Temporary foreign worker program

Notice: Effective April 27, 2009, employers who wish to retain a Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) beyond the term of their current work permit must apply for a NEW LMO at least four months before the permit expires. Service Canada no longer issues Extensions to a Labour Market Opinion (LMO). To learn more about this change and what it means for employers and TFWs, click on the following link: Temporary Foreign Worker Program – What’s New.

Employers interested in hiring temporary foreign workers are required to go through a specific process to bring them to Alberta. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is a federal program. It is designed to meet temporary labour needs – the workers are in Alberta to fill short-term gaps in the labour force. Several government departments are involved in the process and it is important to understand what roles the federal and provincial governments play. In general, the process includes the following steps:

1. Employers must advertise the job opportunity to Canadians first.
    
2. If there are no Canadians or permanent residents available for the job, the employer can recruit a qualified foreign worker.
    
3. The employer can then make an offer of employment to the foreign worker.
    
4. The employer then completes the application for a Labour Market Opinion.
    
5. If the Labour Market Opinion is positive, the employer sends a copy to the foreign worker.
    
6. The foreign worker then applies for a work permit in their country of residence (outside Canada).
    
7. The foreign worker must then prove that he / she meets the job and admission to Canada requirements.

The role of the Government of Canada

1. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) is the Government of Canada agency that processes and assesses employers' applications to hire temporary foreign worker applications and issues Labour Market Opinions (LMO). HRSDC ensures that employers have made every effort to hire and train Canadian citizens or permanent residents and that hiring a foreign worker does not affect employment or career opportunities for Canadians and permanent residents. Therefore, if employers want to hire a foreign worker they need to receive a positive LMO from HRSDC before they can bring a worker from abroad to work in Alberta.

To find out about the new minimum advertising requirements for the LMO application, visit: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/
communications/advertrecrutment.shtml

2. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is the Government of Canada department that manages immigration policies and programs. This includes the processing and issuance of permanent and temporary resident permits, including work permits. Foreign workers must obtain a work permit before entering Canada to work.

The role of the Government of Alberta

1. Alberta Employment and Immigration (E&I)

Alberta Employment and Immigration (E&I) supports and helps educate Alberta employers in recruiting and retaining temporary foreign workers, responds to immigration enquiries, and administers the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP).

2. Alberta Advanced Education & Technology (AAET)

Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT), the section of the AAET ministry, assesses qualifications of internationally trained individuals in trades occupations to determine if they meet Alberta’s journeyman standards or trades qualifications requirements.

Date Updated: May 25, 2009
RDP-551