Hold a work permit? Since 4 September 2026 you can take a course of six months or less without a study permit.
What it means →
Work permit (LMIA) — document checklist
Prepared by CHK Immigration Services Inc. · government fee $155 + $85 biometrics
Work permit (LMIA) — document checklist
Every document an officer will look for, grouped in the order they are read. The ones marked refusal risk are where these applications actually fail — a complete file is not the same as a persuasive one.
11 documents 4 where refusals happen Government fee $155 + $85 biometrics
Identity
Who is this person, and is the story consistent?Where files fail here: Names, dates or passport details that disagree across documents.
Valid passport
Permit length is capped by passport validity.
Eligibility
Do they meet this program's bar, on paper?Where files fail here: A requirement evidenced by assertion instead of a document.
Positive LMIA and its number
Valid six months only, and the work permit application must be filed before it expires or the employer starts again. High-wage LMIAs are averaging about 90 business days, low-wage about 82 — the longest lead item in the file by a wide margin.
Check the region before the employer applies
Low-wage LMIA applications are refused outright in census metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6% or higher — currently including Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton. The list is refreshed quarterly; next update 9 October 2026. Agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, residential care and some caregiver roles are exempt.
Signed job offer / employment contract
Wage, hours, duties and location must match the LMIA exactly.
Proof of qualifications for the role
Officers refuse where the applicant plainly cannot perform the duties offered.
Proof of past work experience
Letters from current and former employers, pay stubs, and a résumé. Listed by IRCC, and routinely missed.
Proof of licensing or certification
Regulated occupations fail here more than anywhere else.
Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ)
Required for paid work in Quebec lasting more than 30 days.
Intent
Does the purpose hold together, and will they comply?Where files fail here: A plan that doesn't match the applicant's history or finances.
Proof of ties and intent to comply
Employer-specific permits still require that you will follow their conditions.
Admissibility
Is there anything that disqualifies them?Where files fail here: An old charge left undisclosed because it “didn’t count”.
Police certificates where required
Not universally mandatory. Your generated checklist will say.
Immigration medical exam
Required for many occupations, especially health care and child care, and for longer stays.
General information, not legal advice. This checklist is prepared by CHK Immigration Services Inc. and was checked against the Government of Canada’s published requirements on the date shown. Requirements change and vary by case, and IRCC generates a personalised document list for many applications — where that list or canada.ca differs from this document, they govern.
Lead times are planning estimates, not guarantees. Police certificates and credential assessments in particular vary widely by country and provider. IRCC makes all final decisions.
CHK Immigration Services Inc. is an immigration consultancy with offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Our consultants are regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). Nothing in this document creates a client–consultant relationship.
Current version: https://chkimmigration.ca/checklists/work-permit-lmia
Checked against the official IRCC page for this application in September 2026. Where that page disagrees with anything here, it wins. General information, not legal advice. Lead times are planning estimates, not guarantees — police certificates and credential assessments in particular vary widely by country and provider. IRCC also generates a personalised checklist for many applications, and that list governs. IRCC makes all final decisions.
Having the documents is not the same as having a persuasive file.
Every item above can be present and correct and the application can still be refused — on intent, on a date that does not reconcile, or on a lead time that ran out. A licensed consultant reads it the way an officer will.
Book a file revieweligibility review
Find out where you actually stand.
Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.
- Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant — never a bot, never a salesperson
- A written shortlist of the programs you realistically qualify for
- Consultations are fee-based; you get the fee and available times by reply
CHK Immigration Services — Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions.