Temporary work for foreigners in Canada

If you thought temporary work in Canada was just summer farm jobs, you'd be mistaken.

Canada has a Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Under this program, a Canadian employer can not only hire you temporarily but also make a job offer for you to apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry system or one of the Provincial Nominee Programs. Some programs only require a work contract, while others may require you to work for a certain period, such as 1 year.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is divided into several streams:

Low-wage stream

This stream applies to unskilled and low-paid positions. The offered salary is a crucial factor.

If the salary is equal to or higher than the median hourly wage in the region, the application is submitted through the high-wage stream;
If it's below the median wage, the application goes through the low-wage stream.

Changes for 2024:

From September 26, 2024, LMIA applications for low-wage positions in regions with unemployment rates of 6% or higher will not be considered.
The cap on such positions has been reduced from 20% to 10%.
The maximum employment period has been shortened from 2 years to 1 year.
From September 3, 2024, to March 3, 2025, application processing for the Montreal region has been suspended due to high unemployment rates.

Agricultural stream

In this stream, Canadian employers can hire foreign workers for up to 3 years when they can't find suitable Canadian citizens or residents.

Temporary foreign workers can come from any country.

This stream allows hiring workers for tasks related to primary agriculture:

Operating agricultural machinery;
Caring for animals (except fish) for raw product production;
Harvesting and processing crops.

This stream requires agricultural managers, horticulture managers, livestock and crop farmers, landscape specialists, nursery and greenhouse workers, and harvesting equipment operators. To get hired, you need to find an employer and obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), then get a work permit. Experience, education, and English or French language requirements depend on the specific job.

There's also a separate Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), but it's only for citizens of Mexico and Caribbean countries.

Caregiver stream

Candidates in this stream provide in-home care for children, elderly people (over 65), and individuals with high medical needs (disabilities or chronic illnesses). The minimum employment is 30 hours per week.

Caregivers can be hired for two categories:

Child caregivers (for children under 18) — educators, nannies (NOC 44100).
Caregivers for people with high medical needs — nurses, personal care aides (NOC 31301, 32101, 44101).

Employment requires at least a high school education and sufficient English or French for everyday communication. Nannies and caregivers hired by families can often get a work contract without an LMIA, and after a year, they can apply for permanent residence.

Academic stream

Candidates must have completed at least one postgraduate degree and have university teaching experience, as well as research practice. Academic advisors, examiners, graduate assistants, and self-funded researchers don't need a work permit at all. Others need a permit but don't require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). This includes postdoctoral fellows, research award recipients, distinguished individuals such as leaders in various scientific fields, and visiting lecturers.

Global Talent Stream

The Global Talent Stream is designed to attract highly skilled foreign professionals to innovative firms in Canada. Work permit applications through this stream are processed on an expedited basis — usually within 10 business days.

Other professions

Your profession doesn't have to fit into the above streams for you to work in Canada. Canadian employers can hire applicants for most professions if they prove they couldn't find suitable candidates among citizens and permanent residents, and offer the foreigner a salary at or above the average hourly rate for that specific job in that region.