Obtaining a Labour Market Opinion (LMO)

The LMO from Human Resources Development Canada (HRSDC) is the first step in the process of  bringing a foreign national to work at Queen's in an academic position. Once the foreign national's intention to accept the position has been confirmed, this process must be initiated by forwarding the following documentation to the faculty office:

• a completed  "Foreign Academic Recruitment Summary" form, find a tip sheet  for completing the form here.  The tip sheet includes suggested  wording for the required letter from the dean/senior official explaining the reason for the vacancy.
• hard copies of advertisements for the position, containing date/name of publication, preferably a photocopy of the advertisement. If you have conducted a web ad campaign, proof of where and how long the ad appeared for.
• a letter from a dean/senior official stating the conditions that led to the vacancy, see tip sheet for wording.
• a completed Queen's Foreign Worker Information Sheet. Names provided on the form must correspond exactly to those listed in the prospective faculty member's passport.

The faculty office will forward the forms to the Office of the Provost, Suite 353, Richardson Hall, attn. Monica Stewart/Amanda Curran. A request for the LMO will be prepared based on the above documentation and forwarded to the appropriate office of Service Canada (HRSDC). LMO requests in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be prepared and submitted to Service Canada by Gail Knutson.

A positive LMO for academic staff can usually be expected within approximately one week and will be forwarded to the faculty/unit and the newly appointed faculty member, with a  cover letter outlining the next step in the process. Once the LMO document is received, the faculty member can initiate the work permit application. The work permit application must be completed prior to the expiry date noted on the "Annex" part of the LMO.

Please note: The LMO process does not apply to Canada Research Chairs, Canada Excellence Research Chairs and Post-Doctoral Fellows and several specific categories of academic visitors.

For permanent positions not requiring an LMO, CIC encourages employers to complete an Employer Declaration Form and provide it to the employee to be submitted with their work permit application, particularly where the foreign worker is being hired for the first time. The form is not mandatory, please contact the Faculty Recruitment and Support Program for further information.