Keeping foreign workers

The worker must apply to extend or change their work permit if you want to employ them past its expiry date, substantially change their occupation, wages or conditions (such as work location), or hire them after they worked in Canada for a different employer. Before they apply, what you must do depends on whether the job needs an LMIA. If it does, apply for a new LMIA as soon as possible (in Quebec you may also need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate, CAQ) and give the worker a valid job offer and proof that you applied; the worker should not apply for the extension while the LMIA is pending unless their current permit expires in less than 2 weeks, and IRCC will not decide their application until your LMIA is decided. If the job is LMIA-exempt, submit a new offer of employment and pay the employer compliance fee. No offer of employment is needed if the worker has an open work permit or you are exempt from the employer compliance process, and the fee may not apply if the worker is exempt from the work permit processing fee.

In most cases, to hire a temporary worker through the International Mobility Program (LMIA-exempt), you must pay the employer compliance fee of $230 and create and submit an offer of employment form through the Employer Portal, with information about your business, the worker, the job details, and wages and benefits. You then receive an offer of employment number to give the worker, who needs it to apply. If the worker has an open work permit, you do not need to submit an offer of employment or pay the fee; some employers are exempt from the Employer Portal or the fee. The same steps apply when an LMIA-exempt worker extends or changes their permit (CORP-KEEP-001).

Service Canada may refuse to process an LMIA application for: positions above the cap on the proportion of low-wage positions (10% of the total workforce at a work location, or 20% for construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities and certain in-home caregiver positions); low-wage positions (wage below the provincial or territorial threshold) at a work location in a census metropolitan area (CMA) with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher when the application is submitted (applications submitted as of September 26, 2024; exempt: primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care, certain in-home caregivers, positions supporting permanent residence only, and truly temporary or highly mobile positions of generally 120 calendar days or less); in-home caregiver positions with a live-in requirement; any position if you had an LMIA revoked in the past 2 years; and certain low-wage positions in the Montréal and Laval economic regions. The CMA unemployment table is updated every 3 months (current rates apply to applications submitted from October 9, 2026 to January 7, 2027; next update January 8, 2027). Employers on IRCC's ineligibility list, or regularly offering striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massage, cannot get an LMIA processed.

A worker must apply to extend or change the conditions on their work permit if it will expire soon or they want to change employers or other conditions on it. IRCC says to apply at least 30 calendar days before the current permit expires and to consider the processing time for in-Canada work permit applications, which increases the chance that IRCC processes the application before, or shortly after, the current permit expires.

If a worker applies to extend their stay before their status ends, their authorized stay is extended by law until a decision is made (IRPR 183(5)), but only while they remain in Canada. A work permit holder who applied to extend their stay as a worker before the permit expired may keep working under the same conditions as the previous permit until the decision (IRPR 186(u)) if they remain in Canada; applying to extend as a visitor or student does not allow continued work. Online applications must be submitted before midnight UTC on the expiry date; paper applications received after expiry are backdated 7 days. Maintained status ends when the worker leaves Canada, and if they re-enter before the new permit is issued they may not resume work until the renewal is granted. If the extension is refused, the worker is in status until the day of the decision and the 90-day restoration period starts on the refusal date; an application rejected as incomplete is treated as never submitted. Temporary resident permit applicants do not get maintained status.

After an online extension application, IRCC sends a letter (WP-EXT, except for PGWP applicants) to the worker's account that proves they are authorized to keep working under the same conditions as their original permit until IRCC processes the application. The letter lists an expiry date 365 days from the date IRCC received the application; if IRCC has not decided by then, the worker can still keep working until a decision if the conditions are the same. No letter is issued if the worker applied after their permit expired, applied for their first work permit in Canada, or applied on paper; paper applicants who applied before expiry can show a copy of the application, proof of fee payment or postal or courier tracking. When IRCC approves the application, the worker can start working under the new conditions as soon as they receive IRCC's approval note, without waiting for the permit to arrive.

