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Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant · RCIC

Corporate immigration: for employers

Corporate Immigration

For employers hiring or transferring talent: the right route first, then the LMIA or exemption and the worker’s permit, so your hire arrives on time and you stay compliant.

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The short answer

Corporate immigration means helping Canadian businesses bring in foreign workers on work permits. Most hires need a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), including through the Global Talent Stream. Others are LMIA-exempt, such as intra-company transfers (C61, C62, C63), significant benefit (C10), Francophone Mobility (C16) and religious or charitable work (C50, C51). In every case the worker then applies to IRCC for an employer-specific work permit.

Reviewed by Gurvinder Singh, RCIC ·

LMIA application

From recruitment requirements to the LMIA decision.

  • Recruitment before applying
  • Prevailing wage
  • High-wage and low-wage streams

About

Employers must show genuine recruitment efforts, offer the prevailing wage, and meet provincial employment standards. ESDC runs high-wage, low-wage, agricultural and Global Talent streams. Since September 26, 2024, most low-wage LMIAs aren’t processed in census metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6% or more, so I check the current list before you recruit.

How I help

  • Stream selection, employer eligibility and wage review
  • Advertising strategy and recruitment records
  • LMIA application, then the worker’s work permit
  • Canadian employers hiring a foreign national for a specific role
  • Employers in high-wage, low-wage or agricultural streams

Global Talent Stream (GTS)

An LMIA stream for highly skilled and specialized talent.

  • Category A or B
  • Labour Market Benefits Plan
  • No minimum advertising

About

The Global Talent Stream is part of the LMIA program. Category A is for employers referred by a designated partner who are hiring unique and specialized talent to scale up. Category B is for in-demand occupations on the Global Talent Occupations List, mostly technology roles, and needs no referral. Instead of the usual advertising rules, the employer commits to a Labour Market Benefits Plan, such as creating jobs or training Canadians, and must meet the stream’s wage floor.

How I help

  • Category A or B, and whether the role and wage qualify
  • Labour Market Benefits Plan commitments you can actually keep
  • The LMIA application, then the worker’s work permit
  • Tech and high-growth companies hiring for occupations on the Global Talent Occupations List
  • Employers with a referral from a designated GTS partner

Intra-company transfer (ICT: C61, C62, C63)

Move executives, managers and specialists from your company abroad to Canada.

  • No LMIA needed
  • 1 year with the company abroad
  • Parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate

About

An intra-company transfer lets a multinational move an employee to a related Canadian business without an LMIA. The worker must have worked full time for the foreign company for at least 1 continuous year in the last 3 years, and the two companies must be a parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate. C62 covers executives and senior managers, C63 covers specialized knowledge, which needs advanced proprietary knowledge and at least the prevailing wage, and C61 covers staff opening a new Canadian office.

How I help

  • Qualifying relationship and work history checked first
  • Role, wage and evidence matched to the right code
  • Employer Portal offer and the work permit application
  • Executives and senior managers moving to run Canadian operations (C62)
  • Employees with specialized knowledge of the company’s products or processes (C63)
  • Staff sent to open a new Canadian office of an established company (C61)

Significant benefit work permit (C10)

For a hire that brings a real economic, social or cultural benefit to Canada.

  • No LMIA needed
  • Unique or exceptional cases
  • Benefit must be demonstrable

About

C10 is an LMIA exemption for work that brings a significant benefit to Canada. In February 2026 IRCC tightened its instructions: C10 is for unique or exceptional situations, the benefit must be demonstrable and reach the community, region or country rather than just the employer, and officers weigh it against risks such as displacing Canadian workers. It suits a small number of strong cases and needs real evidence.

How I help

  • An honest view of whether C10 fits before you invest in it
  • Evidence of the benefit, built around what officers assess
  • Employer Portal offer and the work permit application
  • Employers whose hire creates jobs, new products or a clear competitive advantage in Canada
  • Workers with a recognized record of achievement in their field

Francophone Mobility (C16)

Hire a French-speaking worker anywhere in Canada outside Quebec, without an LMIA.

  • Outside Quebec
  • NCLC 5 in speaking and listening
  • Any TEER, with one exception

About

Francophone Mobility lets employers in the nine provinces and three territories outside Quebec hire a worker who can speak and listen in French at an intermediate level (NCLC 5 or higher). Since June 15, 2023, it covers jobs in any TEER category except TEER 4 and 5 jobs in primary agriculture. The employer submits the offer through IRCC’s Employer Portal under code C16 and pays the employer compliance fee, then gives the worker the offer number and the signed contract.

