Apply for LMIA Based WP from Outside Canada: Document Checklist

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that an employer in Canada must usually get before hiring a foreign worker.

An LMIA assesses whether there are Canadians available to do the job. A positive LMIA will show that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job and that no Canadian worker can do the job. A positive LMIA is sometimes called a Confirmation letter.

Your proposed employer would have received the LMIA from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

If you were married in Canada:

You must have a marriage certificate issued by the province or territory where the marriage took place.

If you were married outside Canada:

The marriage must be valid under the law of the country where it took place and under Canadian law.

A marriage performed in an embassy or consulate must comply with the law of the host country where it took place, not the country of nationality of the embassy or consulate.

You must provide an employment reference letter (an up-to-date reference from current or past employers). If you have had more than two employers in the last two years, please provide a letter from both employers.

Reference letters must be written on company letterhead, show the company’s full address and telephone and fax numbers, and be stamped with the company’s official seal.

The letter should include all of the following information:

• the specific period of your employment with the company
• the positions you held during the period of employment and the time spent in each position
• full details of your main responsibilities in each position
• your total annual salary plus benefits
• the signature of your immediate supervisor or the personnel officer at the company
• a business card of the person signing

You must provide a police certificate from this country or territory. We use police certificates to find out if you have a criminal record. They help us make sure you are not a security risk to Canada.