If you own a company in Canada, you may qualify for an employment visa. If you want to work in Canada, you can file for a work visa on the basis of a Labour Market Impact Evaluation, which does not require promotion.

Work permits of this sort are commonly known as “Owner/Operator” permits. Let’s take a better look at the mechanism.

Any company in Canada that wants to hire a casual foreign worker is required by law to conduct a Labour Market Impact Evaluation LMIA. Essentially, this is how a company gets the green light from the Canadian government to hire an alien labourer.

The goal of LMIA is to ensure that Canadian citizens and permanent residents were given preference over transient foreign workers before the latter were hired.

Promoting the LMIA is a crucial step in the procedure. The hiring process must have been documented to show that the job was promoted in multiple web sites and that many qualified Canadians were contacted about the opening.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LMIA FOR OWNER/OPERATORS

However, the Owner/Operator LMIA application is one of the few that does not necessitate any form of promotion.

This group was established for international investors who want to set up shop in Canada or buy an existing company so they can run it from within the country. This streamlined process is meant to entice investors to set up shop in the nation and to facilitate a swift and painless resettlement.

Similarly, if company owners had to go through the same cumbersome process of getting a work visa, they would likely be discouraged from making such an investment and instead turn elsewhere for financial possibilities. This waterway was built with that contingency in mind. Thus, if you are a businessperson in Canada who either already owns a business or is looking to buy one, read on to find out if you meet the requirements. Show that your entrance into Canada will lead to the establishment or preservation of employment for Canadian permanent residents / citizens; Be the single or dominant stockholder; Have a significant interest in the company.

(3) Don’t take orders from anyone in upper management. You need to be in charge of everything at the business and have no higher ups to report to.

To qualify for Owner/Operator LMIA, the candidate must own at least 50% of the business.

LMIA Requirements for Owners/Operators

LMIA RULES FOR OWNERS/OPERATORS

Some other necessities are:

1-Formulation of a company strategy. To get investors on board, you need to lay out your plans for financing the company and generating and retaining jobs. It is imperative that the company strategy be detailed and persuasive. 

2-You need to show the official from Employment and Social Development Canada that you’re constantly engaged in the company’s operations and that you know what you’re doing. There needs to be evidence that you are not just throwing money away. As an alternative, you plan to keep your company running and expanding. You have been the inspiration and the creator of this work.

Thirdly, demonstrate in your company strategy that you intend to employ Canadians or permanent immigrants (ideally, in the first year of the business).

NEXT STEPS?

A work authorization from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will be issued after you submit an Owner/Operator LMIA and it is approved. Similarly to the length of time an LMIA is good, so too is the work visa. Two years is the standard time frame.

To file for permanent citizenship in Canada using the Rapid Entry method, you will need to have a work visa first. If you are offered a position within your current organisation, that counts as an internal recommendation.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program in Canada is an excellent option if you have an LMIA-based Owner/Operator work authorization and an LMIA.

OUR SERVICES ARE AT YOUR DISPOSAL

We are happy to check into your situation as we have extensive expertise with Owner/Operator LMIA and work permits.