How I help

  • French level and job checked against C16 before the offer
  • Employer Portal offer, compliance fee and contract
  • The worker’s work permit application
  • Employers outside Quebec hiring a French-speaking or bilingual worker
  • Workers with NCLC 5 or higher in French speaking and listening
  • Bilingual candidates who also want French to help them later in Express Entry

Religious work (C50)

For roles in a religious community whose duties are genuinely religious.

  • Duties must be religious
  • Paid or unpaid
  • Genuine religious community

About

C50 covers work of a religious nature for a religious community or organization in Canada, whether it’s paid or not. Officers look at whether the organization is a genuine religious community and whether the role serves its religious purpose. A religious title on administrative, cooking or maintenance work doesn’t qualify. Some religious leaders whose main duties are preaching, leading worship or spiritual counselling may not need a work permit at all, so I check that first.

How I help

  • Whether the role needs C50 or no work permit at all
  • Evidence of the organization and the religious duties
  • Employer Portal offer, fee exemption if eligible, and the work permit
  • Gurdwaras, temples, churches, mosques and other religious organizations
  • Granthis, ragis, priests and others in genuinely religious roles
  • Paid or unpaid religious workers

Charitable work (C51)

For work that relieves poverty, advances education or otherwise benefits the community.

  • Duties must be charitable
  • Paid or unpaid
  • Not office or admin roles

About

C51 covers work whose duties are charitable, such as relieving poverty or advancing education, whether it’s paid or not. IRCC’s examples include cooking at a homeless shelter, prenatal care for low-income families and 24-hour residential care for people with developmental disabilities. What matters is what the person actually does, not only whether the employer is a registered charity. Office and administrative roles usually don’t qualify, and true volunteers often don’t need a work permit.

How I help

  • Whether the duties count as charitable work, or as volunteering with no permit needed
  • Evidence of the organization’s purpose and the role
  • Employer Portal offer, fee exemption if eligible, and the work permit
  • Charities and non-profits hiring for hands-on charitable work
  • Shelters, food programs and community care organizations
  • Workers whose own duties directly serve the charitable purpose

NOC code selection

The right occupation code for the job you’re filling.

  • Sets the wage and stream
  • TEER level
  • The worker’s PR options later

About

The NOC code drives the wage, stream and TEER level for the LMIA or exemption, and later the worker’s PR options. It should match what the person will actually do.

How I help

  • Duties-to-NOC mapping
  • TEER and wage implications
  • Consistent job descriptions across applications
  • Employers and HR teams writing job descriptions for immigration purposes

What decides these files

Where applications go wrong, and how I prevent it

  • Compliance after approval

    Employers must keep the job, wage and working conditions as described, and keep records. IRCC and ESDC can inspect, and penalties can be serious.

  • Choosing an exemption that doesn’t fit

    The code on the offer isn’t the final word; the officer decides. A religious title on an administrative job, or an ordinary job filed as C10, is refused.

Fees and timelines change: check IRCC’s current processing times (opens in a new tab).

Questions

Corporate Immigration: common questions

What is corporate immigration?

It means immigration for Canadian businesses: hiring or transferring foreign workers through an LMIA, the Global Talent Stream, an intra-company transfer or another LMIA exemption. It’s different from economic immigration, where you apply for permanent residence yourself through Express Entry, a provincial nominee program or a regional program.

Do you help with investor or start-up visa applications?

No. I don’t take investor, entrepreneur or Start-up Visa cases. My corporate immigration work is for employers hiring or transferring workers.

What is an LMIA?

A Labour Market Impact Assessment is a document from Employment and Social Development Canada that an employer usually needs before hiring a foreign worker. A positive LMIA confirms there is a need for the worker and that no Canadian worker or permanent resident is available for the job.

Do all foreign workers need an LMIA?

No. Some jobs are LMIA-exempt, for example under trade agreements, intra-company transfers (C61, C62, C63), significant benefit (C10), Francophone Mobility for French speakers outside Quebec (C16), religious work (C50) and charitable work (C51). The employer still submits the offer through IRCC’s Employer Portal.

Why is it harder to get an LMIA now?

Since September 26, 2024, ESDC doesn’t process most low-wage LMIA applications for jobs in census metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6% or more. The list is updated every three months, and in the July 2026 update it included Vancouver and Abbotsford-Mission. Recruitment, wage and business checks still apply to every other LMIA.

Can a worker hired through an LMIA become a permanent resident?

Often yes. Skilled Canadian work experience can lead to Express Entry (Canadian Experience Class) or a Provincial Nominee Program, such as the BC PNP, which may also involve the employer.

Related services

Often part of the same plan

All services
Official sources (5)

General information only, not legal advice.

Talk to an RCIC about corporate immigration.

Book a consultation with Gurvinder Singh, RCIC, by video, phone or in person in Surrey.

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