work in canada

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) allows Canadian employers the ability to temporarily hire foreign nationals in order to fill shortages in Canada’s labour force. The TFWP is jointly operated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

To work in Canada as a temporary foreign worker, you will need an Employer-specific work permit.

An employer-specific work permit lets you work in Canada according to the conditions on your work permit, such as

• the name of the specific employer you can work for
• how long you can work
• the location where you can work (if applicable)

Before you apply for an employer-specific work permit, your employer must give you

• a copy of your employment contract
• 1 of the following:
  • a copy of a labour market impact assessment (LMIA)
  • an offer of employment number (for LMIA-exempt workers)
    • To get this number, your employer must use the Employer Portal.

If your employer does not need to use the Employer Portal to submit an offer of employment, they must give you a copy of the employment contract.

Mercan Group of Companies has several job orders in Canada but are limited to the following:

• Restaurant managers/supervisors
• Cooks
• Long-haul Truck Drivers
• Meat cutters
• Farm workers
• Grocery clerks
• Machinists
• Welders
• Mechanics
• Construction workers

We regularly conduct manpower pooling for the above and other occupations from time to time. Please be aware that you will be contacted by our offices, ONLY when we have a suitable job offer for you.

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

Employers of some types of temporary workers need to get a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before the worker applies for a work permit. An LMIA is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada that gives the employer permission to hire a temporary worker.

A positive LMIA will show that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job. It will also show that no Canadian worker or permanent resident is available to do the job.  A positive LMIA is sometimes called a confirmation letter.
If the employer needs an LMIA, they must apply for one.  Once an employer gets the LMIA, the worker can apply for a work permit. To apply for a work permit, a worker needs:

• a job offer letter
• a contract
• a copy of the LMIA, and
• the LMIA number

Mercan has been in the business of assisting Canadian employers for 20 years.  We have the expertise and solutions for your company’s workforce needs.  We have a streamlined process for foreign worker recruitment in different industries. 

If you are a Canadian employer and would like to hire foreign workers, please complete our employer inquiry form below and one of our recruitment consultants will contact you.

The International Mobility Program (IMP) enables Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers without the need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). While most employers hiring foreign workers will require an LMIA, there are certain circumstances where LMIA-exemptions exist. These LMIA exemptions are based on the following conditions:

• broader economic, cultural or other competitive advantages for Canada; and
• reciprocal benefits enjoyed by Canadians and permanent residents.

In order to hire a foreign worker through the IMP, a Canadian employer must follow three steps:

• Confirm the position or worker in question qualifies for an LMIA-exemption;
• Pay the employer compliance fee of $230 CAD;
• Submit the official job offer through the IMP’s Employer Portal.

Spouses of common-law partners may be eligible for open work permits if:

• you are a full-time student at:
  • a public post-secondary institution, such as a college or university or collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) in Quebec
  • a private post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as a public institution, and receives at least 50 percent of its financing for its overall operations from government grants (currently, only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec qualify) or
  • a Canadian private institution authorized by provincial statute to confer degrees
• you have a valid study permit work permits are valid for the same period of time as your study permit.

Note: Accompanying spouses or common-law partners of foreign students are eligible for an open work permit, which means they do not need a job offer or a labour market opinion from Service Canada.