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Temporary Foreign Worker Program

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Hiring Foreign Academics in Canada

Employing foreign academics can help degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in Canada meet their staffing and teaching needs and attract new knowledge and expertise to Canadian campuses.

Special hiring criteria have been developed by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)/Service Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) in cooperation with universities, degree-granting colleges, and unions representing Canadian academics. These criteria are designed to take into account the career development and employment of Canadian academics.

Criteria

Before a degree-granting educational institution can hire a foreign academic for a position in Canada, it must:

  • Advertise vacant positions in Canada;
  • Make sure any vacant position advertised abroad is also advertised simultaneously in Canada;
  • Advertise for a reasonable length of time (about a month) to allow broad exposure of the vacancy to Canadians and permanent residents;
  • Demonstrate that the advertising medium used - web, print or electronic - is effective in attracting appropriate candidates for the position;
  • Include in the advertisement this statement: "All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority";
  • Meet all conditions of applicable collective agreements;
  • Complete the Foreign Academic Recruitment Summary (PDF 127 KB) - HTML Version outlining the educational institution's hiring decision and providing summaries of Canadian applicants verified by the vice-president (academic) or other senior academic official of the educational institution.
  • Be prepared to complete a yearly summary report on recruitment practices for Canadian academics and results.

Hiring Steps

Educational institutions hiring foreign academics for Canadian positions must :

  1. Submit your application form. 
  2. Submit the Foreign Academic Recruitment Summary (PDF 127 KB) - HTML Version. 
  3. Employers using a third party representative must complete the "Annex to the Appointment of Representative" form and send it with the LMO application.
  4. Send documents to: 
    • Service Canada
      Temporary Foreign Worker - Centre of Specialization
      1 Agar Place, PO Box 7000
      Saint John, NB E2L 4V4
      Fax: 1-866-585-7524 (toll free)
    • For Quebec, please send your applications to:
      Service Canada
      Temporary Foreign Workers
      715 Peel Street
      Montréal, QC H3C 4H6
      Fax: 514-877-3680

    Learn more about the HRSDC/Service Canada Labour Market Opinion assessment criteria noting that a Quebec Acceptance Certificate issued by the province is also required for jobs in Quebec.

    A Certificate of Registration from the Government of Manitoba is required for employers in Manitoba. You can register online with the province. For more information on the Manitoba's new Worker Recruitment and Protection Act, consult the Questions and Answers.

  5. Once HRSDC/Service Canada has approved your job offer, send a copy of the HRSDC/Service Canada confirmation letter to the foreign academic.
  6. Tell the foreign academic to apply for a work permit from CIC.

    Next, CIC decides whether the foreign academic will get a work permit according to the requirements to work and reside temporarily in Canada.

Some countries may require that their citizens meet certain conditions if they want to work in Canada (e.g. approval to leave the country, employer to pay transportation costs and/or medical coverage). Ask the foreign worker to verify if additional conditions apply in his/her country, contact the country's consulate in Canada or check its website to find out if you must meet additional requirements.

Academic Exemptions

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a variety of foreign academics are exempt from some or all of the hiring steps:

  • Learn about academic exemptions.
  • Learn about the Canada Research Chairs Program. Also, please note that the process outlined above does not apply to community colleges unless they are affiliated with a university and their students can obtain degrees, nor does it apply to the Collèges d'enseignement général et professionnel (Cégep) in Quebec. For these institutions, the regular process for hiring foreign workers applies.

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Date Modified:
2012-04-25