Which jobs will receive the most LMIAs by 2023?

Canadians can gain access to the Canadian currency work experienceIt is an important part of the immigration process for many newcomers. It helps them increase their immigration eligibility while also improving their skill set to reflect the labour markets.

The ability to work is usually granted by a work permitThe temporary resident visa allows the holder to live and work within the country. Newcomers who want to work in Canada but do not have a work permit of another kind may find it beneficial to pursue a Work permit based on the Labour Market Impact Assessment.

An LMIA is the Canadian government’s assessment of the impact of hiring a foreign worker on the Canadian labour market. To be eligible to support a work permit application, the LMIA must return a positive, or neutral result—with a negative result making the position ineligible for this kind of work permit. LMIAs are also used to determine whether a Canadian national or permanent resident can fill a position.

Canada is often in high demand for positions that receive LMIAs. CIC News has compiled a list of the jobs that received the most LMIAs between 2023 and 2025, based on government data.

Cohen Immigration Law Firm Offers Free Consultation for Work Permits

What were the top 10 jobs that received LMIAs in 2017?

According to Canada’s open data portal, In 2023 the following jobs received the most LMIAs throughout the year:

The job titles and codes given above correspond to National Occupation Classification (NOC) 2016 codes. Canada uses the NOC classification system to classify and categorize professions in the Canadian economy. In 2021, many of the 2016 NOC Codes have been expanded to include more specific jobs.

The 2016 NOC Code for General Agricultural Workers (8431), for example, was expanded in 2021 into:

• 84120: Specialized livestock workers, farm machinery operators
• 85100, Livestock Labourers;
• 85101, Harvesting labourers.

Find the IRCC’s NOC conversion table to see how job positions and NOCs may have changed between 2016 and 2021. Here is a link to the article.

The top 100 jobs for which LMIAs have been awarded are mainly in the sectors of agriculture, construction, technology, management and technology, transport and logistics, food service, and administrative work.

The Canadian government issued over 60,000 LMIAs in total to support the hiring foreign workers by 2023. These applicants also received their work permit under different streams. Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP). The TFWP, which is the main immigration programme that issues LMIA supported work permits, is the main immigration system. The TFWP has multiple streams, with different eligibility for candidates depending upon the type of work, industry, responsibilities and wages of their job.

Four of the top 10 jobs to receive an LMIA were from the Low-wage streamFour members of the TFWP came from the High-wage streamOne was from the Global Talent Stream (GTS), and one—which received the highest number of LMIAs—was from the Primary Agriculture stream.

How can newcomers benefit from this information?

If newcomers are flexible about their choice of occupation, but require an LMIA to work, they might want to consider occupations where there have been a lot of LMIAs issued in the past.

It is important that newcomers remember that it is their employer’s responsibility to apply for the LMIA, and pay all fees associated with it. Employers must also adhere to the Steps to follow and comply with TFWP standards, when applying for an LMIA—such as AdvertisingThe job position is made public for a period of time.

Canada announced that in March 2024, it will be announcing a Number of changes to TFWP and LMIAsIncluded are changes to validity periods as well as workforce quotas.

Click here to learn more about LMIAs, including the application process. Click here to learn more about TFWP. Here is a link to the article.

Cohen Immigration Law Firm Offers Free Consultation for Work Permits