LMIA Process Explained

The LMIA process has four steps. The employer advertises the job for at least 4 consecutive weeks (high-wage) or 8 (low-wage) within the 3 months before applying, then applies to ESDC and pays $1,000 per position. ESDC issues a positive or negative LMIA. With a positive one, the worker applies to IRCC for a work permit. The fee is paid by the employer, never the worker.

Check LMIA and work permit processing times

Last verified: November 2026

$1,000
The LMIA processing fee per position, paid by the employer
$230
The employer compliance fee for an LMIA-exempt offer
$155
IRCC’s work permit fee

The LMIA fee is not refunded if the application is withdrawn, cancelled or receives a negative decision.

What is an LMIA, and what can ESDC decide?

Under IRPR s.203, ESDC assesses the impact that hiring a temporary foreign worker will have on the Canadian labour market. Before most employers can hire a foreign national under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), they must obtain an LMIA. The worker then uses the positive LMIA to apply for a work permit.

Positive LMIA: ESDC approves the hire. It confirms there is a genuine need for the worker and that no qualified Canadian or PR was available. The worker can use it to apply for a work permit.
Negative LMIA: ESDC denies the application: the job offer did not meet the program’s requirements (for example, ESDC says a wage below the prevailing wage leads to a negative LMIA). A negative LMIA cannot support a work permit application.

The rule

ESDC assesses the impact that hiring a temporary foreign worker will have on the Canadian labour market.

IRPR s.203Verify on justice.gc.ca

What are the steps of the LMIA process?

Advertise the job
The offered wage sets the stream: at or above the provincial or territorial median hourly wage plus 20% is high-wage, and below it is low-wage. The employer advertises on the Government of Canada Job Bank (or gives ESDC a written rationale for another method) and uses at least 2 additional recruitment methods consistent with the occupation. High-wage positions need at least 4 consecutive weeks within the 3 months before applying, and low-wage positions at least 8.
Apply to ESDC and pay the fee
The employer sends proof of advertisement with the LMIA application and keeps records of all recruitment efforts for inspection. The fee is charged per position requested.
$1,000
Receive the decision
ESDC issues a positive or negative LMIA. A positive LMIA in the high-wage, low-wage and Global Talent streams is valid for up to 6 months after it is issued.
The worker applies for the work permit
The worker applies to IRCC, which must receive the application by the date in the "LMIA Validity Period" field. The work permit is a separate application decided by an IRCC officer.

Who pays the LMIA fee, and which LMIAs are exempt from it?

The standard LMIA processing fee is $1,000 CAD per position requested, and it is the employer’s cost.

Employers are prohibited from recovering the LMIA fee from the worker, whether directly, through payroll deductions, or through a recruiter.
Charging the worker the fee is a violation. ESDC lists consequences ranging from a warning to penalties of up to $100,000 per violation and a ban from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, permanent for the most serious violations.
A worker asked to pay it can report it to the confidential tip line on the canada.ca abuse-reporting page.

Some LMIAs are exempt from the fee. These generally include:

LMIAs filed only to support a foreign national’s permanent residence application
In-home caregivers hiring to provide care for someone with high medical needs (with a medical certificate)
Caregivers providing childcare to a child under 13 where the family’s gross annual income is $150,000 or less
Certain on-farm primary agriculture positions

Which work permits do not need an LMIA?

Many workers can obtain a Canadian work permit without an LMIA under IRPR R204 to R208. For an LMIA-exempt job offer, the employer submits the offer in IRCC’s Employer Portal and receives an offer of employment number, often called the A-number. It is the letter A followed by 7 numbers, and the worker needs it to apply for the work permit.

