Quebec government expands list of occupations for facilitated LMIA process

The government of Quebec published this year’s list of occupations for the simplified processing of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications on February 24, 2020.

Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration provides an annually updated list of occupations for which employers do not need to advertise an open position before hiring a foreign worker.

Last year, Quebec had introduced regional lists of professions eligible for simplified processing. This year, the government has reverted to a provincial list that takes into account labour needs in all regions of Quebec.

Although many of the occupations that were on last year’s list are on the new list, 116 new occupations have been added and nine have been removed. Some of the newly added occupations include human resources and investment managers, architects, dentists and bakers, among others.

Quebec’s List of Occupations for the Facilitated LMIA is established by Emploi-Québec in collaboration with the Ministry of Immigration and is based on Canada’s 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.

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Facilitated LMIA list for Quebec

Before they can apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), Canadian employers who hire temporary foreign workers must demonstrate that they have advertised an open position through a variety of methods and provide proof of their recruitment efforts.

These efforts may consist of advertising the position for at least 28 days, interviewing eligible candidates and demonstrating to the Government of Canada that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is ready, willing and able to be hired for the position, which would require the hiring of a foreign worker.

However, Quebec employers who hire for certain positions are not required to provide proof of advertising or recruitment activities. This simplified application procedure is known as a “facilitated” LMIA.

The update to the list of facilitated occupations made public on February 24 came into effect immediately. A transitional period of 30 days is granted to the employer, or their representative, to allow for the examination of an application submitted according to the previous year’s list.

The following are no longer on the list of occupations for the facilitated LMIA process in Quebec:

0513 Recreation, sports and fitness program and service directors
1242 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations
1254 Statistical officers and related research support occupations
3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c.
3236 Massage therapists
7205 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
7232 Tool and die makers
9211 Supervisors, mineral and metal processing
9224 Supervisors, furniture and fixtures manufacturing

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