The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) carried out an Entrepreneur draw on the 3rd of November. The draw on November 3 issued invitations to 55 candidates including the Expression of Interest (EOI) scores ranging between 85 and 120.
Start-up visa (SUV) is the most prominent business visa for Canada. It is facilitated by foreign entrepreneurs with unique business ideas and who are sponsored by venture capitalist, angle investors or business incubators. Entrepreneurs having innovative businesses as well as established start-ups might benefit from this program to obtain permanent residency (PR) in Canada. Through this scheme, up to five founding members of a start-up can be granted Canadian residence status.
As of 2021, ease of doing business in Canada ranked 23rd worldwide. The highest score were obtained in starting the business, trading across the borders and paying taxes.
Canada is the major hub in the search of new entrepreneurs who can generate employment for its citizens and can boost Canadian economy. Start-Up Visa was initially an experimental program for three years until it was made permanent on March 31 in 2018.
LMIA – Labour Market Impact Assessment is an official document required by the Canadian employer who is willing to hire a foreign employee. Any company who is hiring through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program needs to get a preapproval from government before accommodating international talent.
In this guide you will learn more about LMIA, requirements for its procedure, eligibility, certain exceptions and much more.
What is LMIA –Canada?
LMIA stands for Labour Market Impact Assessment. It is the preapproved government official document issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) evaluating the effectiveness of recruiting the foreign immigrant on domestic employment market. If ESDC analyses that there isn’t any qualified Canadian citizen or permanent resident to fill that position, and there is a genuine requirement for that international employee, a Positive LMIA will be issued to the recruiter. A Negative LMIA indicates that a job must be taken by the Canadian Citizen or permanent resident.
Step – by – Step LMIA process
Upon the approval of LMIA, the worker now will have to apply for a work visa to obtain a Canadian Work permit. Following are the documents required for Work visa application:
- Job offer letter
- Signed employment contract
- LMIA number
- Copy of LMIA
LMIA Requirements
There are 2 main streams under which an employer categorizes the worker:
- Recruiting High-Wage Workers: Hiring a high wage foreign worker requires a transition plan as an important document along with the LMIA application. The transition plan indicates the employer’s commitment to the foreign employee during their employment. If the employer is paying a foreign national with high wage than the province’s median wage, then it is considered to be a high wage worker for LMIA purposes.
| Province/Territory | Wages prior to April 30, 2022 | Wages as of April30, 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 27.28 | 28.85 |
| British Columbia | 25.00 | 26.44 |
| Manitoba | 21.60 | 23.00 |
| New Brunswick | 20.12 | 21.79 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 23.00 | 24.29 |
| Northwest Territories | 34.36 | 37.30 |
| Nova Scotia | 20.00 | 22.00 |
| Nunavut | 32.00 | 36.00 |
| Ontario | 24.04 | 26.06 |
| Prince Edward Island | 20.00 | 21.63 |
| Quebec | 23.08 | 25.00 |
| Saskatchewan | 24.55 | 25.96 |
| Yukon | 30.00 | 32.00 |
- Recruiting Low-Wage Workers: if an employer is planning to hire a low-wage worker, then there is no need to submit a transition plan. However, the ability to employ foreign workers will depend on a limit which will be set by Government of Canada places to restrict the amount of low-wage temporary foreign employees. The employer must also take care of transportation and housing cost of workers recruited at low wage positions.
Eligibility Requirements for Employer
- Is there a genuine shortage of labour which cannot be accommodated by Canadian resident?
- Does the Canadian employer taken the appropriate recruiting efforts to recruit a local Canadian employee?
- Are working conditions in conformity with provincial, municipal and federal regulations?
- Does the salary offered represent an accurate representation of average wage for that job within the geographic area?
- Is an employee able to fulfill the duties of their job and share their experience with Canadians?
- If the employer is involved in any ongoing dispute over employment?
- Does the salary you are aiming for correspond to the median salary for the profession and region?
- Can hiring a foreign-born worker be beneficial to the creation of jobs as well as retention in Canada?
Average LMIA processing timelines
ESDC may take 10 business days to response or sometimes it can be extended up to few months. Canada is experiencing a huge number of LMIA cases in 2022. This may cause delays which is particularly evident within the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
| Application Type | Average processing time |
|---|---|
| Global talent stream | 9 business days |
| Agricultural stream | 15 business days |
| Seasonal agricultural worker program | 5 business days |
| Permanent residence stream | 22 business days |
| In-home caregivers | 24 business days |
| High-wage stream | 34 business days |
| Low-wage stream | 37 business days |
Lebiz Canada can help you with your LMIA pathway
Getting a LMIA can sometimes be very difficult and puzzling task if you are not having deep root knowledge of the program. Lebiz will help you obtain LMIA in an expedite manner with ease. There are multiple challenges while finding a job in Canada but we are here to help you with that. Our financial experts will give you full handholding throughout the process and will assist you for LMIA or TFWP application.
