LMIA and work permit compared
| Item | LMIA | Work permit |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) | Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) |
| Applicant | The Canadian employer | The foreign worker |
| What it is | A document showing the need to hire a foreign worker | Permission to work in Canada |
| Lets you work | No | Yes, under the permit's conditions |
| Government fee | C$1,000 per position, paid by the employer | C$155 per person |
After a positive LMIA, the employer sends the LMIA letter and Annex A to the worker, who applies to IRCC for a work permit. IRCC assesses that application separately and issues a permit if the assessment is positive.
Source: ESDC, next steps after an LMIA; IRCC, fee list, checked 2026-10-17.
Open and employer-specific permits
- Open work permit: lets you work for almost any employer in Canada, and the employer does not need an LMIA. Excluded are employers on the non-compliant list and employers that regularly offer striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages. Common types include the post-graduation work permit (PGWP), permits for spouses of international students, and permits for permanent residence applicants and their family members.
- Employer-specific (closed) work permit: names the employer, location and occupation, and you may work only under those conditions until it expires. Most jobs need an LMIA; some are LMIA-exempt.
Source: IRCC, open work permits; IRCC, employer-specific work permits, checked 2026-10-17.
High-wage and low-wage positions
If the wage offered is at or above the province's threshold, the employer applies under the high-wage stream; below it, under the low-wage stream. The B.C. threshold is C$36.60 an hour for LMIAs received from 2025-06-27 to 2026-07-16, and C$38.40 an hour for LMIAs received from 2026-07-17.
- Low-wage positions are capped at 10% of foreign workers at a work location; some sectors and occupations have a 20% cap.
- Since 2024-09-26, ESDC does not process low-wage LMIA applications in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.
Source: ESDC, high-wage or low-wage position; ESDC, low-wage requirements, checked 2026-10-17.
The employer pays the LMIA fee
The LMIA processing fee is C$1,000 for each position. It cannot be paid by or recovered from the foreign worker. The employer must also make sure that no one recruiting for it charges or recovers recruitment fees from the worker, directly or indirectly.
Source: ESDC, low-wage requirements, checked 2026-10-17.
LMIAs and Express Entry
The current Comprehensive Ranking System grid gives no points for a job offer. IRCC has announced that from 2026-11-03 it changes how points are awarded for valid job offers: a job offer will no longer need an LMIA, and having an LMIA will not give more CRS points or priority. IRCC has not published the new point values on that page. Where a job offer is already an eligibility requirement (Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades), that does not change; the Canadian Experience Class does not require a job offer.
Source: IRCC, Express Entry job offers; IRCC, CRS criteria, checked 2026-10-17.
Common questions
Once the employer has an LMIA, is the work permit certain?
No. The LMIA concerns the employer and the job; IRCC assesses the work permit application separately and issues the permit only if that assessment is positive.
I hold an employer-specific permit and want to change employer. What do I do?
Apply for a new work permit. After applying, you can use IRCC's web form to ask to work for the new employer while the application is processed; IRCC aims to reply by email in about 10 to 15 days, and that email is not a work permit. If you have lost your job, get a new job offer and apply, and do not work for any employer until the new permit is approved or you receive a work authorization email.
Source: IRCC, changing jobs or employers, checked 2026-10-17.
Details are on the LMIA page.