For employers
LMIA-Exempt Options
The International Mobility Program lets employers hire without an LMIA when a statutory or policy exemption applies — trade agreements, intra-company transfers, significant benefit, francophone mobility, and more. The exemption must genuinely fit, and officers test it. We confirm the category, prepare the offer of employment, and build the worker's application to match.
Who it's for
- Multinational companies transferring executives, managers, or specialized-knowledge staff
- Employers hiring citizens of the US or Mexico in CUSMA professional occupations
- Businesses hiring French-speaking workers outside Quebec under francophone mobility
- Entrepreneurs and self-employed applicants building a C11 significant-benefit case
- Employers of researchers, academics, and workers under other trade agreements (CETA, CPTPP, UK)
- HR teams unsure whether a candidate's situation fits any exemption at all
Common scenarios
Transferring a key employee
Your foreign entity needs its operations lead or a specialized-knowledge expert in Canada. We verify the corporate relationship, the employee's qualifying year, and the specialized-knowledge or executive criteria — which officers now apply strictly.
US or Mexican professional
The candidate's occupation appears on the CUSMA professionals list. We confirm the credential match and prepare a clean application — often processable at the border for eligible applicants.
No exemption after all
You hoped to avoid an LMIA, but nothing fits. We tell you early and pivot to the LMIA route with no time lost — the wrong exemption claim is slower than the right LMIA.
Evidence checklist
- Corporate documents proving the qualifying relationship between entities (ICT): ownership charts, registrations
- Evidence of the worker's one year of full-time qualifying employment in the last three (ICT)
- Detailed description of specialized knowledge or executive/managerial duties
- Degree, licence, and credential evidence matching the CUSMA occupation list requirements
- Proof of citizenship for trade-agreement categories
- Business plan and premises evidence for new-office transfers and C11 cases
- Offer of employment submitted through the IRCC Employer Portal with the compliance fee
- Wage evidence consistent with the mainstream rate for the occupation
Exact requirements vary by program and profile — treat this as a planning baseline, not advice on your specific file.
Process overview
Exemption mapping
We test the facts against every plausible IMP category and identify the strongest exemption code — or tell you plainly that none applies.
Employer Portal filing
We prepare the offer of employment with the correct exemption code, wage data, and job details, and pay the compliance fee.
Worker application build
We assemble the worker's permit application with the evidence officers test for that category — corporate proof for ICT, credentials for CUSMA, benefit arguments for C11.
Filing strategy
We choose the strongest processing route available — port of entry for eligible nationals, or the online application — and manage it to decision.
Risks & common mistakes
Labelling ordinary company knowledge as 'specialized knowledge' for an ICT.
Officers apply the specialized-knowledge test strictly, including proprietary knowledge and an advanced level of expertise — and scrutiny has tightened. Build the evidence, or choose a different category.
Skipping the Employer Portal offer of employment before the worker applies.
IMP applications require the offer number and compliance fee first. Filing out of order causes refusals and returned applications.
Assuming any degree satisfies a CUSMA professional category.
Each listed occupation has specific credential requirements. Match the candidate's actual credentials against the list before promising a start date.
Forgetting that IMP employers face the same inspections as LMIA employers.
Wages, conditions, and record-keeping obligations attach to the offer of employment. LMIA-exempt does not mean compliance-exempt.
Related pathways
Frequently asked questions
Next step
Confirm the exemption before you build the plan on it.
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.