For both employers and transient workers, finding a job or hiring temporary employees is not always easy. But there are two federal government programs that can help – the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program and the International Mobility Program (IMP). Advantages and disadvantages of each.
The International Mobility Program (IMP) “allows employers to hire foreign temporary workers without Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA),” according to the Government of Canada website. The criteria that determine the obligation to have a LMIA are based on “greater competition for Canada economically, culturally or otherwise, as well as mutual benefits for Canadians and permanent residents,” the government site describes.
The employer must also pay a fee of $230 as well as present a job offer through a government platform – the Employer Portal. Once the offer has been made, the employer will receive an offer number that it can provide to the worker it wants to hire. He will then have to fill in an application for a work permit. If he is eligible, he will then have to provide “a letter of introduction, if he is outside Canada, or a new work permit, if he resides in Canada or present his application at the time of entry into Canada.”
The Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program requires a Labour Market Impact Assessment, if “the assessment reveals that hiring a Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) will have a positive or neutral effect on the Canadian labour market.”
The IMP offers more general jobs with salaries that can be variable. Note that in either case, if the employer does not complete the appropriate applications and does not ensure that its temporary workers have the permits required to be hired in their business, access to these two programs may be suspended or revoked, with penalties noted in their file.
Finally, for newcomers who want to stay in Canada for the longer term, or even embark in business, there is the ACEM, a financing and support organization for professional immigrants who have business projects… Good to know!