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All work routes·Canada, Employer-specific work permit (LMIA-based, applied for from outside Canada)
Work visa check

Check your Employer-specific work permit (LMIA-based, applied for from outside Canada) application before you apply

This page shows the conditions the Employer-specific work permit (LMIA-based, applied for from outside Canada) sets, in the official words, with a free check of your answers. Go over what it finds with a solicitor or a regulated immigration adviser before you apply.

IRCC officerImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship CanadaEmployer-specific work permit (LMIA-based, applied for from outside Canada)

Go over these findings with a solicitor or a regulated immigration adviser before you apply.

What is being checked

The job offer and the employer’s papers, the pay, the language level, your qualifications, any money you must hold, police and health papers, and your past visas.

Why applications fail

Pay below the lowest figure the route sets, missing papers from the employer, or papers that do not match each other.

What our software does

The free check reads your answers against these conditions and shows where they usually fall short. It does not say whether you qualify. Paid work checks are not open yet.

01
IRPR s. 200(1)(c)(iii) and s. 203(1); IRCC forms and documents page

Positive LMIA and job offer documents

If your job requires an LMIA, your employer must give you: a copy of the positive LMIA and LMIA file number an employment contract a job offer letter

What the decision maker looks at: Whether your application has a copy of the employer's positive LMIA and its file number, a job offer letter and an employment contract, and whether the job, pay and employer match across all of them.

An LMIA is a paper from the Canadian government that says the employer needs a foreign worker for this job. Most jobs need one. The employer gets it first, then gives you a copy. Your job offer letter must show your pay, your duties and your hours. If the job is in Quebec for more than 30 days, you also need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ).

Where this comes from 7 official sources
  • If your job requires an LMIA, your employer must give you: a copy of the positive LMIA and LMIA file number an employment contract a job offer letter a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) (if you plan to work a paid job in Quebec for more than 30 days)

    Work permit: applying from outside Canada - forms and documents, Documents for employer-specific work permits: LMIA-required work permits

    dated 17 July 2026 · checked against the page on 4 November 2026

  • The letter includes information about: your pay and deductions from your pay your job duties conditions of employment, such as hours of work

    Work permit: applying from outside Canada - forms and documents, Job offer letter

    dated 17 July 2026 · checked against the page on 4 November 2026

  • A labour market impact assessment (LMIA) is a document that proves there’s a need to hire a foreign worker to fill the job. Most jobs need an LMIA.

    Employer-specific work permits, Ask your employer about a labour market impact assessment

    dated 31 March 2026 · checked against the page on 4 November 2026

  • (iii) has been offered employment, and an officer has made a positive determination under paragraphs 203(1)(a) to (g); and

    Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, section 200 (work permits), s. 200(1)(c)(iii)

    Current to 2026-10-19 · checked against the page on 4 November 2026

  • You must provide a job offer from your employer in Canada on company letterhead indicating your job title, duties, salary and dates of employment (Submit a copy of your contract if possible).

    Lagos Visa Office additional document checklist: Work Permit (IMM 5914), Job offer

    IMM 5914 E (02-2026) · checked against the page on 4 November 2026

  • Most employers need an LMIA before they can hire a temporary foreign worker.

    Find out if you need a labour market impact assessment, Find out if you need a labour market impact assessment

    dated 23 April 2026 · checked against the page on 4 November 2026

  • You should apply as soon as you have: a written job offer or employment contract, and The LMIA decision letter that your employer received from ESDC

    Guide 5487 - Applying for a Work Permit outside Canada, When should I apply?

    dated 6 October 2026 · checked against the page on 4 November 2026

Evidence that addresses it

  • A copy of the positive LMIA and the LMIA file number from your employer
  • A job offer letter showing your pay, deductions, duties and hours
  • An employment contract
  • A Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) if the job is in Quebec for more than 30 days
02
IRPR s. 200(5) and s. 203(1)(a)

Genuine job offer and a compliant employer

the job offer is genuine under subsection 200(5)

What the decision maker looks at: Whether the officer can be satisfied the job offer is real: the employer is actively running the business, needs this worker, can keep the terms of the offer, has a good record with employment laws, and is not on the list of non-compliant employers.