A worker with an employer-specific work permit who wants to change jobs or employers in Canada must apply for a new work permit, if eligible, and cannot start the new job until it is issued unless IRCC authorizes them to work while the application is processed. To ask, after applying for the new employer-specific permit the worker uses the IRCC web form with priority code PPCHANGEWORK2020; IRCC should respond in about 10 to 15 days (longer for paper applications), and the email is not a work permit. Business visitors and Global Skills Strategy short-term workers cannot use this. Open work permit holders can change employers at any time while their permit is valid. A worker who loses the job tied to their permit must stop working for any employer until the new permit is approved or IRCC sends a work authorization email.

If your company merges with or is taken over by another company, the new company takes responsibility for temporary workers at the business locations included if it becomes the successor in interest (taking over assets and liabilities) and takes over the part of the business that employs them. No new offer of employment or new work permit is needed if both companies run the same type of business and no work permit conditions change, including wages, job duties and work location. If the type of business, wages, duties or location change, affected workers need new permits and cannot keep working until they get them; the new employer must submit a new offer of employment for each worker or get an LMIA (if the job is not LMIA-exempt). Both companies should keep all documents about the merger or takeover for compliance inspections, and the new employer must submit a new offer to extend a worker's permit when it expires.

Since December 24, 2024 (from 11:59 pm ET on December 23), work and study permits are no longer provided at ports of entry to flagpolers (temporary residents who leave Canada and, after a visit to the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, re-enter to get immigration services); applications and renewals must be submitted to IRCC. Limited exemptions: citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States; professionals and technicians under free trade agreements with the United States/Mexico, Chile, Panama, Peru, Colombia and South Korea; spouses or common-law partners of professionals and technicians under the agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea; international truck drivers holding a work permit who must leave Canada for their employment and held maintained status from a renewal applied for before departure; and people with a pre-existing CBSA appointment for permit processing.

The expiry date on the work permit is the date the worker must stop working and, in most cases, the date their temporary resident status expires (a later "Must leave Canada by" date on the permit governs status). A worker who loses status must stop working; to stay and work again they must apply to restore their status and get a new work permit. IRCC must receive the restoration application no more than 90 days after status expired (online: before midnight UTC on day 90; a paper application received after the 90 days is dated 7 days earlier). The worker must have met the requirements of their stay (for example, no illegal work) and all conditions on the expired permit, and cannot be a temporary resident permit holder. They may stay while it is processed but normally cannot work until status is restored and a new permit is issued. After 90 days they must leave Canada and reapply from outside. Exception: a foreign worker applying for an open work permit with a support letter from a participating province or territory. Fees include restoration, work permit processing ($155), the open work permit holder fee ($100) if applicable and biometrics ($85) if needed. Restoration and the new permit are not assured; if refused, the worker must leave Canada.

Under section 124(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, every person commits an offence who employs a foreign national in a capacity in which the foreign national is not authorized to be employed. A person who fails to exercise due diligence to determine whether employment is authorized is deemed to know that it is not (s. 124(2)). Penalties (s. 125): on conviction on indictment, a fine of not more than $50,000, imprisonment of not more than 2 years, or both; on summary conviction, a fine of not more than $10,000, imprisonment of not more than 6 months, or both.

A post-graduation work permit (administrative code C43) may be issued for a minimum of 8 months up to a maximum of 3 years and cannot run past the passport's validity. PGWPs can be extended only when the full length could not be given at approval because the passport was expiring. A person who previously held a PGWP cannot get another. To keep a PGWP holder after their permit ends, the worker needs a different work permit, such as an employer-specific permit supported by your new LMIA or an LMIA-exempt offer of employment, or an open work permit they qualify for (for example a bridging open work permit after applying for permanent residence, CORP-KEEP-014).

