Where should we start if we've never hired internationally?

With a role-by-role classification: what's the occupation, what wage applies, and does an LMIA-exempt category genuinely fit before defaulting to the LMIA process. That single step usually determines timeline, cost, and complexity more than any other decision you'll make.

Do you work with our internal HR or legal team, or replace them?

We work alongside them. Most employers keep their own HR and, where relevant, corporate or employment counsel — we handle the immigration-specific strategy, filings, and compliance systems, and coordinate directly with your team rather than operating in isolation.

Can you support hiring across multiple provinces or locations?

Yes. Wage thresholds, provincial nominee employer streams, and some compliance rules vary by location, so a multi-site employer needs those differences tracked deliberately rather than assumed to be uniform. We build one standard that still respects provincial variation.

What does an ongoing engagement look like versus a single hire?

A single hire is typically project-based: classify, file, and see it through to a permit. An ongoing program adds standing systems — renewal calendars, wage-review checkpoints, and a compliance file kept current between hires — so your risk doesn't reset to zero with every new employee.

Can you guarantee our applications will be approved?

No — LMIA, Employer Portal, and permit decisions rest with ESDC and IRCC, not with us. What we provide is a process built to the standard those regulators actually expect, and honesty with you whenever a route isn't realistic for a given role.

For employers

Employer Immigration Services

Canadian employers hiring internationally are navigating several overlapping systems at once — LMIA, the International Mobility Program's exemption categories, the Global Talent Stream, intra-company transfers, provincial nominee employer streams, and the compliance regime that follows every hire. We act as your immigration function: one point of contact across every route, so the hire, the retention plan, and the paper trail all hold up together.

Short answer

Employers hiring foreign workers in Canada typically need to navigate several overlapping systems at once — LMIA, International Mobility Program exemptions, the Global Talent Stream, intra-company transfers, and the compliance regime that follows every hire. Which combination of routes fits depends on the roles being filled, the company's structure, and its growth plans. Coordinating these as one program, rather than one-off filings, is usually what keeps wage tracking and records inspection-ready as hiring scales. ESDC and IRCC decide every filing on its own facts.

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Who it's for

HR and talent teams building or scaling an international hiring program
Employers unsure whether a role needs an LMIA or fits an LMIA-exempt category
Tech and innovation employers evaluating the Global Talent Stream for specialized roles
Multinational companies transferring executives or specialized-knowledge staff to a Canadian entity
Employers supporting a valued foreign worker's transition to permanent residence
Businesses that want one compliance standard across multiple hires, roles, or locations

Common scenarios

Building the hiring program from scratch

You've made your first international offer and don't yet have a repeatable process. We map every route open to your business and set up a system your HR team can actually run.

Scaling past one-off hires

You're now hiring internationally every quarter, across LMIA, exempt, and transfer routes at once. We standardize the process so each new hire doesn't start from zero.

Retention and compliance together

You want your existing foreign workers to stay — and your compliance file to survive an inspection regardless. We plan permit renewals, PR support, and record-keeping as one connected system.

Evidence checklist

Business legitimacy documents: CRA registration, financial statements, proof of active operations
Detailed role descriptions with correct NOC/TEER classification for every position being filled
Prevailing wage verification for LMIA roles, and mainstream-rate evidence for exempt categories
Recruitment records for any role requiring a labour market test
Corporate relationship documentation for intra-company transfers
Offer of employment filings through the IRCC Employer Portal, with compliance fees paid
A wage, hours, and conditions record for every current foreign worker on staff
A document retention system covering the six-year window regulators can inspect

Exact requirements vary by program and profile — treat this as a planning baseline, not advice on your specific file.

Process overview

Full-program assessment

We review your hiring needs across every open role and classify each one against LMIA, IMP exemptions, the Global Talent Stream, and ICT — before recommending a route.

Route-specific execution

For each hire, we run the correct process end to end: recruitment and LMIA filing, Employer Portal exemption filing, or the corporate documentation an ICT requires.

Worker-side coordination

We prepare or coordinate the worker's own permit application so the employer-side approval converts into an actual start date without avoidable delay.

Standing compliance system

We implement retention schedules, wage-review checkpoints, and change-control procedures so your program stays inspection-ready as it grows.

Risks & common mistakes

Defaulting to an LMIA for every hire without checking exemptions first.

Many roles genuinely qualify for LMIA-exempt categories — intra-company transfer, CUSMA, Global Skills Strategy, francophone mobility. Checking first can save months.

Running each hire as its own one-off project.

Without a standard process, wage tracking, contract language, and record-keeping drift between hires — exactly what an inspector notices first.

Treating LMIA-exempt as compliance-exempt.

Every offer of employment, exempt or not, carries wage, condition, and record-keeping obligations that ESDC and IRCC inspect for six years.

Losing valued workers to a permit-renewal gap.

Diarize expiries months ahead and plan the PR conversation early — replacing a trained employee costs far more than proactive immigration planning.

Related pathways

Employers Overview LMIA Support Employer Compliance Global Talent Stream Intra-Company Transfer

Frequently asked questions

Next step

Let's build your employer immigration program properly.

Every file starts with an honest assessment: what you qualify for, what the evidence needs to show, and what the realistic timeline looks like. We prepare the strongest possible application — and we're direct with you about risk, because the final decision on every application rests with the officer, never with us.

Tell us about your situation

We review every enquiry and reply within one business day.