Effective June 10, 2020, selected occupations that are deemed essential in Quebec will now receive priority processing when applying for a work permit. The employer is still required to submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) but the application will be prioritized and the minimum advertising requirement is waved, greatly reducing processing times.
The program is prioritizing and waiving minimum recruitment requirements for the following occupations:
| NOC | Job Title |
|---|---|
| 3012 | Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses |
| 3111 | Specialist physicians |
| 3112 | General practitioners and family physicians |
| 3124 | Allied primary health practitioners |
| 3131 | Pharmacists |
| 3211 | Medical laboratory technologists 9463- Fish and seafood plant workers |
| 3212 | Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants |
| 3214 | Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists |
| 3219 | Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health) |
| 3233 | Licensed practical nurses |
| 3237 | Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment |
| 3413 | Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates |
| 3414 | Other assisting occupations in support of health services |
| 6731 | Light duty cleaners |
| 6331 | Butchers, meat cutters and fishmongers-retail and wholesale |
| 8252 | Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers |
| 8431 | General Farm Workers |
| 8432 | Nursery and Greenhouse Workers |
| 8611 | Harvesting labourers |
| 9462 | Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers |
| 9463 | Fish and seafood plant work |
| 9617 | Labourers in food, beverage and associated products processing |
| 9618 | Labourers in fish and seafood processing |
| 7511 | Transport truck drivers prioritized but not exempt from recruitment requirements |
All LMIA applications must be submitted to Service Canada and to the Ministry of Immigration, Frenchisation, and Integration (MIFI) simultaneously. Additionally, all LMIA applications must be submitted in French with the exception of in-home caregivers.
What is an LMIA
A Labour Market Impact Assessment is a required document for many Canadian work permits. It’s an application made by the employer who wishes to hire a foreign national for a job in Canada. The LMIA demonstrates that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill a job in Canada. An LMIA also requires employers to demonstrate that they attempted to hire a Canadian for the position but were unable to do so. This is the minimum recruitment requirement that is now waived for the positions mentioned above.
Minimum recruitment requirements
Before applying for an LMIA, employers must conduct at least three different recruitment activities. This typically means advertising the position on Canadian job posting websites, one of which must be the Government of Canada’s Job Bank. The recruitment efforts must be for at least four consecutive weeks, in the three months prior to the LMIA application.
Lauren Boorman