CUSMA / USMCA (formerly NAFTA): R204(a): Citizens of the United States and Mexico who fall under specific occupational categories listed in CUSMA. It covers professionals, intra-company transferees, traders and investors.
Intra-Company Transfers (ICT): R205(a): Employees transferred from a foreign office of a company to a Canadian affiliate, subsidiary or parent. They must be executives, senior or functional managers, or workers with specialized knowledge, employed by the company abroad full time for at least 1 year in the last 3.
Canadian interests: R205(a) and R205(c): Significant benefit to Canada sits under R205(a) (code C10). Open work permits for some spouses of workers and of students (codes C41 and C42) and post-graduation work permits (code C43) sit under R205(c)(ii). Vulnerable workers have their own provision, R207.1.
Reciprocal Employment: R205(b): Work permits based on reciprocal employment, such as academic exchanges, performing arts, coaches and athletes, and camp counsellors. International Experience Canada (Working Holiday) rests on R204(d) instead (code C21).
Francophone Mobility: R205(c)(ii): Code C16, for francophone workers destined to work outside Quebec, with French at NCLC 5 or higher in speaking and listening. The job can be in any TEER category except primary agriculture jobs in TEER 4 and 5.

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What do people ask?

What does LMIA mean in Canada?

LMIA stands for Labour Market Impact Assessment. It is a document an employer usually needs from Employment and Social Development Canada, through Service Canada, before hiring a temporary foreign worker. A positive LMIA confirms a genuine need and that no qualified Canadian citizen or permanent resident was available. IRPR s.203 sets out the assessment, and the LMIA Canada guide covers the Temporary Foreign Worker Program around it.

How long does an LMIA take to process?

It depends on the stream and changes often, so check the current figures ESDC publishes by stream. The Global Talent Stream has the fastest service standard: ESDC aims to process those LMIAs in 10 business days, 80% of the time, and IRCC aims to process an eligible work permit application within 2 weeks when the worker applies online from outside Canada with a complete application. Regular high-wage and low-wage streams generally take longer. The Global Talent Stream guide explains that faster route.

What are the LMIA requirements for employers?

The employer must advertise on Job Bank and use at least 2 other recruitment methods, for 4 consecutive weeks (high-wage) or 8 (low-wage) within the 3 months before applying. The job must be full time, which ESDC defines as at least 30 hours a week, at a wage that meets or exceeds the prevailing wage. The employer keeps records of its recruitment efforts and sends proof of advertisement with the application.

Can an employer charge the worker for LMIA costs?

No. The law bars employers from charging or recovering the $1,000 LMIA fee from the worker, whether directly, through payroll deductions or through a recruiter. Doing so can bring penalties and a ban from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. If you are asked to pay it, report it to the confidential tip line on the canada.ca abuse-reporting page. The Work Permit guide on this site explains a worker's rights.

How long is an LMIA valid?

For the period shown in the "LMIA Validity Period" field. IRCC's instructions say the work permit application must be received by that date, and an application received after it should be refused. ESDC says a positive LMIA in the high-wage, low-wage and Global Talent streams is valid for up to 6 months after it is issued. If the LMIA expires before the worker applies, the employer may need to apply for a new one, so submit the work permit application promptly. The LMIA-Exempt Work Permit guide covers routes that skip the LMIA entirely.

What is the difference between an LMIA and an LMIA-exempt work permit?

An LMIA-based permit runs through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program: the employer gets a positive LMIA from ESDC, with advertising and the $1,000 fee, and the worker then applies to IRCC. An LMIA-exempt permit runs through the International Mobility Program, where most employers submit an offer through the Employer Portal and pay the $230 compliance fee.

Does a positive LMIA mean the worker gets a work permit?

No. A positive LMIA is one step, and the work permit is a separate application decided by an IRCC officer. The officer assesses admissibility, including health and security, and, where it applies, whether the applicant will leave at the end of the authorized stay. An application can be refused even with a valid LMIA. The Work Permit Refusal Reasons guide explains the most common grounds.

Can a worker apply for permanent residence with an LMIA?

Yes, in many cases. A positive LMIA tied to a permanent job offer can support eligibility for some provincial nominee streams, and some LMIAs are issued only to support a PR application, without the fee. For the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs, a temporary public policy lets officers exempt the LMIA for job offers when the invitation to apply was issued on or after November 3, 2026. Since that date, a job offer earns CRS points in Express Entry only in a high-wage occupation (100, 70 or 50 points), with or without an LMIA, and IRCC says an LMIA gives no extra points or priority. The Express Entry Job Offer Points guide explains the change.

Part of:Working in Canada Work permits

Official sources

This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.