The officer looks at the employer as well as at you. Is the business real and running? Does it really need this job done? Can it pay what it promised? Has it kept the rules before? An employer marked ineligible on the government's non-compliant employers list cannot hire you. Whether an offer is genuine is a judgement, so a solicitor or a regulated adviser should look at it.

Where this comes from 4 official sources

Evidence that addresses it

  • Your job offer letter and contract on the employer's letterhead
  • The employer's name checked against the IRCC list of non-compliant employers on the day you apply
  • Anything the employer gives you that shows the business is running, such as its website and address
03
IRPR s. 203(1)(b) and s. 203(1.1)(a); ESDC hourly wage threshold

Wage against the going rate

the wages set out in the offer of employment are not consistent with the prevailing wage rate for the occupation

What the decision maker looks at: Whether the pay in your offer matches the pay in the LMIA and is in line with the usual pay for that job in that place, and which LMIA stream the wage puts the job in.

The law says that if the pay is not in line with the usual pay for the job, the job is unlikely to be good or neutral for jobs in Canada. ESDC sets an hourly wage threshold for each province. For LMIAs received from 17 July 2026 it is, for example, CAD 36.92 an hour in Ontario and CAD 38.40 in British Columbia. Pay at or above it goes in the high-wage stream, and pay below it goes in the low-wage stream. The threshold is used to pick the stream. The pay must also be close to what Canadians are paid for the same job. Whether the pay is the going rate is a judgement, so a solicitor or a regulated adviser should look at it.

Where this comes from 5 official sources

Evidence that addresses it

  • The positive LMIA, which states the wage
  • The job offer letter and contract, showing the same hourly wage and hours
  • The ESDC hourly wage threshold table for the province of the job
04
IRPR s. 200(3)(a); IRCC forms and documents page; IMM 5914

Skills, qualifications and work history for the job

there are reasonable grounds to believe that the foreign national is unable to perform the work sought

What the decision maker looks at: Whether your papers show you can do the job in the offer: your current job letter, past references, pay slips, your CV, and any licence or registration the job needs in Canada.

The officer must not give the permit if there is good reason to think you cannot do the job. So you show it. A letter from your boss now, letters from past bosses, pay slips and certificates all help. If the job needs a licence in Canada, like nursing, you send the letter from the Canadian body that registers that job. If it needs none, you upload a page that says "Not applicable".

Where this comes from 5 official sources

Evidence that addresses it

  • A letter from your current employer, dated within two months, with your job, duties, salary, allowances, years of work and leave dates (Lagos visa office)
  • Your last 3 months of pay slips (Lagos visa office)
  • Reference letters from past employers
  • Your CV, in English or French
  • Certificates for your education and professional qualifications
  • For a regulated job: the licence, or a letter from the Canadian body that registers that job
05
IRPR s. 200(1)(b); IRCC eligibility page

Leaving Canada at the end, and money for your stay

the foreign national will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay

What the decision maker looks at: Whether the officer can be satisfied you will leave Canada when the permit ends, and whether you have enough money to look after yourself and your family until your pay starts and to go home.

A work permit is for a set time. The officer must believe you will leave when it ends. Strong links at home help, like family, property or a job to go back to. You also need enough money for you and your family while you settle in, and to get home. IRCC does not give one fixed amount. It says it depends on your family size, the place you will live and the program, and points to the low income cut-offs as a rough guide.

Where this comes from 6 official sources

Evidence that addresses it

  • Recent bank statements in your name
  • An explanation of any large deposit, with proof of where it came from
  • Proof of links at home, such as family, property or a job to return to
  • Past passports showing visits abroad where you came back on time
06
IRPR s. 200(1)(e); IMM 5914; IRCC medical exam and biometrics pages

Police certificates, medical exam and biometrics

You must provide original Police clearance certificates - obtained from C.I.D Headquarters for the applicant and any accompanying family member above 18 years of age for Nigeria.