If you are a Quebec employer, you may not need a new LMIA to extend your worker's permit: you submit only an offer of employment to IRCC, and if the worker can extend, they can continue to work for you for up to 12 months. The job must be in Quebec (whether you first hired the worker with or without an LMIA). The worker must have applied for a demande de sélection permanente after being invited under Quebec's Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) and accepting, already work for you, and hold an employer-specific permit that expires on or before December 31, 2026, or that expired after they applied to extend it in time, or that expired between March 13, 2026 and December 31, 2026 leaving them out of status. The new job need not be the same one. Submit the offer in the Employer Portal without paying the $230 employer compliance fee (select the fee exemption and upload an explanatory letter), use LMIA exemption code R01, and type PPTR2PRQC2026 in the Job Title field; give the worker the offer of employment number (A followed by 7 digits). The worker must apply on or before December 31, 2026.

A bridging open work permit lets a worker keep working while their permanent residence application is processed. For Express Entry (Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades) and Provincial Nominee Program applicants, the worker must live in Canada and intend to live outside Quebec when applying; hold valid temporary resident status and a valid work permit, or an expired permit with maintained status, or be eligible to restore status and get a work permit; be the principal applicant; have submitted a complete permanent residence application that passed the completeness check (for a PNP application outside Express Entry, passed the eligibility assessment); and have the acknowledgement of receipt letter. A provincial nominee must have no employment restrictions as a condition of the nomination. A Quebec skilled worker must live in Canada, intend to live in Quebec, hold a CSQ that was valid when they applied, be the principal applicant and pass the completeness check. Submitting an Express Entry profile is not applying for permanent residence: until then, the worker must keep status by extending their permit, for which you may need a new LMIA or offer of employment. The worker pays the work permit processing fee and the open work permit holder fee. Applicants under the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots opened in 2025 are not eligible. The worker must be in Canada with valid status when IRCC decides.

As of January 21, 2025, only select spouses or common-law partners qualify under the measure for high-skilled workers who are not on a permanent residence pathway, and dependent children no longer qualify under it. The worker (principal) must hold a valid work permit (or an approved permit not yet issued, or authorization to work without a permit), live or plan to live in Canada while working, be employed in any TEER 0 or 1 occupation or a select TEER 2 or 3 occupation listed by IRCC when the spouse applies, and hold a permit valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives the spouse's application (except spouses of foreign-trained medical professionals recruited by Quebec). Other measures: if the worker applied for permanent residence through an eligible economic program and their work permit was issued because of that application, family members may qualify if the permit is valid at least 6 months after IRCC receives their application; a TEER 4 or 5 worker on a listed provincial or other pathway who has not yet applied for PR may also make family members eligible (6 months' validity). Spouses of work permit holders under certain free trade agreements qualify under the agreement. As of March 23, 2026, spouses of workers on a British Columbia significant investment project qualify at any TEER without the 16-month rule; as of June 5, 2026, spouses of Quebec workers who applied for permanent selection under the PSTQ may be eligible. Not eligible: spouses of refugee claimants, people under unenforceable removal orders, study permit holders, PGWP applicants without a positive decision, and spousal open work permit holders. Family members already in Canada can still extend an earlier permit that is shorter than the worker's, if they apply before it expires.

The worker's Canadian work experience must be in one or more TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupations; gained in Canada (including Quebec) while authorized to work under temporary resident status (remote work counts only if the worker was physically in Canada working for a Canadian employer); show the actions in the NOC lead statement and most of the main duties; be paid (wages or commission); and total at least 1 year of work or 1,560 hours (30 hours a week) in the 3 years before applying, in one or more jobs, full-time or an equal amount of part-time work. Work does not count while studying full-time (including co-op terms), while self-employed (some physicians excepted), as a volunteer or unpaid intern, or when not legally allowed to work. There is no education requirement; the worker must meet the language minimum, be admissible and plan to live outside Quebec. A job offer is not required.

