Simplifying Success: Quebec’s Facilitated LMIA Pathway
A Facilitated Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a process for employers in the province of Quebec to hire foreign workers in certain designated occupations without having to go through the traditional LMIA process.
The Facilitated LMIA is available for certain occupations in Quebec that are experiencing labour shortages. Employers must meet certain criteria, such as demonstrating that they have made efforts to recruit Canadian citizens and permanent residents first and that they will provide fair wages and working conditions to the foreign worker.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation, et de l’Intégration (MIFI) signed a memorandum of understanding to allow employers to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to fill specific positions without having to include proof of recruitment efforts. The agreement went into force on February 24, 2012, and contains an annual list of specialized employment opportunities.
The wages given for employment will decide whether you need to apply for an LMIA under the stream for high-wage occupations or the stream for low-wage ones, both with their own requirements, under the facilitated procedure, as with the rest of the Program.
Target occupations – An employer must establish that the position is on Quebec’s List of Occupations before submitting an application for a facilitated LMIA. The list of qualified vocations changes based on where the employer is situated in Quebec.
Minimum advertising requirements – Target occupations – Employers who apply through the streamlined LMIA procedure are no longer needed to present evidence of recruitment activities. They should, however, continue to make every attempt to hire Canadian citizens or permanent residents before making a job offer to a foreign national.
Work duration – When no Canadians or permanent residents are available, the Program permits you to engage TFWs for a maximum of three years as part of the assisted process. The employment tenure must correspond to the employer’s reasonable employment requirements. In unusual cases, if the employer shows appropriate justification, the period may be extended.
How to apply?
- Submit the appropriate documentation to the Service Canada Processing Centre:
- Submit the following documents to the MIFI:
- Once ESDC and the MIFI have issued a positive LMIA, the employer must: