Secure Top Talent. Seamlessly. Make Canada Your North American Advantage.
The Global Hunt for Talent Just Got Easier!
In today’s competitive landscape, attracting and retaining top talent is crucial for business success. But navigating complex immigration systems can be a roadblock. That’s where Canada steps in.
Make Canada the linchpin of your North American talent acquisition strategy. Attract global talent, build a strong team, and gain a competitive edge.
- A Magnet for Talent: Canada consistently ranks as a top destination for skilled professionals. Recent studies show it’s the most desired work location for people from 56 countries.
- Streamlined Immigration: Canada’s facilitative policies make it easier for highly skilled individuals to secure work permits and transition seamlessly to permanent residency.
The current business landscape demands a competitive edge. Finding and retaining top global talent is crucial, but navigating complex immigration processes can be a significant hurdle. Canada’s Global Skills Strategy offers a powerful solution for businesses seeking to unlock their full potential.
Obtaining a work permit in Canada is often seen as a crucial step toward achieving permanent resident status. Canada’s Global Skills Strategy is a comprehensive initiative aimed at attracting and integrating highly skilled temporary foreign workers into the Canadian workforce. This translates to significant benefits for businesses:
- Faster Work Permit Processing: The program boasts an ambitious two-week standard for processing visas and work permits for high-growth Canadian companies and global corporations making significant investments and creating new jobs. This eliminates the delays often associated with traditional immigration processes, allowing you to focus on building your team quickly and efficiently.
- Streamlined Work Permit Categories: Companies can hire global talent under Canada’s Global Talent Stream Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) streams under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or leverage one of the many LMIA-Exempt work permit categories under the International Mobility Program. This reduces administrative burdens and allows you to source talent from a wider global pool.
Temporary Foreign Workers Program: Global Talent Stream Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA)
We encourage clients to prioritize LMIA-exempt categories under the International Mobility Program to expedite the work permit process. However, it’s important to understand the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s LMIAs for situations where an exemption doesn’t apply.
The LMIA process is multi-staged, with an initial application to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and a subsequent work permit application after an LMIA is issued. The main considerations of a LMIA application are as follows:
- Impact on the Labour Market: Will the foreign worker have a neutral or positive effect on Canadian workers?
- Skill Transfer: Will the foreign worker share their expertise with Canadians?
- Overall Benefit: Does employing this individual benefit Canada?
A positive LMIA typically requires a period of advertising to demonstrate there are no qualified Canadians or Permanent Residents for the role. Once a positive LMIA is issued, the temporary foreign worker can apply for a work permit.
Generally, employers must test the labour market by advertising jobs to determine the impact on the labour market. The Global Talent Stream LMIAs do not have advertising requirements; it is designed to expedite the work permit process for specific employers. The GTS allows companies to scale and better compete on an international scale by hiring:
- Unique and specialized talent under Category A (referral required).
- Highly skilled foreign workers for in-demand occupations on ESDC’s Global Talent Occupations List under Category B.
Common Requirements for LMIAs
- Processing Fee: There is a $1,000 CAD application fee.
- Business Legitimacy: You’ll need documentation proving your business is legitimate.
- Labour Market Benefits Plan: As the GTS is designed to benefit the Canadian labor market, you’ll develop a plan with ESDC demonstrating this positive impact.
International Mobility Program: Strategic Alternatives to LMIAs
Finding the right talent is hard. But waiting months for work permits can be a dealbreaker. Companies can not only attract top talent by leveraging strategic alternatives to LMIAs.
The Advantage:
- Two-Week Processing Standard: High-growth companies can secure work permits for highly skilled talent in just weeks, not months.
- Streamlined System: Quickly source talent worldwide by leveraging Canada’s International Mobility Program.
Below is a summary of common employer-LMIA-exempt work permit categories that can help businesses secure their competitive edge with faster hiring and access to a global pool of skilled professionals.
Common Requirements LMIA
- Processing Fee: There is a $230 employer compliance fee.
- Offer of employment: Each work permit application must be supported by an Offer of Employment, submitted on behalf of the employing entity.
