The Canada work permit, or Temporary Foreign Worker Work Program (TFWP), is ideal for securing job opportunities for immigrants, foreign skilled workers, and experienced and trained youth. The skilled trade or occupation selected by the candidate should be mentioned in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) list, which is a national system of classifying jobs into skill categories. Granted for a period of two years, the Canada work permit is considered valid if it is supported by a copy of a positive or neutral Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and a valid job offer, both of which are provided in the name of the eligible applicant by a specific Canadian employer. To successfully obtain a Canada work visa, interested applicants must understand the LMIA work permit processing time. It takes time to obtain a Canada work permit because obtaining a copy of the LMIA is a lengthy and legal process. Read on to understand more about the work permit, the Canada LMIA processing time, and the documents that need to be submitted for the same.
The Canada work permit is a legal document that allows foreign skilled workers, immigrants, and selected applicants to work and live in a specific Canadian province for a set period of time. Interested applicants must understand the work permit eligibility criteria and the Canada LMIA processing time before applying for the visa. The work permit for Canada supported by a copy of LMIA helps Canadian employers to hire talented and efficient applicants, foreign skilled workers, and professionals who can fulfill the demands of local labor markets and industries in different Canadian provinces. In other words, foreign skilled workers, immigrants, and professionals contribute a lot to the Canadian economy.
As per news reports, every year, as many as 300,000 foreign skilled workers and immigrants get TFWP, also called the W1 Worker Visa. It is a known fact that Canada is facing issues of hiring and retaining efficient manpower due to its growing aging population and an increasing number of people reaching retirement age. This left the Canadian employer with the only solution of hiring foreign skilled workers and professionals by facilitating them LMIA supported Canada work permits.
Issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the Canadian employer receives a copy of the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) after completing the process of publishing and advertising the job vacancy in different newspapers, magazines, channels, job portals, employment exchanges, and other virtual platforms for at least one month. A positive or neutral LMIA is issued by ESDC only if the Canadian employer proves that no right or ideal candidates are available for the particular job vacancy among the local population, Canadian citizens, and residents. The ESDC issues a copy of a positive LMIA in the name of a foreign skilled worker, immigrant, professional, or trained youth. This shows that Canada LMIA processing time is lengthy and requires official approval before hiring a qualified foreign skilled worker or immigrant.
The Canadian employer must provide a copy of the LMIA and a valid job offer to the selected candidate to speed up the LMIA work permit processing time. A copy of a positive or neutral LMIA in the name of a foreign skilled worker or immigrant shows that hiring professionals from other countries will not impact employment or the job market in Canada. Hence, the Canada work permit is considered an assured gateway to migrate with a job in hand. Getting the groundwork for the work permits done in advance always helps reduce LMIA Canada processing time. For hassle-free Canada LMIA processing time, interested applicants must start their journey by seeking the right guidance and support from a trusted and respected worthy Canadian immigration consultant.
The processing period for an LMIA may take a few months (three months or more), depending on the case file and documents submitted by the applicant. After being assured by the Canadian employer that there is no ideal candidate for a job position among local residents, the office of ESDC thoroughly evaluates the applications (personal and professional profiles) of the selected foreign skilled workers. If satisfied after the entire process, the ESDC issues a copy of the LMIA to the Canadian employer. This kind of LMIA is known as an employer-specific LMIA.
The LMIA is issued for three categories -
Before beginning the application process, applicants must prepare a checklist of mandatory documents with the assistance of a reliable immigration consultant to speed up the Canada LMIA processing time and have the Canada work permit application on fast-track mode. For easy and smooth LMIA Canada processing time, the below-mentioned list of documents should be available to applicants -
Applicants must also pay an application fee for the processing of a work permit in Canada. This non-refundable fee may change every year, and the amount of the fee totally depends on the visa category, nationality, and mode of application opted for by the applicant. The processing fee can be paid online or offline, depending on the applicants' preferences. Applicants must know that processing applications through VFS Global requires additional fees and service charges.
| Application Category | Charges Applicable (in CAD) |
| Work Permit – per person under TFWP | 85 CAD |
| Open Work Permit Holder (for international students studying in Canadian universities) | 255 CAD |
| Work Permit – for a group of 3 or more artists | 170 CAD |
The office of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may call applicants for physical meetings and interviews at offices located in Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata, and Mumbai. Offline applications for Canada work permits can be made through the Canada Visa Application Centre (CVAC) managed by VFS Global in various Indian cities, including New Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Jalandhar, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.
The Canada LMIA processing time should be thoroughly explained by a reputable immigration consultant such as Signature Visas. For a trouble-free migration, Canadian immigration applicants should seek the correct guidance and support on the LMIA work permit processing time from such experts. With the help of apt guidance, the applicants can successfully migrate to Canada as early as possible. Call us at +91-9911659888/9911759888.
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