The Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), used to be called the Labour Market Opinion (LMO), is an assessment for employers in Canada who wish to hire foreign workers. Upon successful assessment according to the criteria, a document would then issued by the Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). This exercise is used to assess the impact of hiring a foreign worker on the Canadian labour market.
The LMIA is a two-step process. First, the employer must submit an application to ESDC. This application must include information about the job, the employer, and the foreign worker. The application is then reviewed by ESDC to determine if the job is likely to have a positive, negative or neutral impact on the Canadian labour market. If the application is approved, the employer will receive a positive LMIA document.
The LMIA is an integral part of the overall economic immigration streams. Unless the work permit or permanent resident applicant falls under a certain program that would be granted an Open Work Permit (OWP), a positive LMIA is almost always needed. Talk to us to find out more.
