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Employer-specific · LMIA

LMIA Work Permit — a job offer is only half the application.

An LMIA-based work permit has two sides: the employer must prove no Canadian was available, and you must prove you can do the job. Both have to succeed. We prepare them as one file, not two.

Check my eligibility →See the details
  • RCIC-led
  • Brampton & London

Before anything else

Check for an exemption before starting an LMIA.

LMIAs are slow and expensive. If your role qualifies under CUSMA, an intra-company transfer, Francophone Mobility or another exemption, you can skip the process entirely. Always test this first.

Exemption checker

Could this job be LMIA-exempt?

Before an employer starts a Labour Market Impact Assessment, check the International Mobility Program exemptions that most often apply.

The requirements

What has to line up.

The permit sits on top of everything the employer proves. Take it apart and every layer has to hold.

  1. Employer, ongoing

    Ongoing compliance

    Employers must honour the offer and remain inspection-ready for the life of the permit.

  2. Employer

    Business legitimacy

    Registration, financial statements, payroll and T4 summaries showing the employer can actually pay.

  3. Employer

    A genuine job offer

    A real, full-time position with a detailed description, correct NOC/TEER code, hours and location.

  4. Employer

    Proper recruitment

    Advertising including the national Job Bank, run for the required duration, with a documented recruitment report. At least one of the three recruitment activities must stay active until ESDC issues its decision (Source: ESDC, verified October 9, 2026).

  5. Employer

    A compliant wage

    At or above the applicable median wage for that occupation and region. Underpaying sinks the application.

  6. Employer side, decided by ESDC

    The LMIA

    The employer’s half of the file: proof that no Canadian was available for the job.

  7. Worker

    Worker qualifications

    Your education, licensing and experience must genuinely match the role being offered.

  8. Worker side, decided by IRCC

    The work permit

    Employer-specific: it names one employer, one occupation and one location. Both halves have to succeed for it to issue.

Employer + worker
2 sides
Both applications must succeed for you to get the permit.
Employer duty
Recruitment
Advertising and a recruitment report are normally required.
Wage rule
Prevailing wage
The wage must meet or exceed the applicable median for that role and region.
Ongoing
Compliance
Employers remain subject to inspection after the worker arrives.

Who this is for

When an LMIA route makes sense.

Employer-specific permits tie you to one employer, one role and often one location. In exchange, they open doors that open permits do not.

  1. 01

    Workers with a job offer Most common

    You have a genuine full-time offer from a Canadian employer and no exemption applies.

  2. 02

    Employers hiring abroad

    Businesses that cannot fill a role locally and need to recruit internationally, lawfully.

  3. 03

    Workers targeting PR

    From 3 November 2026 an LMIA adds no Express Entry points (a high-wage job offer scores without one), but it still supports many provincial nominee streams.

  4. 04

    Renewals with the same employer

    Extending an employer-specific permit as your current one approaches expiry.

  5. 05

    Caregivers & home care

    Home care roles that follow their own dedicated stream and requirements.

  6. 06

    Agriculture & seasonal work

    Primary agriculture and seasonal streams with distinct rules and timelines.

How we help

How we run an LMIA file.

  1. Test for an exemption first

    We check every exemption before recommending an LMIA. It often saves months and thousands of dollars.

  2. Prepare the employer side

    Recruitment strategy, wage benchmarking, business documents and the application itself.

  3. Prepare the worker side

    Your permit application aligned exactly to the offer, with credentials and licensing addressed.

  4. Convert it into PR

    We structure the role and duration so the experience counts toward Express Entry or a PNP.

2026 update

Concurrent processing: IRCC holds the application until the LMIA arrives.

What changed
IRCC used to hold these applications for 90 days and then decide them, LMIA or not. Its guidance updated on 28 October 2026 removes that limit: where an in-Canada extension qualifies for concurrent processing, IRCC now waits for the LMIA decision before deciding the work permit, rather than refusing it. Read the full breakdown →
Who it covers
Applicants in Canada who can show three things: their current work permit expires in two weeks or less, the employer has already submitted a complete LMIA application early enough, against ESDC’s published processing times, for a decision to be possible, and ESDC has not yet decided it. Where a Quebec CAQ is needed, IRCC waits for that too.
The catch
An LMIA filed just before the work permit application does not earn the hold. IRCC considers those requests only on an exceptional basis, so the employer’s timing matters as much as yours.
How to flag it
Follow IRCC’s application instructions so the code CPTS2026 appears in the intended occupation field. The code only helps IRCC track these files; it does not change the officer’s decision.
Why it matters
Without the hold, an extension filed before the LMIA arrived would simply be refused, pushing an otherwise sound application into restoration and a loss of work authorisation. The hold lets the two processes run in parallel.
What it does not change
You still have to file before your current permit expires — that is what preserves maintained status. And a work permit application received after the LMIA validity date has already passed is still refused, so the LMIA has to be live when you file.

Source: IRCC guidance on LMIA review, work permit validity and duration of employment (canada.ca), verified 28 October 2026.

Permit length

How long your LMIA permit actually runs.

An LMIA carries two different dates. The validity date is the deadline to apply. The duration of employment sets how long the permit can run. These four rules decide the end date you get.

