What is International Mobility Program?

The International Mobility Program lets you (the employer) hire a temporary worker without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

In most cases, you’ll have to submit an offer of employment through the Employer Portal.

After your part is done, the temporary foreign worker must apply for a work permit.

Once your temporary foreign worker arrives, there are certain conditions and responsibilities that you must meet. If you don’t, you could be issued a penalty.

Possible penalties include:

• warning letters
• monetary penalties from $500 to $100,000 per violation
  • up to a maximum of $1 million over 1 year
• a ban from hiring temporary workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program for 1, 2, 5, or 10 years
• a permanent ban from hiring temporary workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program (for serious violations only)

This can also hinder your other international worker program applications.

How to get started?

Submit an offer of employment:

In most cases, to hire a temporary worker through the International Mobility Program, you must satisfy all of the following:

• pay the employer compliance fee of $230
• create and submit an offer of employment form through the Employer Portal. Your offer of employment must include information about:
  • your business
  • the foreign worker you would like to hire
  • the job details
  • wage and benefits

Exemptions:

Open Work Permit: If you hire a temporary worker who has an open work permit, you don’t need to submit an offer of employment form or pay the employer compliance fee.

Employer compliance exemptions: Some employers don’t need to use the Employer Portal or are exempt from the employer compliance fee.

For more exemptions, click here.

After you submit an offer of employment:

After you submit an offer of employment through the Employer Portal, you’ll get an offer of employment number. You must give this number to the temporary worker you plan to hire or plan to employ.

Once the worker has this number, they can complete the work permit application. We’ll review their application to see if they’re eligible to work in Canada. If the application is approved, the temporary worker will get:

• a letter of introduction and a work permit from a Canada border services officer, if they are still eligible when they arrive in Canada; or,
• a new work permit (if they live in Canada or apply when they enter Canada)

After you hire a temporary foreign worker:

After you’ve gone through the hiring process and the temporary worker’s application for a work permit is approved, you have certain responsibilities and conditions you must meet.

Employer responsibilities:

As someone who hired a temporary worker through the International Mobility Program, you must:

• make sure you see their work permit and know its expiry date
• meet the conditions listed on the work permit, including the
  • job location
  • length of time they can work in Canada
• meet the details of the offer of employment that you submitted to us, including
  • a job in the right occupation
  • duties that match the National Occupation Classification (NOC) code
  • no pay and working conditions less favourable (only equal or more favourable)
• set up medical insurance and workers’ compensation benefits for when they arrive in Canada
  • as required by your province or territory
  • as listed in the offer of employment
• be active in the business that submitted the offer of employment for as long as the work permit is valid
• meet all applicable federal, provincial and territorial employment and recruiting laws
• make sure the workplace is free of physical, sexual, psychological and financial abuse, as well as any form of workplace retaliation for “whistle-blowers”
• make sure you, or a designated employee, show up for any inspections to answer questions and hand over all requested documents or information
• be able to show that the information submitted on the offer of employment was accurate, and that you provided the temporary worker with the same offer of employment (contract)

You must keep any documents you have about the employment of your temporary worker for 6 years from the date we issued their work permit. We may ask you to submit the documents to show you have complied with the worker’s offer of employment.

Inspection?

If you hired a temporary foreign worker through the International Mobility Program, you may be subject to inspections.

Inspections make sure you’re informed of, and meet, your responsibilities as an employer. These inspections

• protect temporary workers
• make sure employers are using the International Mobility Program properly

Inspector may choose to inspect your business because we

• chose you randomly
• believe you aren’t compliant with the program conditions
• found that you were non-compliant in the past
• know you hired a foreign worker who was subject to an order or regulation under the Quarantine Act or Emergencies Act
• were notified of an outbreak of a communicable disease at a work site where foreign workers are working

Inspector, or Service Canada, will contact you if we choose to inspect your business.

Documents and Inspection:

If your business is chosen to be inspected, you must:

• provide all documents that are listed in the letter you receive
• show up at a specified time and location to answer questions, when asked
• attend any on-site inspections, when asked

The documents you need to give to the officer are listed in your inspection notification letter. They could be different for each inspection. Inspector could ask you for:

• the job description
• the employment contract
• time sheets and payroll records
• the temporary worker’s T4 Summary of Remuneration Paid
• your business license or permit
• any commercial lease agreements
• your T2 Income Statement, Balance Sheet, or similar
• cancelled cheques, money orders or bank statements
• your business’:
  • anti-abuse and/or anti-harassment policies
  • employee codes of conduct
• proof that you have private health insurance for the temporary worker
• proof that you registered for workplace safety insurance, or your worker’s compensation clearance letter
• your provincial/territorial employer and recruiter registration certificate or license
• travel itineraries and/or invoices
• accommodation information
• any other document the officer thinks is necessary