LMIA & Work Permits for Employers, Founders & Transfers
Most business immigration files in this practice start with hiring: a Labour Market Impact Assessment, then the work permit. Founders who will run the company, and intra-company transfers, sit beside that — not instead of it.
LMIA for hiring. Work permits for the people who will work here.
If a Canadian company needs to hire a foreign worker, the usual path is a Labour Market Impact Assessment, then an employer-specific work permit. That is the centre of business immigration for employers.
If you yourself will run the Canadian company, that is typically a C11 owner-operator permit (LMIA-exempt). If a related foreign company is transferring you, that is an intra-company transfer. We will not file the wrong stream because it sounds faster.
Routes
Which file you actually need
LMIA when the Canadian company is hiring. C11 when the founder will operate. ICT when a qualifying foreign company is transferring you.
Primary for employers
LMIA — Labour Market Impact Assessment
ESDC must usually confirm that hiring a foreign worker will not harm the Canadian labour market before that person can apply for an employer-specific work permit. The employer files the LMIA. The worker files the permit after a positive decision.
Standard LMIA. Recruitment of Canadians and permanent residents, a real job, a wage that meets the prevailing rate, and an employer that can actually pay it.
Global Talent Stream. A faster LMIA stream for eligible high-skilled occupations — still an LMIA, with a shorter clock when the file fits.
Work permit after LMIA. Once ESDC issues a positive assessment, we prepare the worker's permit application against that job offer.
Employer compliance. Wage, job duties, and conditions have to match what was approved. An LMIA win that the company cannot stand behind is a problem later.
This is business immigration. The company, payroll, and job have to be real. We prepare LMIAs for Ontario employers — including companies we incorporated — not as a paperwork mill, and not as a shortcut around a founder who should be on a C11 instead.
Primary for founders
C11 owner-operator work permit
An LMIA-exempt permit under the International Mobility Program for people whose work would create significant benefit to Canada. Owner-operator files are for entrepreneurs who will own and actively manage a Canadian business — starting one or buying one that already exists.
Control. A documented controlling interest — typically 51% or more — with articles, share records, and paid-in capital that match the story.
Significant benefit. Job creation, innovation, exports, or a service that is not otherwise available — evidenced, not asserted.
Temporary intent. A work permit is temporary. You need a plan for the permit period and credible ties outside a disguised settlement application.
Separate funds. Business capital and personal living funds should not be the same pool.
C11 is not PR. It is the bridge that lets you operate in Canada while a nomination or other PR strategy is built. Self-employment on a C11 also should not be treated as Canadian Experience Class work experience.
Companies expanding
Intra-company transfer (ICT)
For executives, managers, and specialized-knowledge employees moving from a qualifying foreign company to a related Canadian entity. The relationship between the companies, the Canadian operation, and your role all have to be genuine.
Qualifying relationship between the foreign and Canadian entities
Executive, senior-manager, or specialized-knowledge role
A real Canadian operation to transfer into — not a shell
Tech companies hiring or expanding to Canada: there is no separate “tech startup visa.” The file is still an LMIA (including Global Talent Stream where it fits), a C11, or an ICT — with a real company behind it.
FAQ
LMIA and work permit questions
The points that usually decide whether a file is viable.
A Labour Market Impact Assessment is an ESDC decision that hiring a specific foreign worker will have a positive or neutral effect on the Canadian labour market. For most employer-specific work permits, a positive LMIA is required before the worker can apply for the permit.
The Canadian employer. The company must be real, able to pay the wage, and able to show recruitment of Canadians and permanent residents where the stream requires it. The foreign national then uses the positive LMIA to apply for a work permit.
GTS is a faster LMIA stream for eligible high-skilled occupations. It is still an LMIA. Processing is shorter when the occupation and the employer’s file fit the stream.
That is usually a C11 owner-operator work permit — LMIA-exempt — not a standard hiring LMIA. You need documented control of the Canadian business and a significant-benefit case. We will tell you which lane you are actually in.
Sometimes. If you already work for a qualifying foreign company in an executive, managerial, or specialized-knowledge role, an intra-company transfer may fit. The Canadian entity and the relationship between the companies have to be genuine.
Need an LMIA or a work permit that matches the business?
Book a free consultation. We will tell you whether an LMIA, a C11, or an intra-company transfer is the honest next step.
