#international mobility program

Andra Dumitrescu Canadian Immigration Law Weekly Digest | April 26, 2026 Key Highlights: Recent Judicial Reviews IRCC – Express Entry Reforms Consultations Citizenship – Travel Documents for Adopted Persons International Mobility Program – Performing Arts (C23) Temporary Public Policy – Gaza TRV Holders Temporary Public Policy – Quebec Work Permits (PSTQ Candidates) Citizenship Week –…

Andra Dumitrescu Canadian Immigration Law Weekly Digest | December 7, 2025 Key Highlights: Recent Judicial Reviews Wildfire Measures Citizenship Accommodations H&C – Guardianship and Kafala Work Permit Conditions – Change of Employment Permanent Resident Program IMP – T11 Non-Trade Agreements Hong Kong – Optional OWP for PR Pathway Manitoba – Temporary PNP Support Letter…

The world is constantly developing, and as it does, different spheres of life become more accessible to people from all over the globe. One area of significant change is immigration that has resulted in the International Mobility Program (IMP) and its corresponding Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This program offers several benefits to foreign workers looking to come to Canada for work purposes. As you read on, you'll learn more about the advantages and overall benefits of the International Mobility Program LMIA.

Expansive range of jobs - The LMIA-exempt labor scheme under the International Mobility Program broadens the definition of occupations that are suitable for foreign applicants. Therefore, job titles that were exclusively designed for residents can accept foreign workers under this program. For instance, spouses or common-law partners of workers who belong to the LMIA-exempt professions (journalists, broadcasters, performing artists, etc.) can apply for open work permits, which allow them to work without employer-specific limitations. The International Mobility Program LMIA can benefit both employees and their families.

One-step process -The second significant advantage of the International Mobility Program LMIA is that if you're interested in applying for a job in Canada under this scheme, there's no need to acquire an LMIA from your employer. Before the job is open to foreign candidates, the LMIA process requires employers to demonstrate that they are unable to fill the position with the country's existing job seekers. This requirement can be time-consuming, and the LMIA is valid for just six months, which can be a significant setback. Fortunately, applicants to the International Mobility Program are exempt from this requirement, resulting in easy and smooth processing.

A gate to permanent residency - Another advantage of the International Mobility Program LMIA is that it can serve as a path to Canadian permanent residency. Canadian work experience, after all, counts towards your express entry score on an application for permanent residence, especially if it's in an area that has been identified. This approach allows temporary foreign workers to gain experience and knowledge of the labor market in Canada, which can be beneficial in planning their future lifestyle and ultimately settling in Canada.

Better opportunities for multilingual professionals – Canada typically has relied primarily on Canada's historic international relationships for trade and business, particularly France, China, and the United States of America. As a result, there is a greater need for multilingual professionals in diverse fields. The International Mobility Program LMIA can serve as an opportunity for international professionals, who are seeking better prospects and higher remuneration, both of which are made possible by the range of opportunities available in Canada.

Enhanced cultural diversity and knowledge sharing - Ultimately, the International Mobility Program LMIA can benefit all those involved in the program – the workers, their families, their respective companies, the communities they will dwell in, and the economy as a whole. Diverse backgrounds and perspectives can strengthen businesses, particularly those that are open to international trade and marketing. Sharing knowledge and mentoring can benefit both the companies and workers, catalyzing growth, development, and progress.

Conclusion:

Canada's International Mobility Program (IMP)

Each year Canada issues hundreds of thousands of work permits, to support economic growth and its social objectives; and many workers will be interested in pursuing permanent residency (PR). Of the more than 100 immigration pathways in Canada, the International Mobility Program (IMP) is one of the most popular.

Foreign national workers who meet the requirements can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for a work permit under the IMP. Canada also allows its residents and eligible spouses/partners to obtain work permits under the International Mobility Program.

If your chosen employer has an opening, and you fall under one of the IMP streams, the employer can hire you. To hire you under the IMP, your employer must confirm the position and that you qualify for an LMIA-exemption. Your employer then pays the $230 CAD compliance fee and submits an official job offer through the IMP’s Employer Portal web page. You will then be eligible to apply for your work permit.

As an LMIA-exempt foreign worker, you also have the option of qualifying for expedited work permit processing through the Global Skills Strategy, if your position is NOC Skill Level A or 0, and you are applying from outside of Canada.

Many of the LMIA-exemptions are available through international free trade agreements that have been set up between Canada and other countries. Another LMIA-exemption is the Canadian Interest Exemption, made available through reciprocal employment relationships with other countries, or where there's a significant benefit to Canadians.

International Experience Canada R205(b) enables you to take up employment in Canada when Canadians have established reciprocal employment opportunities in your home country. Because the work category is essentially the same, the reciprocal arrangement should result in a neutral labour market impact.

