A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that most employers need to complete before hiring foreign workers. An LMIA is required when there is a need for foreign workers in Canada and when there are no Canadians or permanent residents available to do the job.
To complete an LMIA, an employer must show that:
- they have made an effort to hire Canadians or permanent residents first,
- wages they would pay to a temporary foreign worker are similar to what they would pay a Canadian or permanent resident, and
- hiring a temporary foreign worker would be beneficial to Canadian society.
If your employer requires an LMIA, they must complete the documents and send them to you to submit with your permit application.
Note that not all employers require an LMIA. The Government of Canada website contains a list of circumstances where an LMIA is not required.
The province of Quebec has its own rules about who can apply for a temporary work permit.