Ottawa introduced a new update regarding the LMIA exemption codes on December 16, 2022, the Government of Canada introduced a new program delivery update regarding the labor market impact assessment (LMIA) exemption codes under the International Mobility Program (IMP).
According to the update, the government added new LMIA-exemption codes to GCMS and the Employer Portal and changed individual country free trade agreement codes. Some LMIA-exemption codes also have now newly created codes for the different categories. In addition, exemption codes have been amended on the instruction pages, and where further updates are in process, a flag has been added to alert the immigration officers.
LMIA exemption codes
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) Sections 204 to 208 give the regulatory authority to grant a work permit to an individual who is exempted from the need for a labor market effects assessment (LMIA).
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has policies that define certain conditions as compliant with sections 204 through 208 of the IRPR. In order to record the different eligibility requirements or criteria for those individual conditions, the Department has created LMIA exemption streams (through special administrative codes). There is a list of LMIA exemption codes.
- A25.2 Public policies
- R204: International agreements or arrangements
- R205: Canadian interests
- R206: No other means of support
- R207: Permanent residence applicants in Canada
- R207.1: Vulnerable workers
- R208: Humanitarian reasons
- International Mobility Workers Unit (IMWU): port of entry (POE) assistance
The International Mobility Program (IMP)
Employers in Canada are able to hire foreign workers on temporary work visas according to the International Mobility Program (IMP), which excludes the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This could have a lot of benefits for both employers and employees, who would like a simpler, quicker hiring process.
The International Mobility Program promotes Canada’s broader economic and cultural goals, in contrast to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which issues work permits based on the state of the labor market in particular conditions.
The following positions are exempt from the LMIA requirement:
- Provide Canada-wide advantages in terms of its economy, culture, or other competitive factors, and give Canadian citizens and permanent residents benefit in return.
The following types of workers are eligible for the International Mobility Program (IMP):
- Those who enter Canada in accordance with trade agreements like the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) or the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) (CETA).
- Those entering Canada on an open work permit.
- Those entering Canada as intra-company transferees.
The foreign national will only be qualified to apply for their own work permit after completing these three processes. If a worker is LMIA-exempt and applies from outside of Canada, they may be eligible for accelerated work permit processing through the Global Skills Strategy if their position is NOC Skill Level A or 0.
To find out more details about “Ottawa introduced a new update regarding the LMIA exemption codes” you can contact one of our immigration specialists at Gunness & Associates.
Tel: (416) 604-2669
Email: info@immigrationmatters.info
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