For more information on securing a LMIA work permit of Canada, speak to our senior financial experts and lawyers. They will help you choose best immigration pathway available according to your profile.
To encourage genuine and ample immigration applications, we are witnessing increasing Canadian immigration programs that provide an array of possibilities for individuals working in all sorts of occupations. The Self-Employed person program allows candidates to settle in Canada permanently as a self-employed person. Federal self-employed person program is accessible to skilled professionals at an elite level of arts, athletics or cultural status as well as other aspects.
Comparative to other immigration programs, this program is little less complicated and is flexible for those who are willing to settle in Canada while pursuing self-employment. The requirements of this particular program seem to be lenient. If you’re interested to apply under this category you must:
- Have a relevant experience of at least 2 years in their domain at either a world class/International level or can prove their ability to create liveable career.
- Be prepared and willing to contribute significantly to the athletic or cultural life of Canada
Besides these two basic requirements, applicants must also meet the eligibility criteria based on point system for Self-Employed Visa.
This point system is evaluated on the basis of applicant’s:
| SELECTION CRITERIA | MAXIMUM POINTS |
|---|---|
| Experience | 25 |
| Education | 35 |
| Age | 10 |
| Language abilities | 24 |
| Adaptability | 6 |
| Total | 100 |
EDUCATION (25 maximum points)
| Master’s Degree or Ph.D. and at least 17 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study | 25 points |
| Two or more university degrees at the bachelor’s level and at least 15 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 22 points |
| Three-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship and at least 15 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 22 points |
| University degree of two years or more at the bachelor’s level and at least 14 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 20 points |
| A two-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship and at least 14 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 20 points |
| One-year university degree at the bachelor’s level and at least 13 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 15 points |
| One-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship and at least 13 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 15 points |
| One-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship and at least 12 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 12 points |
| Completed high school. | 5 points |
EXPERIENCE (35 maximum points)
| Two years of relevant experience | 20 points |
| Three years of relevant experience | 25 points |
| Four years of relevant experience | 30 points |
| Five years of relevant experience | 35 points |
AGE (10 maximum points)
| 16 or under | 0 points |
| 17 | 2 points |
| 18 | 4 Points |
| 19 | 6 points |
| 20 | 8 points |
| 21-49 | 10 points |
| 50 | 8 points |
| 51 | 6 points |
| 52 | 4 points |
| 53 | 2 points |
| 54+ | 0 points |
LANGUAGE ABILITIES – English or French (24 maximum points)
| First Official Language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Moderate | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Basic | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*Only a maximum of two points in total for basic proficiency
| Second Official Language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Moderate | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Basic | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
ADAPTABILITY (6 maximum points)
These points are evaluated basis on your spouse or common law-partner’s level of education.
| Secondary school (high school) diploma or less | 0 points |
| A one-year diploma, trade certificate, apprenticeship, or university degree and at least 12 years of full-time or full-time equivalent studies | 3 points |
| A two or three-year diploma, trade certificate, apprenticeship, or university degree and at least 14 years of full-time or full-time equivalent studies | 4 points |
| poA master’s degree or PhD and at least 17 years of full-time or full-time equivalent studies | 5 points |
You may be awarded with some extra points if you’ve:
- Worked in Canada – If the applicant or spouse/common law partner has a verified full-time work permit for a minimum of 1 year they will get 5 points
- Relatives in Canada– If the applicant or spouse/common law partner has a blood relative who is either a citizen or permanent resident of Canada; they will get 5 points extra.
During the immigration process, the officer may ask you certain questions to explain doubtful information to get a deep insight on it. They may also ask you to submit your biometrics information.
Entrepreneur Visa program allows candidates to get a permanent residency status in Canada by making a considerable amount of investment. It gives entrepreneurs and business owners the opportunity to settle in Canada and expand their business operations.
Entrepreneur Visa is a temporary to permanent immigration pathway. Canadian government prioritizes this program and encourages seasoned/budding entrepreneurs because it generates employment thus contributing to Canadian economy.
The country is the hotspot of opportunities for business because of stable government and policies at the federal level and other benefits. Canada provides benefits to the foreign nationals in ensuring that there are no pitfalls or roadblocks in setting up a new venture. This minimizes the chance of failure for investors and enables them to tap into the existing customer base.
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