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2. Skills >
3. Foreign Workers

Hiring Skilled Workers and Supporting Their Permanent Immigration

NOTE:

Provincial variations to the Labour Market Opinion (LMO) application process

If the job is located in the province of:

• British Columbia - Employers hiring temporary foreign workers for digital media occupations must abide by the Variations to Minimum Advertising Requirements.
• Quebec - Employers hiring temporary foreign workers must review the New Facilitated Labour Market Opinion Assessment Process in Quebec.

Employers can make a permanent job offer to a Skilled Worker as an effective way to fill a full-time position and bring needed skills in Canada.

Please note that the Skilled Worker can apply directly to CIC for permanent residency (Step 4) and can gain additional points for having a permanent job offer from you if he/she already holds a work permit that

The following steps may apply to you if you are interested in:

• Hiring a Skilled Worker for a permanent position in your company; and
• Ensuring that the worker is allowed to work in Canada before receiving his/her permanent resident visa; and
• Supporting the worker's permanent immigration to Canada.

Hiring Steps

1. Submit an HRSDC Application for a labour market opinion (LMO) to the Service Canada Centre responsible for your area, and indicate that you are offering a permanent position to the Skilled Worker.
   • Learn more about the HRSDC assessment criteria and what is expected from employers.
     
2. Employers using a third party representative must complete the "Annex to the Appointment of Representative" form and send it with the LMO application.
3. Once HRSDC has approved your job offer, send a copy of the HRSDC LMO confirmation letter to the Skilled Worker.
4. Tell the Skilled Worker to apply for a work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
   
   

   Next, CIC decides whether the Skilled Worker will get a Work Permit allowing them to work in Canada.

5. Once your Skilled Worker holds a work permit, he/she should apply to the appropriate CIC visa office for a Skilled Worker permanent resident visa. **
   
   
6. Tell the worker to include your written permanent job offer and a copy of the CIC work permit with the Skilled Worker application, along with other documentation required by CIC. The application is point-rated and these documents improve the Skilled Worker's score and the opportunity to receive a permanent resident visa.
   
   

   Next, CIC reviews the Skilled Worker permanent residency application and decides whether to:

   • Grant points under the "Arranged Employment" in Canada and review all other Skilled Worker criteria;
   • Give the Skilled Worker a permanent resident visa.

** Note

Please note that the Skilled Worker can apply directly to CIC for permanent residency (Step 4) and can gain additional points for having a permanent job offer from you if he/she already holds a work permit that:

• Is valid at the time of the application and was originally issued by CIC based on a positive HRSDC labour market opinion (including national opinions like the Canada Research Chairs program); or
• Is valid at the time of application and was originally issued by CIC based on an international trade agreement (e.g. NAFTA) or an economic benefit exemption.

Immigration Note

On its own, a permanent job offer does not allow a Foreign Worker to immigrate to Canada. Before a Foreign Worker can become a permanent resident, they must :

• Meet the requirements of the Skilled Worker Class;
• Have at least one year of work experience in a professional, managerial, or technical occupation under Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.

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Date Modified:

2012-04-26