The desire to welcome global talent and promote social and economic objectives has made Canada issue hundreds of thousands work permits globally each year. The work permits enables the foreign workers sustain Canada’s labor market needs, strengthen the cultural ties and keep families together. Hence, Canada gives permit pathways that are more than 100. These two pathways are categorized into two programs.
a) They are the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
b) International Mobility Program.
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
As the name suggests, the work of the Temporary Worker Program is to address cases of labor shortages in Canada. Notably, the Canadian government requires that employers should clearly show details while hiring a foreign worker because of the minimum qualified workers in Canada
Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
After reporting the number of foreign workers employed, there is the need to proof the competency of the foreign workers and this is done at the Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This confirmation is done to ensure that foreign workers issue work permits to the department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Moreover, the International Mobility Program (IMP) improves the Canada’s economic and social interest by allowing foreign workers registered here to apply for IRCC. However, it is not mandatory for a foreign worker to be registered under LMIA, hence foreign workers willing to travel to Canada to work for a short period can do so.
The increase in pathways that fall under the IMP results from free trade agreements and domestic policy interest in Canada, such as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) that permits Mexican and American nationals to comfortably work in Canada without the LMIA. Further, the youths globally are able to work in Canada under the IMP as a result of the youth Mobility agreement between industrialized nations and Canada. International graduates, eligible partners and spouses can also obtain work permits under the IMP because Canada wants to allow them get local work experience so that they can support themselves financially during their stay in Canada.
How do I get a Canadian work permit under the TFWP?
Easy. Acquiring the work permit under the TFWP is initiated by the employer and should ensure that there is a vacancy that stipulates there is no suitable Canadian worker can do the job. Thereafter, the employer applies for an LMIA for assessment that should either be neutral or positive. Upon completion, the foreign worker submits the LMIA letter, job offer letter and every supporting document to IRCC to get a work permit. It is worth noting that every work permit under the TFWP is “closed” meaning that it is employer specific. A closed permit necessitates that a foreign worker should only work for the employer that hired them and for a specific time approved by the Canadian government.
