IRCC has introduced a new work permit under the Innovation Stream of the International Mobility Program (IMP). The Innovation Stream is one of the four pillars of this Tech Talent Strategy, which was launched in 2023 to attract skilled talent to help Canada grow as a global tech leader.
Some skilled foreign workers are now eligible to apply for an employer-specific work permit if they get a job offer from any of the employers participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project. This includes eight selected companies that the government has identified as industry leaders and innovators with considerable potential. Eligible workers will be able to receive a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)* exempt work permit.
*An LMIA is a document required by the government of Canada to support the issuance of some employer-specific work permits. The document is issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and assesses the impact of hiring a foreign worker on the Canadian labour market. For an LMIA to support an employer-specific work permit the document must return a “positive” or “neutral” result.
Who is eligible for this new work permit?
To qualify for a work permit under the Innovation Stream, applicants must:
- Have a job offer from an employer participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project (GHP);
- Have a job offer in a high-skilled occupation, which includes positions within the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities(TEER) categories 0, 1, 2, or 3; and
- Possess the necessary education and experience specified in the employment requirements section of the NOC for the occupation they intend to work in.
This stream is open to eligible applicants both inside and outside of Canada.
Applicants may also qualify for faster processing times of their work permits, if the occupation they have been hired for falls under TEER categories 0 or 1 of the NOC.
Note that the NOC system is used to describe and categorize occupations in Canada. The TEER rankings further groups jobs by the Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities required to adequately perform the role.
Before applicants submit their application to the innovation stream, their employers must:
- Submit an offer of employment;
- Pay a $230 CAD employer compliance fee; and
- Give the employee (or potential employee) an offer of employment number.
Recent changes pertaining to work permits or LMIAs
This new permit comes at a time when there have been an increasing number of restrictions to work permits and LMIAs.
On August 26, the Canadian government announced that it will no longer be processing low-wage LMIAs in certain Canadian cities. The policy change specified that census metropolitan areas (CMAs) with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher will be impacted. Some exceptions will be made for jobs in food security sectors such as primary agriculture, food processing and fish processing, as well as construction and healthcare.
Visitors in Canada no longer allowed to apply for job-supported work permits
In addition to recent changes to LMIA processing in Canada, the government has also rolled back temporary COVID-era work permit policies allowing some visitors to apply for job-supported work permits from within the country. Though visitors in the country can still apply for other kinds of work permits from within the country, they may no longer apply for a job-supported work permit—with or without an LMIA.
These recent changes to Canada’s work permit come in contrast to the most recent announcement around the country’s Innovation Stream, highlighting Canada’s willingness to invest and hire foreign talent to support these companies and the tech sector more broadly.
