Leveraging over a hundred work permit pathways, Canada’s employers hire hundreds and thousands of African and European IT specialists yearly. While this number declined significantly during the COVID-19 outbreak, this trend has been evident since 2015. With a low unemployment rate and a higher influx of vacancies, Canada has created more jobs than qualified workers to fill the roles.
For this reason, African and European recruitment in Canada is pretty evident for agile roles. Having said that, to get recruited in Canada, the workers require a work permit, and some employers have to opt for LMIA (labour market impact assessment). On the other hand, the majority of work permits issued on an annual basis are exempt from LMIA. So, let’s check out the standard work permits required for international workers’ recruitment in the country.
LMIA & LMIA-Exempt Permits
When it comes down to work permits, TFWP and IMP are the two standard options. To begin with, TFWP (temporary foreign worker program) demands that employers acquire LMIA, but the IMP (international mobility program) doesn’t require LMIA.
This is because the TFWP is designed to address the labour shortage issue in Canada. Taking up an LMIA indicates they are hiring foreign workers because of the qualified labour shortage. Taking the test ensures that there won’t be a negative influence on the Canadian labour market. When the employer receives a neutral or positive LMIA, it is provided to the worker so that they can submit it to the IRCC with the work permit file. Once the work permit is approved, the workers are allowed to work in Canada.
On the other hand, IMP is meant to support Canada’s broad-range economic, cultural, and social objectives to ensure no need for a test. While leveraging the free trade agreements, various IMP work permits are available, allowing Mexicans and people from other nations to work in Canada, mainly through a youth mobility agreement. Also, IMP enables spouses and international student graduates to acquire work permits!
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