For the Canadian Experience Class, the worker needs approved test results meeting the minimum level in all 4 abilities (writing, reading, listening, speaking): CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French if the job is TEER 0 or 1; CLB 5 or NCLC 5 if it is TEER 2 or 3. Accepted tests: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada.

Ministerial Instructions Amending the Ministerial Instructions Respecting the Express Entry System, 2025-1 (given March 11, 2025) repealed subsection 29(1) of the Instructions (points for a qualifying offer of arranged employment) and subparagraph 8(1)(d)(ii), taking effect March 25, 2025. The former provisions continue to apply only to invitations issued before that day on the basis of those points. An offer that is revoked, or that the candidate cannot perform or is unlikely to agree to perform, is no longer a qualifying offer of arranged employment.

The CRS criteria page in force on October 16, 2026 lists these additional points (maximum 600): provincial or territorial nomination 600; French language skills 25 or 50; post-secondary education in Canada 15 or 30; a brother or sister in Canada who is a citizen or permanent resident 15. It lists no points for a job offer. The same page announces that as of November 3, 2026 IRCC is changing how points are awarded for Canadian work experience and valid job offers and removing LMIA requirements for all job offers; existing profiles will be recalculated, which could take up to two weeks, with invitation rounds paused, and candidates with a valid job offer without an LMIA should add it to their profile. Valid job offers that are part of eligibility (Federal Skilled Trades, Federal Skilled Worker, some provincial streams) are not changing.

IRCC’s CRS criteria page announces that as of November 3, 2026 it is changing how points are awarded for Canadian work experience and valid job offers. The new Labour Market Integration factor gives the better of Canadian work experience points (with extra points for work in high-wage occupations) or job offer points for a valid offer in an eligible high-wage occupation: 100, 70 or 50, up to 150 in total (140 with a spouse or common-law partner). The additional points for a provincial or territorial nomination (600) are not part of the change.

As of November 3, 2026 (not yet in force when checked on October 16, 2026): a new Labour Market Integration factor gives points for either Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer, whichever is higher, up to 150 (140 with a spouse or common-law partner); they are not combined. Canadian work experience: the current work-length points (40 to 80 without a spouse, 35 to 70 with) plus high-wage points for at least 12 months (1,560 hours) of qualifying Canadian experience in eligible high-wage occupations: 70 (median wage at least twice the average median), 40 (at least 1.5 times) or 20 (at least 1.3 times). Job offer points: 100, 70 or 50 for a valid job offer in an occupation at those three levels; 0 for any other occupation. A high-wage occupation is based on the median wage of everyone in Canada in that NOC, not the worker's own pay, and only jobs on IRCC's three-level list are eligible. From November 3, 2026, no LMIA is needed for a job offer to qualify for program eligibility or points, an LMIA gives no extra points, offers may be for an existing or new position with an existing or new employer, and officers assess whether the offer is genuine (employer active in the business, able to meet the terms, real needs, compliance with employment and recruitment laws; worker qualified and likely to accept). Skills transferability rules are not changing.

As of November 3, 2026, the CRS Labour Market Integration factor gives a candidate points for either Canadian work experience or a qualifying job offer, whichever is higher, up to 150 (140 with a spouse or common-law partner); they are not combined. Canadian work experience: the work-length points (40 to 80 without a spouse, 35 to 70 with) plus high-wage points for at least 12 months (1,560 hours) of qualifying Canadian experience in eligible high-wage occupations: 70 (median wage at least twice the average median), 40 (at least 1.5 times) or 20 (at least 1.3 times). Job offer points: 100, 70 or 50 for a valid job offer in an occupation at those three levels; 0 for any other occupation. A high-wage occupation depends on the median wage of everyone in Canada in that NOC, not on the worker’s own pay, and only jobs on IRCC’s three-level list are eligible. No LMIA is needed for a job offer to qualify for program eligibility or points, an LMIA gives no extra points, offers may be for an existing or new position with an existing or new employer, and officers assess whether the offer is genuine (employer active in the business, able to meet the terms, real needs, compliance with employment and recruitment laws; worker qualified and likely to accept). Skills transferability rules are not changing.

