Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA, acts as a license for your employer in Canada to hire you. In past times, it was known as Labour Market Opinion. With the change in a few policies and definitions, it came to be known as LMIA in its present form. Employment and Social Development Canada is the organization concerned with the assessment of the Labour Market Impact. For every employer to hire a foreign national, they need to get LMIA done and need to get a positive report for the same.
There are various points that the organization considers before giving out a positive or negative report. They raise some ground-level questions related to :
- Salary consistency in accordance with the job location and sector.
- The working conditions the foreign national is going to be exposed to.
- Availability/Unavailability of a Canadian citizen for the same job which is being offered to the foreigner.
- The capability of the foreign national to contribute to the knowledge transfer to the Canadian citizens.
- The wage and the terms of employment for the employee being hired.
The probability of getting a positive LMIA is higher when the employee being hired has a specialization and a high package. Getting a positive LMIA report is not that tough anyway. Ultimately, the ESDC issues the LMIA, after which the applicant can go for their work permit.
Getting a work permit in Canada thus depends on how easily and efficiently you are able to get the clearance on LMIA. When you apply for a work permit in Canada, you need to have an offer letter, a job contract, and the LMIA with you.