Hiring Foreign Workers

1. Permanent Workers

Express Entry

Express Entry is a system used to manage applications for these immigration programs:

• the Federal Skilled Worker Program
• the Federal Skilled Trades Program
• the Canadian Experience Class
• a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program

If you’re a Canadian employer with a business outside Quebec, you can hire Express Entry candidates to meet your needs when you can’t find Canadians or permanent residents to fill job vacancies.

You can use the same recruiting and hiring practices you use now. In some cases, you also have access to candidates through private sector job boards and Provincial Nominee Programs. Job Bank has also introduced a matching function to connect eligible employers with Express Entry candidates.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot helps you hire qualified candidates for jobs you haven’t been able to fill locally. These candidates can be overseas or living in Canada temporarily.

There are 3 programs you can use to hire someone:

• Atlantic International Graduate Program
• Atlantic High-skilled Program
• Atlantic Intermediate-skilled Program

Each program has requirements that you and the candidate must meet.

Before you make a job offer, you must be designated by the provincial government of the Atlantic province where the candidate will be working.

Once you make a job offer, you and the candidate will work through several steps. If you and the candidate meet all the requirements, the candidate gets permanent resident status in Canada.

You don’t need a Labor Market Impact Assessment(LMAI) for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot programs.

2. Temporary Workers

There are 3 basic steps to hire a temporary foreign worker:

• Get an LMIA or submit an offer of employment
• Have the worker apply for a work permit
• Tell the worker what to expect from their application

3. Hire a home child care provider or home support worker

The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots provide in-home caregivers with the opportunity to become a permanent resident once they have 2 years of eligible work experience in Canada. It also lets their family members come to Canada to work or study while they get work experience.

Hiring a caregiver from overseas

All employers (outside Quebec) who want to hire an in-home caregiver from overseas must hire them through these 2 pilots.

If you submitted a Labour Market Impact Assessment application through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to hire a caregiver who is outside Canada on or after June 18, 2019, their work permit application won’t be processed.

Hiring a caregiver who’s in Canada

If you want to hire a foreign in-home caregiver who is already in Canada, you may continue to do so either through the:

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program
• Live-In Caregiver Program
• Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots