The two, in their multiple recommendations to the government in 2017, had postulated the need for a thorough revamp in the whole process. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s request entailed using online applications “with streamlined forms.”
CFIB, which coincidentally spoke about the tribulations of SMEs hiring foreign talents, released a report detailing the struggles they go through on TFWP. The normal process, according to the Federation’s Corinne Pohlmann, was “lengthy, complicated, and expensive.”
In the wake of the new pilot project, Pohlmann is, however, upbeat that its arrival is a step in the right direction. She told CIC News that, even though it could still need to be improved, users will hopefully get “answers in a better way.”
The new platform is a massive sigh of relief to employers who have always bemoaned the inefficiencies of the previous system. For them, tracking LMIA applications was a tall order, not to mention the pain of waiting for between three and 12 months to hear from the government.
Yet, they couldn’t do anything without this vital document because, in Canada, employers can’t hire a foreigner before producing it. The Labour Market Impact Assessment is a certification that the business owner is free to hire a non-native because a local isn’t available to handle the job.
The document proves that no permanent resident is willing to take up the position, and thus hiring a foreigner is justified. The standard fee per application is $1,000, and it is never refunded, even when the government turns down the request.
Besides the long, tedious wait time, employers also loathe the fact that they never receive the reason behind the rejection. And that often leaves them confused, perhaps unable to decide whether to reapply or not.
That’s why the Canadian Federation of Independent Business had always asked for a reduction in the average wait time and an improvement in communication. To Pohlmann, the authorities ought to still factor in and even implement these two points in the new platform.
