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Employee specific Work permit

saha2257

Star Member
Jan 28, 2018
91
38
Hello ,

I am seeking some direction on "How to apply for Employee specific Work permit " ( LIMIA Exempt) , I tried the the link for online work permit application and it takes me through eligibility questions and end up saying that I am eligible for International Mobility program ( Foreign worker) .

Please guide me if its the right program to apply for work permit or if any one applied for Employee specific work permit with LIMIA Exempt , what is the process or link .
 

lkva

Star Member
Mar 13, 2018
132
24
Presumably, you have read the relevant information on the CIC website?
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents/foreign-workers/eligibility/employer-specific-labout-market-impact-assessment-exemptions.html

You provided very little information and I am not sure if your company is in the picture or not, but essentially an employee is issued an 'employer specific work permit' when he/she is relocated by their company from one country to another.
Example: let's say you currently work in your company's Frankfurt office, but they are relocating you to their Toronto office - this is called an intracompany transfer which is LMIA exempt. These sort of transfers and applications are managed by the company itself, not the individual employee, as your company have to justify (amongst other things) why they are relocating you (a foreign worker) instead of hiring someone local in Toronto (again, the location is just an example).
The permit is called 'employee specific work permit', because the holder of the permit can only work for this specific company in a specific province where his/her role is based for the duration indicated on the work permit (if the job is based in Toronto, he/she can't work and be paid by the company in Montreal, Quebec, or any other province for that matter), so it's temporary and restrictive.

These work permits are usually issued for 12 or 24 months, can be renewed, but cannot be extended beyond 5 years (if I recall correctly); after which time the company has to go through the process of getting a labour market opinion again, which can be a lengthy process - this doesn't happen very often however, as during this 5 year period employees usually apply for PR or citizenship, and they no longer need a work permit.

Again, I don't know your full story, and I'm not an immigration expert, but to get such a work permit, your employer would have to be heavily involved.
 
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