  • 01The ceiling

    Never longer than the LMIA duration.

    An officer cannot issue a permit for longer than the duration of employment the LMIA approves. Where nothing limits it, the permit should be issued for the full duration, so you are not back applying sooner than you need to.

    24-month LMIA, valid passport → 24-month permit.

  • 02Passport

    A short passport can be fixed later.

    Your permit cannot outlast your passport. If that was the only reason you got less time than the LMIA allows, renew the passport and extend for the rest of the LMIA duration without a new LMIA, even after the LMIA validity date has passed.

    2-year LMIA, 1 year left on the passport → 1-year permit, then year two on the new passport.

  • 03Maintained status

    Waiting time comes out of the duration.

    If you keep working on maintained status while an extension with the same employer is processed, the LMIA duration is counted from the day your old permit expired, not from the day the new one is approved.

    12-month LMIA, 3 months on maintained status → 9 months from the decision.

  • 04Permanent LMIA

    A permanent job offer gives up to 2 years.

    A work permit cannot be open-ended. When the LMIA supports a permanent position, the permit is issued for up to 2 years to give you time to apply for permanent residence. If no PR application is filed in that window, a new LMIA is needed.

    Permanent position → permit of up to 2 years; file for PR inside it.

Work out your dates in the Permit Expiry Planner

Source: IRCC guidance on LMIA review, work permit validity and duration of employment (canada.ca), verified 28 October 2026.

New — 4 September 2026

Short courses without a study permit — and the co-op catch.

The ruleYou can study for six months

A temporary public policy in force since 4 September 2026 lets any valid work permit holder take a programme of six months or less without a study permit, for six months or until the permit expires, whichever comes first. Study-related conditions printed on the permit stop applying, no CAQ is needed in Quebec, and the measure runs to 31 December 2027. Your work permit is the only proof a school can ask for.

The catchA co-op placement needs a second permit

This is where an LMIA-based permit differs from an open one. Your permit names one employer, occupation and location. If the placement is with a different employer or in a different occupation, you must apply for a second employer-specific work permit before it starts, and you would hold two valid permits at once. The LMIA behind your current permit does not cover the placement. Open work permit holders need nothing. Separately: study full time and that work will not count toward Canadian Experience Class eligibility or Canadian work experience points. Read the full breakdown →

Three blank documents stacked on an oak desk beside a navy passport-style booklet and a fountain pen

Eligibility review

Hiring, or being hired?

Tell us about the role and a licensed RCIC will confirm whether an LMIA is needed, and what each side must prepare — usually the same business day.

  • Whether an exemption removes the LMIA entirely
  • What the employer must do, in order
  • Wage and recruitment requirements for the role
  • How to turn the permit into permanent residence
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Good to know

Questions, answered.

The questions we hear most on this topic, answered by our consultants. The full list is in the Help Centre.

Our LMIA is still with ESDC and our worker’s permit expires soon. Can the worker stay and keep working?
Possibly, if the timing is right. When the worker’s permit expires in two weeks or less and you submitted a complete LMIA early enough for ESDC to decide it within its published processing times, the worker can apply from inside Canada and IRCC will hold the application until the LMIA is decided, with no fixed time limit. Filing before the permit expires keeps the worker on maintained status. An LMIA filed just before the worker applies is assessed only on an exceptional basis, so file the LMIA early and give the worker the submission date.
I hold an employer-specific LMIA permit. Can I do a short course with a co-op?
You can study a programme of six months or less without a study permit while your work permit is valid, under the temporary public policy in force since 4 September 2026. The co-op placement is the catch, and it bites employer-specific permit holders hardest. Your permit ties you to one employer, occupation and location, so if the placement is with a different employer or in a different occupation you must apply for a second employer-specific work permit before it starts, and you would then hold two valid permits at once. Open work permit holders do not need to apply for anything. An LMIA is issued to a named employer for a named position and does not transfer to the placement.
What is an LMIA-based work permit?
Once an employer holds a positive labour market impact assessment, the worker still has to apply for an LMIA-based work permit tied to that employer, job and location. That permit application is a separate step with its own requirements, and a positive assessment does not guarantee the permit will be issued.
What makes an LMIA application strong?
A clean, documented recruitment record, a wage that aligns with the prevailing wage for the role and region, job duties that match the occupation code, and clear evidence the business is genuine and able to pay. Weakness in any one of those is where files fail.
Can we hire faster than a standard LMIA allows?
Sometimes. The Global Skills Strategy offers two-week processing for eligible high-skilled roles, and several LMIA-exempt categories avoid the process altogether. Which applies depends on the role, not the urgency.

More questions on this topic are answered in the Help Centre.

Next on your path

Keep your file moving.

The checklist, free tools and guides that usually come next.

  1. ChecklistLMIA work permit checklistWorker-side documents for an employer-specific permit.
  2. GuideLMIA exemption codesEvery IRCC code in one searchable index.
  3. Free toolLMIA employer directoryEmployers with recent positive LMIAs, by city and job.
  4. Free toolLMIA for employersStreams, wages and recruitment rules.
  5. GuideWork permit extensionsExtend on time and keep maintained status.