Study, work and visit · ESDC · Service CanadaOpen
Labour Market Impact Assessment
For employers: high-wage, low-wage and Global Talent Stream
The assessment an employer needs from Service Canada before hiring a foreign worker. The wage sets the stream; recruit in Canada first, then apply.
- LMIA processing fee, per position
- C$1,000
- Official processing time
- High-wage 90 business days, low-wage 82, GTS 10 (August 2026 average)canada.ca · 2026-09-10
- canada.ca · fee list · modified 2026-09-18canada.ca · 2026-10-02
Stages
Stages and steps
- 01Agreements5 steps
- 02Stream3 steps
- 03Recruit in Canada3 steps
- 04Plan and terms4 steps
- 05Submit and pay2 steps
- 06Decision2 steps
- 07Worker's permit3 steps
- 08Close2 steps
Each short bar is one step.
Who qualifies
Eligibility
- 01At or above the B.C. threshold of C$38.40 an hour is high-wage; below is low-wage
- 02Pay the prevailing wage: the higher of the Job Bank median and current employees' pay
- 03Complete the required recruitment in Canada first
Our fee
Our fee
A · GuidedC$2,700You gather the documents, the system checks, a licensed consultant reviews four times
B · Full serviceC$3,800The team handles every step, with a monthly progress call
GST included, government fees excluded. Full price list
In figuresGovernment fees, to one scale
Government fees, to one scale
Each fee is shown on its own, to one scale, not added up.
Government fees fromcanada.ca · fee list · modified 2026-09-18Process · 8 stages, 24 steps
The process
- 01Agreements
- 02Stream
- 03Recruit in Canada
- 04Plan and terms
- 05Submit and pay
- 06Decision
- 07Worker's permit
- 08Close
Once you sign, this is your progress in the client portal: every step with its documents, official forms and government fees. Gold diamonds are the licensed consultant's reviews.