Hire a temporary worker through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program: Apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment
On this page
Before you apply
Employers cannot informally transfer temporary foreign workers from one employer to another or share them between employers. Transferring or sharing temporary foreign workers informally contravenes sections 124(1)(c) and 125 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and imprisonment.
Hiring temporary foreign workers in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia
If you’re hiring temporary foreign workers in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Nova Scotia, you must apply for the employer registration certificate with the province first and include a copy of the certificate or proof of exemption with your LMIA application. Your application will be considered incomplete if submitted without the required documentation. Be sure to consider provincial processing before you submit your LMIA application.
For more information on provincial laws on the employer registration requirement and possible exemptions in the province, visit the following websites:
- British Columbia:
- Manitoba:
- Saskatchewan:
- Nova Scotia:
Hiring temporary foreign workers in Quebec
For positions in Quebec for an employment period of more than 30 consecutive days:
- LMIA applications must be submitted at the same time to Service Canada and Quebec's Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) (French only)
- failure to do so may have an impact on the processing of your application
- all applications must be submitted to the MIFI in the format requested by the provincial government
For more information, consult Hiring in the province of Quebec.
Note:
On May 12, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a temporary public policy. The new policy allows some temporary foreign workers who are already in Canada to change jobs before a final decision is made on their work permit application.
Employers hiring these temporary foreign workers may receive priority processing of the LMIA applications. To do so, employers must notify Service Canada in writing that the temporary foreign worker:
- is in Canada, and
- wishes to benefit from IRCC's COVID-19 temporary public policy
How to apply
Apply using LMIA Online. It’s a reliable and secure portal where you can complete and submit online LMIA applications to Service Canada.
Your LMIA application can be submitted up to 6 months before the expected job start date.
Before signing into LMIA Online
You need a Job Bank for employers account to use LMIA Online. For instructions, consult Before you get started.
Submitting your application using LMIA Online
- Sign into LMIA Online using the same log-in information you use to access your Job Bank for employers account
- Create, fill out and submit your LMIA application from the Employer Dashboard
- Upload any required documents
- Pay the processing fee (if applicable)
If you don’t have access to LMIA Online, head to LMIA Online resources for troubleshooting steps.
Apply nowMake changes to your pending application
If you need to make changes to your application once submitted, and before the LMIA decision is made, contact the appropriate Service Canada processing centre or the Employer Contact Centre to modify your application and avoid processing delays.
If you need to change the stream you had originally selected, withdraw your application and reapply under the new stream. Processing fees aren’t refunded and cannot be transferred to your new application.