LMIA High-wage/Low-wage 

The wage being offered for the position will determine if you need to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment under the Stream for High-wage Positions or the Stream for Low-wage Positions, each with their own requirements.

high-wage-low-wage-stream

Overview

High-wage & Low-wage positions

If you are offering a wage to a temporary foreign worker that is:

LMIA for High-wage positions

Advertising & Recruitment Requirements

Employers must conduct recruitment efforts to hire Canadians and Permanent Residents before offering a job to a temporary foreign worker. There are minimum advertisement requirements for the program that need to be followed.

Wages

Wages offered to temporary foreign workers should be similar to wages paid to Canadian and permanent resident employees hired for the same job and work location, and with similar skills and years of experience.

Transition Plan

An employer or prospective employer is also required to provide a “transition plan” as part of their LMIA application unless an exemption applies. A transition plan must describes the activities that an employer or prospective employer will undertake to recruit, retain, and train Canadians to reduce their reliance upon temporary foreign workers during the validity of the positive LMIA confirmation, if issued. A transition plan must include the following:

  • At least three distinct activities to recruit, retain, and / or train a Canadian for the position and one additional activity to engage an organization serving underrepresented groups to identify potential candidates for recruitment or training; or
  • At least one activity to support the foreign national in transitioning to a Canadian permanent resident.

LMIA for Low-wage positions

Cap 

 

An employer is subject to a cap on the number of foreign nationals they can employ in low wage positions at a specific work location unless an exemption applies. If an employer hired a foreign national in a low wage position before June 20, 2014, they are subject to a 20% cap or their established estimated cap (which is lower) on the number of foreign nationals they can hire in low wage positions. However, if an employer did not employ a foreign national in a low wage position before June 20, 2014, they are subject to a 10% cap.

Advertising & Recruitment Requirements

Employers must conduct recruitment efforts to hire Canadians and Permanent Residents before offering a job to a temporary foreign worker. There are minimum advertisement requirements for the program that need to be followed.

Wages

 

Wages offered to temporary foreign workers should be similar to wages paid to Canadian and permanent resident employees hired for the same job and work location, and with similar skills and years of experience.

Transportation & Health Care

 

If an employer is hiring a foreign national in a low wage position, they are required to:

  • Pay all costs associated with transporting a foreign national from their country of residence to Canada and back again;
  • Provide or ensure that suitable and affordable housing is available for the foreign national from the first day that they arrive in Canada; and
  • Ensure that the foreign national is covered by private, provincial, or territorial health insurance from the first day that they arrive in Canada. 

Let us help you hire the workers you need!

Employer services:

Recruitment Services

Our firm is licensed by the Province of BC Employment Standards to provide recruiting services to BC employers for both Canadian and foreign workers.

Human Resource Plans

We work with employers to create comprehensive Human Resource policies which help create clear expectations for their employees and build a mutually beneficial relationship that results in long term labour solutions

Employer Compliance

We work with employers using the Temporary Foreign Worker program to ensure they continually meet ESDC/Service Canada guidelines.

Grant Writing & Applications

We assist employers in writing applications to access government funding for various projects and programs.

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