Under a C11 “significant benefit” work permit, professionals and entrepreneurs can enter Canada temporarily to establish their self-employed ventures or businesses. Your proposal must demonstrate that there's an economic stimulus for Canadians, that your venture will create new jobs or development in a regional or remote setting, or it will result in an expansion of export markets for Canadian products and services.

Under the IMP, executive, managerial and specialized knowledge employees of a company can also work in Canada temporarily, as intra-company transferees. The company you work for must have locations within Canada and offer intra-company transfers to its employees. To be eligible, transferring you to Canada must provide a significant economic advantage due to your technical knowledge, skills, and expertise to the Canadian labour market.

hat auf deinen Eintrag geantwortet

“Okay, so my art director just came in and said let’s work on this. Do a small conscise outline to represent the case to the producers directly. She said it’s currently very hard to find a good graphic designer.”

is this for an lmia or a young professional iec visa?

Actually neither at the moment, but the young professionals iec visa is another option I gave them. We are trying to get a lmia-exempt visa which goes by the following handy (not...) name:

International Mobility Program: Canadian interests – Significant benefit – Television and film production workers [R205(a)] (exemption code C14) 

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/tools/temp/work/opinion/imp-c14.asp

This one makes the most sense to me right now, because it’s specific to the film industry. Young professionals would require pretty much the same work from them and costs the same amount.

Another option would be the Mobilité Francophone which is also lmia-exempt, since I speak French fluently and already took the TEF exam here so I can prove my level of French. But that would make more sense for a non film job, since there already is a film specific visa available. And again effort and cost wise this doesn’t make a (positive) difference, probably rather the opposite.

Anywho! I didn’t update what was going on for the rest of the day. I sent the art director a couple of separate emails, breaking it down to a very basic level and making it as short and understandable as possible as to what is needed:

EMPLOYER

official Offer of Employment letter

submit an Offer of Employment through the employer portal (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/e-services/employer-portal.asp)

hand the reference code from the portal to me

pay a fee of $230

UNION

letter from IATSE 891 stating they are okay with me working in this capacity

ME

start application process

enter the reference code from the portal

finalize application process

I don’t know about you, but it really doesn’t seem THAT HARD TO ME.

After those mails I started to feel a bit better. After lunch I asked the production designer if she had the chance to talk to someone yesterday about it and she said yes. She didn’t mention any of the stuff or accusations I heard in the morning, but did note that indeed the production people felt kinda threatened and that their hair stood on end and all their alarm bells went off and yeah... gotta approach the whole thing again. Differently and better prepared and face to face. When I was making a wtf-face at the threatened comment, she just shrugged and went “I knooow!”. So yeah.

She was being super nice afterwards to me, when I said I’m already so thankful that she gave me a chance and hired me. She said that they definitely want to keep me and that I’ve been a perfect fit and I think then my brain exploded and I blacked out from all the compliments she threw at me, cause I don’t remember if she said that I was amazing or that the work I’ve been doing was amazing, but there was something in there along those lines and I actually got kinda choky and just... yeah. I said thank you and that it means a lot. Cause really it does.

Seems the production people are kinda stuck on this whole wording around “sponsorship”, so we think they are maybe just on the wrong track (maybe they have one of those “pay 10k to get this employee” kinda thing in mind) and we hope we can educate them otherwise.

In other news, I’m feeling better overall, a little less stressed. Funny what one measly invitation to an interview can do for you. I’ve spent most of the day researching my different visa options, so if they ask me how employable I am, I’m not gonna look like an idiot, who goes, “ummmmmm. I’d... have to look into that, but I think... there are options... probably.” Instead I want to have all the answers ready, so I can walk them through it, know the fees and steps to take and make it look like it’s this super easy minor thing that’s not difficult or threatening in any way.

So thanks to the film industry, there should be an LMIA exempt temporary visa available, that’s fairly easy to get. 

Thanks to me speaking French fluently I could also get a LMIA exempt visa through Mobilité Francophone. However that one seems to be just a tiny bit more work, or at least like a less obvious choice for a film production company, when there’s an easy film specific visa availlable.

Third option is the Young Professional visa from the IEC. I still qualify to participate for a second time in the IEC after the WHV. This one might be the easiest option for the employer, however if I get a short contract, it might mean that I only get the visa for the duration of that contract and maybe “burn” my one time chance at getting a work permit for another full year.

All three of them require the employer to pay a fee of 230 CAD. Manageable I’d say.

So looking at all the options none of them sounds terribly difficult. For me personally maybe the regular film visa (if applicable) would be the best option, since I could just keep trying to get new film visas/jobs whenever one expires and keep the YP visa as a backdoor option, when a 1 year contract comes along and we don’t have PR yet.