LMIA stands for Labour Market Impact Assessments. LMIA is basically an approval given by the Canadian government to a Canadian employer seeking to hire an international employee. In order to hire an international employee, the Canadian employer must first receive an LMIA from the Canadian government.
To acquire the LMIA, the employer must ensure with proof that hiring the international employee will have either a positive or a neutral effect on the Canadian Labour Market. It also must be proved that the foreign worker will be paid the standard wages according to the province.
Here is a list of the median hourly wages paid in the different Canadian provinces:
The employers must also provide a proof of the fact that they searched for and could not find a Canadian citizen skilled enough to assume the required job responsibilities.
The LMIA process is different for high wage and low wage workers.
High wage workers are the ones being paid at or over the median wages of the province. Employers seeking to hire such workers must submit transition plans to ensure that they will reduce their dependency on foreign workers in the coming years.
On the other hand, low wage workers are the ones being paid under the median wages of the province. Employers do not need to submit any transition plans to hire such workers. In order to ensure that the Canadians are considered first for all available jobs in Canada, the Government of Canada has introduced a cap to limit the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers that a company can employ. Also, some occupations are refused for LMIA.
The employers hiring low-wage workers must provide them with pay for their round-trip transportation, ensure affordable housing for them, pay for their health insurance and provide an employee-employer contract.
To acquire the LMIA, the employer must ensure with proof that hiring the international employee will have either a positive or a neutral effect on the Canadian Labour Market. It also must be proved that the foreign worker will be paid the standard wages according to the province.
Here is a list of the median hourly wages paid in the different Canadian provinces:
| Province/Territory | Wage ($/hr) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $21.12 |
| Prince Edward Island | $17.49 |
| Nova Scotia | $18.85 |
| New Brunswick | $18.00 |
| Quebec | $20.00 |
| Ontario | $21.15 |
| Manitoba | $19.50 |
| Saskatchewan | $21.00 |
| Alberta | $25.00 |
| British Columbia | $22.00 |
| Yukon | $27.50 |
| Northwest Territories | $30.00 |
| Nunavut | $29.00 |
The employers must also provide a proof of the fact that they searched for and could not find a Canadian citizen skilled enough to assume the required job responsibilities.
The LMIA process is different for high wage and low wage workers.
High wage workers are the ones being paid at or over the median wages of the province. Employers seeking to hire such workers must submit transition plans to ensure that they will reduce their dependency on foreign workers in the coming years.
On the other hand, low wage workers are the ones being paid under the median wages of the province. Employers do not need to submit any transition plans to hire such workers. In order to ensure that the Canadians are considered first for all available jobs in Canada, the Government of Canada has introduced a cap to limit the number of low-wage temporary foreign workers that a company can employ. Also, some occupations are refused for LMIA.
The employers hiring low-wage workers must provide them with pay for their round-trip transportation, ensure affordable housing for them, pay for their health insurance and provide an employee-employer contract.
