Pathways · LMIA
We source your LMIA hire — and flag a faster path when there is one.
The Labour Market Impact Assessment is the default route to hire an international worker when no exemption applies. It works, but it is the slowest and costliest pathway. Upforce sources your candidate and coordinates the hire; our network of licensed immigration partners (RCICs) handles the advertising and the ESDC/IRCC filing — and we name a faster route up front whenever your role qualifies for one.
-
5–8
Months total — advertising through arrival
-
$1,000
Federal ESDC processing fee per position
-
2–3
Months of ESDC processing once filed (rising in 2026)
-
90
Day replacement guarantee on every placement
What it is
The labour-market test that unlocks a work permit.
A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). A positive LMIA confirms that hiring an international worker for your role will not displace an available Canadian — and it is the key that lets your chosen candidate apply for an employer-specific work permit.
It is the default pathway: when a role does not qualify for an exemption like Mobilité Francophone or an IMP stream, the LMIA route is how the hire happens. It is also the most involved — mandatory Canadian advertising, an ESDC assessment, then the permit application. Upforce sources your candidate and coordinates the hire, connecting you with our network of licensed immigration partners (RCICs) who run the filing, and is honest about the timeline so you can plan around it.
When to use it
LMIA is the right call — or it is not. We say which.
The fastest way to waste three months is to file an LMIA for a hire that qualified for an exemption. Here is how we sort it.
LMIA fits when
- The candidate is not French-speaking
- The role does not qualify for a CUSMA or other IMP exemption
- You want a formal labour-market test on record
- The position is permanent, skilled or semi-skilled, with no exemption route
A faster path exists when
- The candidate is French-speaking → Mobilité Francophone, no LMIA
- The candidate qualifies under CUSMA → IMP streams
- You are moving an existing employee → intra-company transfer (IMP)
- Speed is critical and an exemption applies — we will flag it
How the process runs
Five stages from engagement to candidate arrival.
- 01
Discovery
Scope the role; confirm LMIA is the right pathway
Day 1
- 02
Advertising
Mandatory Canadian recruitment advertising (8 weeks for low-wage roles, 2026)
4–8 weeks
- 03
Immigration filing
LMIA application and assessment — by our RCIC partner
2–3 months
- 04
Work permit
Candidate applies; our RCIC partner handles the candidate side
1–3 months
- 05
Arrival
Landing, check-in, and on-site ramp-up
1–2 weeks
The real cost
What an LMIA hire actually costs.
$1,000 — the ESDC processing fee, paid per position. This is the core government cost of the LMIA itself.
$300–$600 — typical Canadian recruitment advertising spend required before filing.
$2,500–$4,000 — the Upforce placement fee for an LMIA hire, billed on milestones rather than all upfront. Full ranges are on our pricing page.
Candidate-side costs such as the medical exam and biometrics are paid by the candidate — never by you, and never by Upforce on the candidate's behalf.
Faster alternatives
Before you commit to LMIA, check the exemptions.
| Pathway | Government fee | Advertising | Timeline | When it applies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LMIA | $1,000 + ads | Required | 5–8 months | No exemption available |
| Mobilité Francophone | $230 | None | 6–10 weeks | French-speaking candidate |
| IMP streams | $230 | None | 6–12 weeks | CUSMA, intra-company, reciprocal |
Government processing times reflect IRCC and ESDC service standards as of 2026 and are not within our control. We confirm the right pathway in writing before sourcing.
A note on compliance
We handle recruitment. Our licensed RCIC partners handle the immigration.
Upforce is an Alberta-licensed recruitment agency, not an immigration firm — we do not file immigration applications or give immigration advice. We connect you and your candidate with our network of licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs), registered with the Collège des consultants en immigration et en citoyenneté, who handle all the immigration filing and advice — employer-side and candidate-side, including the LMIA and advertising compliance. We never guarantee an ESDC or IRCC outcome.
Workers never pay Upforce. Required by Alberta law, no exceptions. Our fee is paid by the employer. See our compliance page for the legal framework.
LMIA FAQ
What Alberta employers ask about the LMIA process.
- What is an LMIA, in plain terms?
- A Labour Market Impact Assessment is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) confirming that hiring a foreign worker will not negatively affect the Canadian labour market — essentially, that no suitable Canadian was available. A positive LMIA lets the candidate apply for a work permit tied to your job offer.
- Why does an LMIA take longer than other pathways?
- Two reasons: you must advertise the role to Canadians for a minimum period before filing, and then ESDC has to assess the application. That sequence adds weeks that exemption pathways like Mobilité Francophone or IMP streams skip entirely. We give you a realistic written timeline at proposal, not an optimistic one. As of 2026, ESDC processing alone runs roughly 2–3 months and has been rising, so the realistic end-to-end timeline is about 5–8 months.
- Can we skip the advertising requirement?
- Not on an LMIA — Canadian recruitment advertising is mandatory and is part of what ESDC reviews. You can avoid it only by qualifying for an LMIA-exempt pathway instead. If your candidate is French-speaking, Mobilité Francophone has no advertising requirement; some IMP streams are exempt too. As of 2026, low-wage LMIA roles require 8 consecutive weeks of advertising before filing.
- What does an LMIA hire actually cost?
- The ESDC processing fee is $1,000 per position. Canadian recruitment advertising typically runs $300–$600. The Upforce placement fee for an LMIA hire is $2,500–$4,000, billed on milestones. Candidate-side costs (medical, biometrics) are paid by the candidate. See full ranges on our pricing page.
- What happens if our LMIA is refused?
- A refusal usually traces to an advertising gap, a wage below the prevailing rate, or documentation issues — most of which are avoidable with a clean file. Upforce sources a clean file and our network of licensed immigration partners (RCICs) prepares the application to ESDC standards to minimize that risk. We cannot guarantee an outcome; ESDC owns the decision, and no honest agency promises otherwise.
- Can we use LMIA and Mobilité Francophone together?
- They are alternative routes for a given hire, not stacked steps — a candidate uses one pathway for the work permit. But across multiple hires you can absolutely run both: an LMIA for an English-speaking welder and Mobilité Francophone for a French-speaking cook, on the same engagement. We scope each role to its best pathway.
- Will Upforce push us toward LMIA because the fee is higher?
- No. Our written proposal names the pathway that actually fits your role — even when that means a lower fee for us. If a faster, cheaper exemption applies, we tell you. That is the whole point of getting the pathway in writing before you commit.
Need a hire that has no exemption? Start here.
Tell us the role. We reply within 4 business hours with a written proposal — including whether a faster, cheaper pathway applies before you commit to an LMIA.