New Fees and Compliance Requirements

Employers of LMIA-exempt Occupations Caught under Compliance Wave

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) recently issued a press release stating that as of February 21^st, 2015 employers hiring foreign workers, who are exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment process, must adhere to an enhanced compliance monitoring system. Employers of LMIA-exempt foreign workers will be required to pay a fee, submit an offer of employment letter, and provide information about their business to CIC. The fee has been set at $230, and must be paid online. An employer’s failure to comply with these requirements could lead to monetary penalties, a ban from hiring foreign workers, and the possibility of criminal sanctions.

A foreign worker who falls into this category will not be able to submit their work permit application or obtain an employer-specific work permit until their employer complies with these requirements.

It is clear that CIC is beginning to tighten its reigns on all avenues of temporary foreign work, for LMIA and LMIA-exempt workers alike.

New Fee for Open Work Permit Applicants

As of February 21^st, 2015, applicants for open work permits will be required to pay an additional fee of $100. This fee can be paid online at the same time as the work permit processing fee. CIC has indicated that the proceeds of this fee will go towards improving data collection for open work permit holders in Canada and marketing initiatives for promoting open work permit holders to apply for permanent residence.