A job offer must be recent, in writing, not from an embassy, high commission or consulate, and set out the pay and deductions, duties and conditions such as hours. A work permit alone, even an open one, is not a job offer. For the Federal Skilled Worker Program it must be from 1 employer, continuous, paid, full-time (at least 30 hours a week), not seasonal, for at least 1 year once the worker is accepted as a permanent resident, and in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation; Federal Skilled Trades offers may come from up to 2 employers in listed trades. Until the November 3, 2026 change takes effect, the offer needs a new positive LMIA naming the worker, unless the worker is working for you on an LMIA-based permit in a TEER 0 to 3 job (authorized on the day they apply and when the visa is issued), or holds an LMIA-exempt permit for a TEER 0 to 3 job with 1 year of full-time work for you. As of November 3, 2026, no LMIA is needed, an LMIA gives no extra points or priority, offers may be for an existing or a new position with any employer, and officers assess whether the offer is genuine. The Canadian Experience Class does not need a job offer.

The Provincial Nominee Program lets provinces and territories nominate immigrants who meet local labour market needs. Each designs its own streams, including streams to recruit and retain skilled and semi-skilled workers, entrepreneurs and investors, and graduates. Candidates must show they can support themselves economically and plan to live in the nominating province or territory; IRCC assesses admissibility. Provinces and territories set other program requirements, such as registration, that employers must follow, and employers must make a qualifying job offer to eligible candidates. Provinces and territories use Express Entry, a non-Express Entry process, or both. Nunavut and Quebec do not have a provincial nominee program.

Your business must have been in active business for at least 3 years before applying; have business premises in Ontario where the employee will work; have no outstanding orders under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 or the Occupational Health and Safety Act; meet the revenue requirement for its most recently completed fiscal year: at least $1,000,000 if the employee will work or report to work in the Greater Toronto Area (Toronto, Durham, Halton, Peel, York), at least $500,000 in the Ottawa, Waterloo, Hamilton, Simcoe, Middlesex, Niagara, Essex, Wellington, Greater Sudbury, Frontenac, Brant, Peterborough, Hastings or Thunder Bay census divisions, or at least $250,000 in the last two completed fiscal years elsewhere; and have at least 5 (GTA) or 3 (outside the GTA) full-time employees (30 or more hours a week) who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents working or reporting at that location. You must show reasonable domestic recruitment (at least two methods, ads for at least four weeks) unless the employee is already authorized to work in Ontario or you have a positive LMIA for the same NOC and position. The job offer must be full-time (at least 1,560 hours a year and 30 hours a week) and permanent (no end date), in any NOC, urgently necessary to your business, not affecting a labour dispute, and at or above the regional median wage (or the low wage level for a recent Ontario graduate in a TEER 0 to 3 job), and not below what you already pay the employee in the position. If the employee is selected, you have 14 calendar days to apply for approval of the employment position in the Employer Portal.

With a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job offer, the worker needs one of: at least 6 months of consecutive, paid full-time work in the job offer position (same occupation, employer and location) within the 12 months before applying; 3 months for a recent Ontario graduate (eligible Ontario credential within the last 3 years); at least 2 years of cumulative paid full-time work (3,120 hours) in the same NOC (or listed related NOCs) within the last 5 years; or a licence or authorization required to do the job (transport truck, bus and transit drivers still need 6 months). With a TEER 4 or 5 job offer, the worker needs at least 9 months of cumulative paid full-time work in the job offer position within 2 years before applying. Other worker requirements: language CLB 6 in all four skills (CLB 5 for listed skilled trades, or an eligible Ontario credential instead) for TEER 0 to 3, CLB 4 for TEER 4 or 5, with a test taken within 2 years; education (post-secondary credential of at least 1 year for TEER 0 to 3, or high school for listed trades; high school for TEER 4 or 5); legal status if in Canada (maintained status accepted); and intention to live and work in Ontario. A worker already in the position must stay employed in it until nominated and through the post-nomination period.

