Changes to requirements for Labour Market Opinions
Employers hiring foreign workers will soon be required to prove compliance of the terms and conditions of employment with respect to Labour Market Opinion (LMO) applications. The changes are in the proposal stages but many of the recommendations will likely be implemented concerning compliance with obligations that employers must meet in terms of employment contracts, labour conditions and wages offered to foreign workers.  These changes will come in addition to the familiar advertising and recruiting requirements that employers have to follow when applying for Labour Market Opinions to Service Canada.
If Service Canada, formally HRSDC, approves an employer’s Labour Market Opinions application, the foreign worker has to then apply for a Canadian work permit at his or her Canadian Embassy abroad.
These new compliance rules are designed to “protect” foreign workers from abusive practices by Canadian employers wishing to take advantage of newcomers to Canada.
A lot of bureaucratic “red tape” for employers and foreign workers wishing to contribute to Canada’s economy. While there have been documented cases of abuse, Canadian employers on the whole are, in my view, ethical and nevertheless have to comply with the Employment Standards Act for all employees.
Stay tuned for the details!
Intake
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
