from the date of issue; the worker uses the LMIA number to apply for a work permit from IRCC
• Negative LMIA: Service Canada determines that sufficient evidence of a need for a foreign worker has not been established, or that adequate recruitment efforts were not made; the employer cannot use a negative LMIA to support a work permit application; the employer may respond to Service Canada's concerns or reapply with additional evidence

The LMIA process is one of the more administratively complex aspects of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program — it involves the employer fulfilling documentation and recruitment requirements before a foreign worker can apply for a work permit, and the two-step process (LMIA from Service Canada, then work permit from IRCC) means that the total timeline from employer decision to worker arrival in Canada can span many months. The $1,000 non-refundable fee per position means a negative LMIA has a direct cost to the employer. The April 2026 increase of the low-wage advertising requirement from the previous standard to 8 consecutive weeks significantly extends the recruitment period for positions at or below the provincial median wage — employers hiring for these roles should build this timeline into their workforce planning. Employers in BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia who are not aware of the provincial registration requirement frequently experience application return for incompleteness. For current LMIA application forms, program streams (high-wage, low-wage, agricultural, specific program streams), advertising requirements, and processing times, refer to the Service Canada hire a temporary foreign worker page.