Through Skills Immigration, workers apply to the Skilled Worker stream (job offer in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation) or the Health Authority stream (job offer from a B.C. health authority in an eligible occupation). Both need a full-time, indeterminate (no end date) job offer from an eligible B.C. employer and the employer's support, with a completed Employer Declaration Form, before registering; the minimum qualifications and education for the occupation; for the Skilled Worker stream, at least two years of full-time equivalent work experience; at least CLB 4; and minimum wage and income requirements. These occupations are not eligible for any Skills Immigration stream: 12100, 12101, 12200, 13100, 13110, 13111, 13112, 62010, 62020, 63101, 41302 and 42204. Most streams need an invitation: registrations stay in the pool up to 12 months, and invited workers have 30 calendar days to apply. Fees: registration none, application $1,750, request for review $500. The program prioritizes occupations on its selection of workers list, and an Express Entry BC option links the nomination to the federal profile.

Employers supporting a BC PNP application must be established in B.C., comply with government laws, regulations and ordinances, meet domestic labour market recruitment requirements, offer a wage in line with industry standards and offer full-time, permanent employment (some public university academic roles excepted). They sign the BC PNP Employer Declaration Form and provide a recommendation letter, a copy of the signed job offer, a detailed job description, evidence of recruitment efforts, company information, the certificate of incorporation or legal equivalent, the municipal business licence and, for commercial vehicle operators, a National Safety Code number. No federal LMIA is required. The BC PNP may contact the employer or visit the workplace. Employers must tell the BC PNP of changes in the employee's status, such as the employee finding another job, quitting or being terminated, or the business closing or changing ownership, and the BC PNP may refuse applications supported by employers who misrepresent or falsify information for up to two years.

When the application is submitted and when it is assessed, the worker must live and work in Alberta and hold a valid work permit, not status maintained during processing (formerly implied status) or restoration status. Eligible permits: LMIA-based; LMIA-exempt under international trade agreements, intra-company transfers, International Experience Canada, Mobilité Francophone or R205(d) religious work; vulnerable worker open permits; a PGWP held by a graduate of an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution; and open permits under IRCC temporary public policies, except those that do not confer temporary residence or are based on a permanent residence application in process. Other permit types are not eligible. Work experience: at least 12 months full-time in the current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months, or 24 months in Canada or abroad within the last 30 months (PGWP holders: 6 months in Alberta within 18 months), full-time (30 hours a week), authorized and in the same occupation. Language: CLB or NCLC 5 for TEER 0 to 3 jobs, 4 for TEER 4 or 5, 7 for NOC 33102, results under 2 years old. Education: at least high school (with an educational credential assessment for foreign studies). Some occupations are ineligible at submission and at assessment, including legislators (00010), school principals (40021), judges (41100), secondary and elementary school teachers (41220, 41221), teacher assistants (43100), athletes (53200), real estate agents (63101), home child care providers (44100), home support workers and caregivers (44101), casino workers (64321), taxi and limousine drivers (75200), harvesting labourers (85101), mine labourers (85110) and landscaping labourers (85121); 4 codes are ineligible only for some jobs (60040, 42200, 42202, 33100). The worker needs a full-time job offer from an Alberta employer in their current occupation.

