Start with what your company is trying to do, not with a program name.
You may not yet know whether you need an LMIA, an exemption, an intra-company transfer, provincial support, or a business immigration route. The first decision is choosing the right path. After that, the company and worker evidence must tell the same clear story.
What is your company or business trying to do?
Are you hiring a foreign worker?
- I want to hire a worker from another country.
- I want to transfer an employee to Canada.
- I already have a worker in mind.
- I need to know whether an LMIA is required.
- My employee’s work permit is expiring.
- I want to support an employee for permanent residence.
- I made a job offer, but I am not sure what to do next.
- I need help after a work-permit, LMIA, or compliance problem.
Are you starting, buying, or expanding a business?
- I want to start a business in Canada.
- I want to buy a business in Canada.
- I want to expand my existing company into Canada.
- I want to know whether a business immigration program fits me.
Are you considering a passive investment?
- I want to invest money in Canada without actively operating the business.
A passive investment by itself usually does not create an immigration pathway. Most business immigration programs require active ownership, management, business development, or another qualifying role.
Hiring for a job in Vancouver? Start with Vancouver employer LMIA help. If the business is in Toronto, see Toronto employer LMIA help from our Vancouver-based practice. The actual work location still matters.
Choose the hiring route before building the file
Have your hiring, transfer, or business plan reviewed before choosing a route.
Which path is closest to your situation?
Hire a worker
You may need an LMIA. But the worker, job, nationality, corporate relationship, or another program may create an LMIA-exempt option.
Transfer an employee
An intra-company transfer may fit where the foreign and Canadian entities have a qualifying relationship and the employee meets the applicable role and work-history requirements.
Check whether an LMIA is required
Do not start an LMIA until you have checked whether an LMIA-exempt route may apply, including ICT, CUSMA, Francophone Mobility, or another International Mobility Program category.
Support permanent residence
Employer support may affect provincial nomination, Express Entry evidence, work-permit continuity, and whether the temporary and permanent plans remain consistent.
Open or expand a Canadian operation
Transferring an employee into a related Canadian entity is different from buying, operating, or establishing a business through an entrepreneur route.
Fix a refusal or compliance problem
Problems may come from inconsistent job information, weak employer evidence, portal errors, wage or duty mismatches, a negative LMIA, a work-permit refusal, or compliance concerns. Not every refusal should be reconsidered or litigated.
Do you need an LMIA?
LMIA-required hiring
The employer may need to show genuine recruitment efforts, the correct wage, a genuine job, business legitimacy, the ability to employ the worker, and compliance with the selected program stream.
LMIA-exempt hiring
An exemption may apply through an intra-company transfer, CUSMA, Francophone Mobility, or another International Mobility Program category. An exemption does not make the work permit automatic. The employer still has obligations, and the worker must still qualify.
The employer file and the worker file must tell the same story
A strong case can weaken quickly when the two sides do not match.
- The job title does not match the duties.
- The wage differs between the contract and the Employer Portal.
- The work location or hours are inconsistent.
- The employer letter and the application describe different roles.
- A corporate relationship is asserted but poorly documented.
- The employee’s history does not support the claimed transfer category.
- Provincial nomination information conflicts with work-permit information.
What Service Canada and IRCC need to establish
Service Canada or ESDC may examine
- whether the job and business are genuine;
- whether the employer is actively operating and can employ the worker;
- whether wage and working conditions meet the stream requirements;
- whether recruitment evidence is complete;
- whether the LMIA application fits the selected stream.
IRCC may examine
- whether the worker qualifies;
- whether the employer’s information matches the application;
- whether the LMIA exemption code fits;
- whether duties, wage, location, hours, and contract agree;
- whether the corporate relationship and temporary work plan are credible;
- whether the worker is admissible and otherwise eligible.
Officer-minded files connect the legal requirement to reliable evidence. Credibility comes from a plausible business and role. Consistency means every form and document agrees. Corroboration means claims are supported independently. Evidence quality means each item proves something important. Decision logic means the reviewer can see why the selected route fits.
What your company may need to show
Business evidence
- incorporation and registration documents;
- business licence, tax, payroll, or financial records;
- lease, operating location, and organisational chart;
- proof of active operations.
Job evidence
- genuine job description, wage, hours, and location;
- employment contract and reporting structure;
- the operational need for the role.
Worker evidence
- education, experience, and prior employment;
- language ability or licensing where relevant;
- specialised knowledge where claimed.
Program-specific evidence
- LMIA recruitment records;
- ICT corporate relationship evidence;
- Employer Portal submission and compliance fee;
- provincial forms and job-offer support;
- business plans for entrepreneur streams.
More documents are not automatically better. Each document should prove a specific point.
Make the employer evidence clear before submission
Find out what your company needs to show.
Are you trying to start, buy, or expand a business in Canada?
Starting or buying a business
This may involve an entrepreneur program, provincial nomination, active ownership and management, investment, job creation, community requirements, and source-of-funds evidence where applicable.
Expanding a foreign business
This may involve a Canadian branch, subsidiary, parent, or affiliate, an intra-company transfer, new-office requirements, operational plans, staffing, and proof that the Canadian operation is real and viable.
Do you want to help an employee stay permanently?
Employer support may involve confirming the job offer, completing provincial forms, showing business legitimacy, maintaining the employment relationship, supporting a nomination, or providing consistent documents for Express Entry or a provincial program.
Common mistakes when hiring foreign workers
- Choosing an LMIA before checking exemptions.
- Using inconsistent job titles or duties.
- Copying a generic job description.
- Using the wrong wage or work location.
- Making promises before work authorisation exists.
- Assuming an offer letter is enough.
- Failing to preserve recruitment records.
- Forgetting Employer Portal obligations.
- Changing the role after approval without checking the consequences.
- Treating a business investment as an automatic immigration pathway.
Prepare for your next hire
Check
Who the worker is, the role, work location, corporate relationship, prior foreign employment, possible LMIA exemptions, and whether permanent residence support is intended.
Gather
Corporate records, job details, contract, wage information, recruitment records, the worker’s résumé and immigration history, prior refusals, provincial forms, and portal records.
Avoid
Committing to a route too early, contradictory documents, unauthorised work, passive-investment assumptions, or signing forms without understanding the obligations.
Decide
Whether you need route-selection advice, a pre-submission review, or a focused review of a refusal or compliance problem.
Move forward with a route your company can support
Get a clear assessment of your company’s next step.
Not sure how much professional help you need? You may be able to prepare the matter yourself, work with an RCIC / immigration consultant, or use a lawyer where that is the better fit. Compare lawyer, RCIC, and DIY options.
Current official information
Check current programme rules and instructions before acting.