For employers
Hire Foreign Workers
Hiring a foreign worker is a regulatory process with real liability attached — wage rules, recruitment requirements, compliance inspections, and penalties for getting it wrong. We run the process end to end: choosing between LMIA and exempt routes, preparing defensible filings, and keeping your obligations documented after the hire.
Who it's for
- Employers with a hard-to-fill role considering the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- Companies that may qualify for LMIA-exempt hiring through the International Mobility Program
- HR teams managing their first foreign-worker hire who need the process mapped
- Multi-location businesses standardizing how they hire and retain foreign workers
- Employers whose current foreign workers need permit renewals or PR support to stay
- Businesses that have received — or want to avoid — an ESDC or IRCC compliance inspection
Common scenarios
Can't fill the role locally
You've recruited genuinely and come up short. We assess LMIA feasibility for the wage and region under current stream rules, and run recruitment and filing to ESDC's standard.
Candidate may be LMIA-exempt
Your candidate is an intra-company transferee, a CUSMA professional, or fits another IMP category. We confirm the exemption and file the offer of employment correctly through the Employer Portal.
Retention problem
A valued worker's permit expires next year and they want PR. We plan renewals and employer-supported PR routes so you don't lose them to a paperwork gap.
Evidence checklist
- Business legitimacy documents: CRA registration, financials, and proof of active operations
- Detailed job description with NOC/TEER classification, wage, and location
- Recruitment records: postings, platforms, applicant counts, and interview outcomes
- Prevailing wage verification for the occupation and region
- Transition plan (high-wage LMIA) or cap calculations (low-wage LMIA) where applicable
- Corporate relationship documents for intra-company transfers
- Offer of employment details for the IRCC Employer Portal, plus the compliance fee
- Records of wages, hours, and working conditions for existing foreign workers
Exact requirements vary by program and profile — treat this as a planning baseline, not advice on your specific file.
Process overview
Route and feasibility
We classify the role, check wage thresholds and stream restrictions, and determine whether LMIA, an exempt category, or a different hire structure fits.
Recruitment and filing
We run the required recruitment correctly, then prepare the LMIA or Employer Portal filing with the documentation officers expect.
Worker's permit application
We prepare the worker's application so the employer-side approval converts into an actual permit without avoidable refusals.
Compliance file
We set up your retention and monitoring system — wages, conditions, records — so a future inspection finds a documented, compliant employer.
Risks & common mistakes
Posting job ads that don't meet TFWP recruitment requirements.
Duration, platforms, and content are all prescribed. Deficient recruitment is a leading cause of LMIA refusal — run it to specification from day one.
Paying below the prevailing wage or letting wages drift after approval.
Wage commitments are enforceable conditions verified at inspection. Review wages at every renewal and whenever provincial medians are updated.
Changing the worker's duties, hours, or location without advice.
Conditions on the LMIA or offer of employment bind you. Material changes may require new filings — check before you reorganize.
Treating compliance as done once the worker starts.
ESDC and IRCC inspect employers for six years after each period of employment. Keep records as if the inspection letter arrives tomorrow.
Related pathways
Frequently asked questions
Next step
Hire internationally with a process that survives scrutiny.
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.