The Alberta employer must be incorporated or registered under a provincial, territorial or federal act and operate an established place of business in Alberta; have been in continuous and active operation in Alberta for at least 2 complete fiscal years before the application; have a place of business where employees report and get work assignments; and show the need for the position (a valid work permit under the Temporary Foreign Worker or International Mobility programs, or reasonable efforts to recruit Canadians or permanent residents). It must have at least $400,000 in total gross annual revenue for the most recent fiscal year and at least 3 full-time (or full-time equivalent) employees in Alberta; if not, it can still take part but may support only a limited number of nominees: 1 with 2 years of operation in Alberta, 2 with 3 years, and 1 more for each additional year (caps apply to applications received on or after March 18, 2024). Indigenous, municipal, provincial and federal government employers are exempt from the revenue and employee minimums. The job offer must be signed, continuous, paid, full-time (at least 30 hours a week), for 12 months or more, and meet the LMIA wage (if any) or at least the lowest starting wage for the occupation in Alberta. Part-time, casual, seasonal, contractor, owner or shareholder, home-based and remote roles are not eligible.

Before you can make a job offer, you must be designated by the government of the Atlantic province where the candidate will work (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island). You apply once, not per candidate, can apply before finding a candidate, and must be designated in every province where the candidate will work; designation is free. To be designated you must not be in violation of IRPA or IRPR; be in good standing and comply with employment standards and occupational health and safety laws; not recruit to build a pool of candidates to transfer or contract out to other businesses; have been in continuous, active operation under the same management for at least 2 years in an Atlantic province (or show operation elsewhere with the province's approval); work with a settlement service provider organization; and complete the free onboarding training and intercultural competency training (unless the province exempts you). The province confirms designation with a Confirmation of Designation.

The job offer must be full-time (at least 30 hours a week); non-seasonal (consistent and paid all year); for a job the candidate can and will do and is likely to accept; for at least 1 year from the time the candidate becomes a permanent resident for TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 jobs, or permanent with no set end date for TEER 4 jobs; and at the same or a higher skill level as the qualifying work experience (TEER 0 job: experience in TEER 0 to 4; TEER 1: TEER 1 to 4; TEER 2: TEER 2 to 4; TEER 3: TEER 3 or 4; TEER 4: TEER 4), except international graduates of recognized Atlantic post-secondary institutions and some nursing experience used for NOC 33102 or 44101 offers. The offer cannot come from a company that the candidate or their spouse or common-law partner majority-owns. The employer gives the candidate a copy of the Confirmation of Designation and an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National form (IMM 0157).

To hire under the Rural Community Immigration Pilot or the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, you must be designated by your participating community. You must have operated continuously for at least 2 years in the community (a recently relocated employer may be designated if the community finds it has made or will make a substantial contribution to the economy); be in good standing with employment standards and occupational health and safety laws; do business in at least one priority occupation the community has identified; do at least 75% of your business work inside the community; not be in violation of the employer compliance regime; complete the free onboarding and intercultural competency training; and agree to support the settlement of newcomers. Consulates, staffing or employment agencies, businesses a candidate or their spouse owns or controls (more than 50%), businesses offering striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massage, employers offering jobs that are not genuine or owing administrative penalties, and businesses owned by an authorized immigration representative cannot be designated. Designation is free; you apply through the community, which issues a Confirmation of Designation.

The job must be within the boundaries of your community; full time (at least 30 paid hours a week); non-seasonal (year-round); and indeterminate (no end date); volunteer work and unpaid internships do not count. It must be at a similar skill level to the candidate's qualifying work experience: a TEER 0 or 1 job needs experience in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3; TEER 2 needs TEER 1, 2, 3 or 4; TEER 3 or 4 needs TEER 2, 3 or 4; TEER 5 needs experience in the same 5-digit NOC. Graduates of a public post-secondary institution in your community need no qualifying work experience, and registered nurse experience (NOC 31301) can support offers in NOC 33102 or 44101. You offer the job on form IMM 0247 (Rural) or IMM 0251 (Francophone).

Candidates who meet the requirements to apply for permanent residence under the Rural or Francophone Community Immigration Pilot may apply for a temporary work permit that is only for these pilots, is valid for 2 years and is employer-specific (they can work only for you). Before they apply, you log in to the Employer Portal, pay the employer compliance fee of $230 and submit an offer of employment (business, worker, job details, wages and benefits), then give the worker the 7-digit offer of employment number.