Intra-Company Transferee (ICT)
- Foreign workers from any country may be eligible to apply for a work permit provided:
– They are currently employed by a multi-national company and seeking entry to work for a parent, a subsidiary, a branch, or an affiliate of that enterprise.
– They are being transferred to a position in an executive, senior managerial, or specialized knowledge capacity.
– They have been employed continuously (via payroll or by contract directly with the company), by the company that plans to transfer them outside Canada in a similar full-time position (not accumulated part-time) for at least one year in the three-year period immediately preceding the date of initial application.
- Duration: Initial duration between 1 and 3 years; extensions are issued in 2-year increments, up to a maximum of 5 or 7 years.
- How to Apply: Applications are filed online for individuals from visa-requiring countries. Otherwise, visa-exempt travellers may apply at a Canadian port-of-entry (i.e., land border or airport).
International Free Trade Agreement Professionals
- Canada-United States Mexico Professionals:
– Occupations: 63 professions listed in the CUSMA Professionals Appendix.
– Requirements: Meet educational qualifications for the specific profession.
– Duration: Up to 3 years, with 3-year renewals.
– How to apply: US citizens may apply at ports of entry; Citizens of Mexico require online applications and visas.
- Chile, Panama Peru, Colombia, Korea FTA Professionals:
– Occupations: Varies by agreement.
– Requirements: Generally similar to CUSMA Professionals.
– Duration: Up to 1 year initially, with 1-year renewals, with exception of Panama, which is up to 3 years initially, with 3-year renewals.
– How to Apply: Chilean and Korean citizens may apply at ports of entry; Citizens of Peru and Colombia require online applications and visas.
- Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Professionals (Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, and Peru):
– Occupations: Varies by country.
– Requirements:
— 4+ years post-secondary degree (or 2+ years for Technicians) with additional requirements and 2+ years paid relevant work experience for Professionals, 4+ years for Technicians.
– Compensation bust be competitive with similar roles in the region where work is being completed.
– Duration: Up to 1 year, with 1-year renewals.
– How to Apply: Australian, Bruneian, Chilean, and Japanese citizens may apply at ports of entry; Citizens of Mexico and Peru require online applications and visas.
Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) Independent Professionals and Contractual Service Suppliers
Citizens of the 28 Member States may be eligible for work authorization as the following:
- Independent Professionals: Self-employed EU citizens with no Canadian establishment, contracted to provide services to Canadian consumers.
- Contractual Service Suppliers: Employed by an EU company with no Canadian establishment, contracted to provide temporary services to Canadian consumers.
- Occupations: Listed in Annex 10-E of CETA with corresponding NOC codes in IRCC’s Operational Instructions and Guideline.
- Requirements:
– University degree (or equivalent).
– Minimum experience: 6 years for independent professionals, 3 years for contractual service suppliers.
- Duration: Up to 12 months initially, with a possible 12-month extension.
- How to Apply: Applications are filed online for individuals from visa-requiring countries. Otherwise, visa-exempt travellers may apply at a Canadian port-of-entry (i.e., land border or airport).
Francophone Mobility
Foreign workers from any country may be eligible to apply for a work permit provided:
- They are fluent in French.
- They will be working outside Quebec.
- They meet the French language proficiency (speaking and listening) at a CLB / NCLC level 5 or higher.
Duration: Determined by duration of employment term.
How to Apply: Applications are filed online for individuals from visa-requiring countries. Otherwise, visa-exempt travellers may apply at a Canadian port-of-entry (i.e., land border or airport).
Reciprocal Employment
This work permit category is intended to allow foreign workers to apply for a work permit in Canada when Canadians have similar reciprocal opportunities to work abroad. Foreign workers from any country may be eligible to apply for a work permit provided:
- Their multinational Canadian employer demonstrates that there are reciprocal work opportunities for Canadians abroad.
Duration: Determined by duration of employment term or passport expiry date.
How to Apply: Applications are filed online for individuals from visa-requiring countries. Otherwise, visa-exempt travelers may apply at a Canadian port-of-entry (i.e., land border or airport).