What the decision maker looks at: Whether you have the police certificates the visa office asks for, whether you need a medical exam for this job or stay and did it with a panel doctor when told to, and whether you gave your biometrics after the instruction letter.

From Nigeria, the Lagos visa office wants a police certificate from the C.I.D Headquarters for you and every family member over 18 coming with you. You also need one for each country where you lived more than six months since you turned 18. A medical exam is needed for a stay of more than 6 months if you lived in certain countries, or for jobs that protect public health, like health care or child care. Only a panel doctor can do it, and only when the visa office tells you to. Biometrics means your fingerprints and photo. You give them after you get the instruction letter.

Where this comes from 8 official sources

Evidence that addresses it

  • Original police certificates from C.I.D Headquarters for you and each family member over 18 (Nigeria)
  • Police certificates from each country where you stayed more than six months since age 18
  • Proof of a medical exam by a panel doctor, if the visa office asks for one
  • Your biometrics instruction letter and proof you gave your biometrics
07
IRPR s. 200(3)(e); IRCC refusal reasons; IMM 5914

Complete and truthful application, and past permit conditions

have misrepresented information on your application

What the decision maker looks at: Whether every document on your checklist is in, whether every answer is true and matches your papers, whether past refusals are declared, and whether you ever broke the conditions of an earlier Canadian permit.

An application with a missing document can be refused without being looked at. False statements or fake papers mean a refusal and a possible ban from Canada for 5 years. Answer every background question truthfully, including about past refusals. If you worked or studied in Canada without permission, or broke the rules of an earlier permit, the officer must refuse until six months have passed, with some exceptions. A finding of misrepresentation is serious, so a solicitor or a regulated adviser should look at it.

Where this comes from 5 official sources

Evidence that addresses it

  • Every document on your personalized IRCC checklist and the Lagos visa office checklist
  • Copies of any past refusal letters, from Canada or any other country
  • Schedule 1 (IMM 5257 SCH1) if you answered yes to any background question
  • Certified translations for any document not in English or French

An employer-specific work permit lets you work in Canada for one named employer, in one job and place, until the permit ends. This rulebook covers the kind that needs a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, applied for from outside Canada. Express Entry is a way to get permanent residence, not a work permit, so it is not covered here. Both sides apply. First the employer applies to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for an LMIA, which shows there is a need to hire a foreign worker. Then you, the worker, apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). An IRCC officer decides your application under section 200 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, and a border services officer gives you the permit itself when you arrive. The steps, in order: the employer gets a positive LMIA and gives you a copy, the LMIA file number, a job offer letter and a contract. You answer the questions in your IRCC secure account and get your document checklist. You gather your documents, including the Lagos visa office checklist (IMM 5914) if you apply from Nigeria and police certificates. You pay the fees: CAD 155 for the work permit and CAD 85 for biometrics for one person (up to CAD 170 for a family), as the IRCC page dated 28 August 2026 gives them. You give your biometrics after you get the instruction letter, and you do a medical exam only when the visa office tells you to. IRCC publishes a list of common refusal reasons, and the grounds below follow it and the law. Go over these findings with a solicitor or a regulated immigration adviser before you apply.

Free check

Where does your work visa application stand?

A few questions, read against the conditions above. Nothing you choose leaves this page.

  1. 1 Where are you with the job?

    Most work routes start with a real job offer, and some need a paper from the employer before you can apply.

  2. 2 How does the pay compare with the lowest pay the route allows?

    Many routes set a lowest salary. The figure is on this page, from the official rules.

  3. 3 Is the employer allowed to hire people from abroad?

    Some routes only allow employers on an official list, or with an official licence.

  4. 4 Are your qualifications ready to show?

    Some routes need your degree or licence to be recognised, checked or registered in that country first.

  5. 5 Can you show the money the route asks you to hold?

    Some routes ask you to hold money for living costs for a set time, unless the employer covers it.

  6. 6 Do you have the health and police papers the route asks for?

    Some routes ask for a police certificate, a TB test or a medical check.

  7. 7 What is your visa history?

    A past refusal for any country has to be told about and answered.

Answer all 7 questions to see the result. Nothing you choose leaves this page.

Paid work checks

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