Labour Market Impact Assessment

Obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)

NOTE: All advertising requirements must be strictly observed, in case an international candidate is the final choice of the appointments committee. 

The LMIA from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) through Service Canada is the first step in the process of bringing a foreign national to work at Queen's for 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, including:  
    • Passport bio page (a copy of the foreign national's passport - name, date of birth, passport issue/expiry date)
    • List of all Canadian and Permanent Resident applicants (no names, numbered list) who have not been chosen, and reason for not hiring them, referring to the requirements stipulated in the advertisement. 
    • Copies of Advertisements for the position, containing date/name of publication and proof of length of time it ran. 
      • Ads must be posted a minimum of 30 days
      • Ads must have a legible, computer-generated date
      • Ads must show full text 
      • Print copies may be digital (PDF) but should display the advertisement as it appeared in the venue itself, which may involve printing from an online source, scanning a print source, or taking a screenshot.
      • Sample Advertising - PrintoutSample Advertising - Screenshot
      • A receipt for payment alone is not sufficient as proof of advertising, but will also need to be included in your submission
        • At least two(better three) of the advertising venues must have a head office in Canada - check websites carefully to determine where the head office is located              

A request for the LMIA will be prepared by the Faculty Recruitment and Support Program based on the above documentation and forwarded to the appropriate office of Service Canada. LMIA requests in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be prepared and submitted to Service Canada by the Senior Staffing Officer. 

Processing time varies: please anticipate 4-6 weeks before we receive a decision.

A positive LMIA decision for academic staff will be forwarded to the faculty/unit and the newly appointed faculty member, with a cover letter outlining the next step in the immigration process. The faculty member can now initiate the work permit application. The work permit application must be completed prior to the expiry date noted on the LMIA. The LMIA is valid for 18 months. 

Please note: The LMIA process does not apply to:

  • citizens of the U.S., Mexico and Chile (covered under trade agreements)
  • Canada Research Chairs, Canada Excellence Research Chairs
  • Post-Doctoral Fellows
  • several specific categories of academic visitors
  • French speaking or bilingual workers coming to Queen's, even if they won't be required to speak French in their job

All of the above workers are LMIA-Exempt - please visit Employer Portal Applications for further details.