Canada has announced a new LMIA-exempt work permit for select tech companies in the country. The new work permit has been introduced under the Innovation Stream of the International Mobility Program (IMP).

The Innovation Stream is one of the four pillars of this Tech Talent Strategy, which was launched in 2023 to attract skilled talent to help Canada grow as a global tech leader, says a CIC News report.

Some skilled foreign workers are now eligible to apply for an employer-specific work permit if they get a job offer from any of the employers participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project.

This includes eight selected companies that the government has identified as industry leaders and innovators with considerable potential. Eligible workers will be able to receive a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exempt work permit.

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What is LMIA?

An LMIA is a document required by the government of Canada to support the issuance of some employer-specific work permits. The document is issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and assesses the impact of hiring a foreign worker on the Canadian labour market. For an LMIA to support an employer-specific work permit the document must return a “positive” or “neutral” result.

Who is eligible?
To qualify for a work permit under the Innovation Stream, applicants must:

• Have a job offer from an employer participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project (GHP);
• Have a job offer in a high-skilled occupation, which includes positions within the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) categories 0, 1, 2, or 3; and
• Possess the necessary education and experience specified in the employment requirements section of the NOC for the occupation they intend to work in.

This stream is open to eligible applicants both inside and outside of Canada.

Applicants may also qualify for faster processing times of their work permits, if the occupation they have been hired for falls under TEER categories 0 or 1 of the NOC.

The NOC system is used to describe and categorise occupations in Canada. The TEER rankings further group jobs by the training, education, experience, and responsibilities required to perform the role adequately.

Before applicants submit their application to the innovation stream, their employers must:

1. Submit an offer of employment;
2. Pay a $230 CAD employer compliance fee; and
3. Give the employee (or potential employee) an offer of employment number.

Selected Companies:

• Ada Support Inc.
• AlayaCare
• CellCarta
• Clarius Mobile Health
• Clio
• Duchesnay Pharmaceutical Group (DPG)
• Lightspeed Commerce
• Vive Crop Protection