LMIA cases, prepared and filed with a verified Canadian partner
A Labour Market Impact Assessment is the document a Canadian employer needs before most foreign workers can apply for a work permit. It proves no Canadian was available for the job. Vistolane pairs your agency with a verified Canadian immigration partner and runs the whole file on one board.
Canada
How Vistolane handles LMIA (Canada)
Vistolane does not file this case itself. It brings the employer, the agency, the applicant and the Vistolane team onto one application in VIMS, prepares the file with the Immigration Language Model, and an enrolled licensed specialist reviews and signs.
Tourist and student visas are processed by Vistolane directly. See all tracks and per-file rates on the support services and pricing pages. Pricing
What this case involves
Service Canada looks at four things: did the employer advertise the role properly for at least four weeks, is the wage at or above the median for the occupation and region, is the business real and able to pay, and will hiring a foreign worker help or harm the Canadian labour market.
A positive LMIA lets the worker apply for a work permit. A negative one usually means the advertising or the wage did not meet the rule, and the clock starts again.
How the case runs, step by step
- 1
Role and wage check
The occupation code (NOC/TEER), the prevailing wage and the stream (high wage, low wage, Global Talent) are confirmed before anything is advertised.
- 2
Recruitment record
Job Bank and two other adverts run for four weeks. Every applicant, interview and reason for rejection is logged in the file as it happens.
- 3
Application to Service Canada
The LMIA form, business legitimacy documents, the transition plan (high-wage stream) and the recruitment summary are filed by the verified partner. The fee is CAD 1,000 per position.
- 4
Work permit
With the positive LMIA, the worker's permit application is prepared on the same case so nothing is collected twice.
How Vistolane supports your agency
One board for a two-part case
LMIA and work permit sit as linked stages. The board will not let the permit stage open until the LMIA decision is recorded.
Verified Canadian partner
A CICC-licensed consultant or Canadian lawyer in the Vistolane network reviews and files the application. Their licence is re-verified every quarter.
Wage and advert templates
Prevailing wage look-ups and advert wording per stream are built into the checklist, so the most common refusal reasons are designed out.
Deadline tracking
Advertising windows, LMIA validity (six months) and permit expiry are on the timeline with reminders to you and the employer.
Compliance requirements to keep in view
- Keep recruitment records for six years
- Pay the wage stated on the LMIA from day one
- Report changes to the role, hours or location
- Expect employer compliance inspections and keep payroll evidence ready
Questions agencies ask
- How long does an LMIA take?
- Service Canada publishes stream-by-stream times; most high-wage applications are decided in one to three months after a complete filing. The Global Talent Stream targets two weeks.
- Does the employer or the agency pay the LMIA fee?
- The employer must pay the CAD 1,000 fee and may not recover it from the worker. Vistolane invoices your service fee separately so the two never mix.
- Can we do LMIA cases without a Canadian licence?
- Advice on Canadian immigration must come from a licensed consultant or lawyer. Your agency keeps the client and the sales relationship; the verified partner gives the regulated advice and signs the filing.
- What happens if the LMIA is refused?
- The decision letter is decoded within a day and the partner tells you whether to re-advertise, change the stream or appeal. The refused-before guarantee applies on eligible routes.
Verified partners who take this case type
Licence-checked firms in the Vistolane network. Scorecards show real approval rates and processing times per route.
8 licensed partners