A Toronto employer may use the International Mobility Program (IMP) to hire a temporary foreign worker without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), but only when a specific LMIA exemption applies and all other requirements are met. The IMP is not a general shortcut around Canada’s work-permit rules, and being located in Toronto does not establish eligibility.
The practical decision is whether the proposed worker, job, employer, and circumstances fit an available IMP category. The employer must then determine the permit type, complete any required Employer Portal steps, support the worker’s application, and follow the permit and offer conditions after hiring.
Step 1: Confirm whether the IMP is the right route
Start by separating the IMP from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The TFWP generally involves an LMIA assessment, while the IMP supports certain temporary foreign workers through an LMIA-exempt category. The correct route depends on the exemption and the facts of the proposed hire, not simply on the employer’s preference.
| Question | IMP | TFWP |
|---|---|---|
| Is an LMIA normally required? | No, when a valid exemption applies and its conditions are met. | Usually, the employer must obtain a positive LMIA before the worker applies for a permit. |
| What drives eligibility? | A specific exemption category and the worker’s circumstances. | The employer’s need, job offer, recruitment and labour-market information, and other requirements. |
| Is a work permit still relevant? | Often, yes. LMIA-exempt does not mean automatically work-permit-exempt. | Usually, yes, unless another rule applies. |
Canada’s official IMP information describes the program as a way for employers to hire temporary foreign workers without an LMIA when the applicable requirements are satisfied. Identify the proposed exemption before treating the hire as LMIA-exempt.
Step 2: Identify the worker, job, and possible exemption
Review the worker’s citizenship, current location, immigration status, qualifications, intended work, and relationship to the employer. Also document the employer’s legal identity, Toronto work location, job duties, wages, benefits, and proposed employment period.
The exemption may determine whether the worker needs an open work permit or an employer-specific work permit. Categories can apply to particular workers, agreements, policy objectives, or circumstances, but the worker must satisfy the requirements attached to the selected category.
Do not rely on a job title alone. Check the current IMP eligibility categories against the actual role and worker circumstances. Where the exemption remains unclear, the International Mobility Workers Unit may be relevant if its service and requirements fit the situation.
Step 3: Determine whether the permit is open or employer-specific
An open work permit generally allows the holder to work for an employer without being tied to one particular employer, although other conditions may apply. An employer-specific permit limits the worker to the employer, job, location, and period identified in the permit.
This is not simply an administrative choice made by the Toronto employer. The available permit type follows from the exemption and worker’s circumstances. For an employer-specific permit, the offer and work-permit application should describe the same job, location, wages, benefits, and duration.
Step 4: Complete the employer’s IMP requirements
Many IMP employers must use the Employer Portal before the worker submits a work-permit application. The employer typically submits information about the business, worker, position, wages, benefits, and employment terms.
In most cases, the employer compliance fee is $230, although exemptions may apply. Confirm the current instructions and proposed exemption before paying or submitting anything. The IMP hiring steps and offer requirements should be used as a checklist, not as a substitute for confirming the category.
If an exemption from portal use or the fee may apply, record the reason and verify it against the current rules. Keep a copy of the submission and the information used to prepare it.
Step 5: Coordinate the work-permit application
The employer’s submission and the worker’s application need to tell one consistent story. Compare the offer, employment agreement, job description, wages, benefits, location, duration, and intended duties before submission.
The worker may need evidence relating to identity, qualifications, status, employment, and the applicable exemption. Additional requirements may apply depending on the worker’s circumstances and application location. Neither an IMP category nor an employer submission guarantees approval.
For an employer-specific permit, avoid describing the role broadly in one document and narrowly in another. The application should clearly identify who employs the worker, what work will be performed, where it will occur, how long it will last, and what compensation applies.
What Toronto changes, and what it does not
The IMP is administered federally and applies to employers and workers in Toronto, Ontario. It is not a separate Toronto immigration program, and the location does not replace the need to identify a federal exemption.
The same core questions remain: which exemption applies, whether the worker needs a permit, whether it is open or employer-specific, whether the Employer Portal must be used, and which duties continue after hiring. An official evaluation included workers destined for Toronto, but that reference does not create special Toronto eligibility.
Step 6: Manage compliance after the worker arrives
Approval is not the end of the employer’s responsibilities. Review the worker’s permit, record its expiry date, and check its conditions. The authorized employer, job location, duties, and work period should be clear to the people managing the employment relationship.
The employer must also meet the submitted offer’s terms. If the business wants to change the worker’s job, location, wages, benefits, or duration, pause and determine whether the change is permitted or requires further immigration action. The official post-hiring IMP requirements explain the importance of checking the permit and following its conditions.
Stop-and-verify checklist before submission
- Have you identified the precise LMIA exemption?
- Do the worker’s status, qualifications, nationality, and circumstances fit it?
- Are the employer, duties, location, wages, benefits, and employment period documented?
- Have you confirmed whether the permit will be open or employer-specific?
- Does the Employer Portal apply, and has the offer been entered accurately?
- Does the $230 fee apply, or is there a verified exemption?
- Do the offer, employment agreement, and worker’s application contain consistent information?
- Is there a plan to monitor the permit after hiring?
If any answer is uncertain, pause before submitting. An unresolved exemption, permit type, or fee question is a reason to verify the route, not assume that the IMP applies.
When professional immigration assistance may be useful
Careful review may help when the exemption is difficult to identify, the worker has a complicated immigration history, the permit type is unclear, the role does not fit neatly within a category, or the offer documents contain inconsistent terms.
Ararat Canada Immigration identifies International Mobility Program services among its offerings. Its Toronto-based practice states that it is legally authorized to represent clients before IRCC, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and the Canada Border Services Agency. This may make regulated advice useful for case-specific review, but no consultant can promise eligibility or approval.
For separate marketing support aimed at local employers, Toronto GTA marketing support may be relevant, but it does not determine immigration eligibility.
Frequently asked questions
Does an LMIA-exempt IMP hire still require a work permit?
Often, yes. An LMIA exemption addresses the labour-market assessment requirement. It does not automatically mean the worker can work in Canada without a permit.
When does a Toronto employer need to use the Employer Portal?
In many IMP cases, the employer must submit an offer through the Employer Portal before the worker applies. Portal exemptions may apply, so verify the category and current instructions.
Does every IMP hire require the $230 employer compliance fee?
No. The fee is required in most standard cases, but exemptions may apply. Confirm the requirement before submitting the offer.
Can the IMP lead directly to Canadian permanent residence?
No. The IMP is a temporary work pathway and does not itself provide permanent residence. A separate permanent-residence option must be assessed on its own requirements.
What should an employer do after an IMP worker receives a permit?
Review the permit, note its expiry date and conditions, and ensure employment follows the authorized employer, role, location, and period. Honour the submitted offer and pause before making material changes.
Conclusion: verify the exemption before choosing the route
For a Toronto employer, the IMP may provide an LMIA-exempt route to hiring a temporary foreign worker, but the decision begins with the exemption, not the location. The worker’s circumstances, permit type, Employer Portal submission, possible fee, and post-hiring duties must align.
Use the federal requirements to verify the route before submission. For case-specific review, Ararat Canada Immigration is a Toronto-based consultancy that identifies IMP services among its offerings and states that it provides authorized representation before Canadian immigration authorities.
