Labour Market Impact Assessment valid for a maximum period of six months
Exceptions
This unnamed LMIA option does not apply to all Program streams and is not offered in all provinces/territories.
All provinces and territories
An unnamed LMIA application can only be submitted for available positions in:
- Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program
- Agricultural stream (except for positions in Quebec)
- Caregiver Program (except for positions in Quebec)
- Low-wage stream (except for positions in Quebec)
- High-wage stream (except for positions in Quebec)
Quebec
An LMIA application that does not include the names of the workers cannot be submitted unless the duration of the position is 30 days or less and in one of these streams:
- Agricultural stream
- Caregiver Program
- Low-wage stream
- High-wage stream
Note: In Quebec, employment offers 30 days or less do not require approval from the ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI).
How to apply
The process for an unnamed LMIA application consists of:
- The employer submits an LMIA application without completing the “Foreign Worker Information” section or by indicating “Unnamed” in that section
- The application must be accompanied by all supporting documentation as the assessment is the same as a standard LMIA application
- The employer must continue to make efforts to recruit Canadians and permanent residents until the names of the TFWs have been provided
- ESDC/Service Canada verifies that the LMIA application meets the criteria for an unnamed LMIA, and assesses the application according to the Program requirements
- If the result of the assessment is positive, a positive LMIA letter labelled “Unnamed LMIA” will be sent to the employer for a given number of positions, and a specific period of employment
- As soon as the TFWs have been identified, the employer must complete and submit the form “Request to add or remove a name on an LMIA” to ESDC/Service Canada
- ESDC/Service Canada will add the names of the TFWs into the system and issue an official positive LMIA letter to the employer within 5 to 10 business days. The official positive LMIA letter will include the same expiry date as the unnamed positive LMIA letter
TFWs must apply for a work permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before the expiry date of the positive LMIA. Their applications for a work permit must include a copy of the official positive LMIA letter, the annexes, and the employment contract.
