Employers and workers
Immigration work for Vaughan businesses and their staff
Our immigration law page covers every pathway, and our work permits and LMIA page goes deep on the permit rules. Here we focus on what applies to a Vaughan workplace in 2026. For the rest of our local work, see our Vaughan page.
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Labour Market Impact Assessments
Checking the stream and whether ESDC will process it, planning recruitment, and preparing the application and transition plan.
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LMIA-exempt work permits
Trade-agreement professionals, intra-company transferees and other International Mobility Program categories.
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Extensions & job changes
Keeping a worker’s status unbroken through renewals, promotions and a move to a new employer.
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Permanent residence
Ontario’s employer-driven nominee stream and Express Entry, for workers you want to keep.
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Family of workers
Spousal work permits where eligible, visitor visas and, once a worker has PR, sponsorship.
Hiring from abroad
The LMIA in Vaughan: check processing before you recruit
A Labour Market Impact Assessment is the employer’s application to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), showing that hiring a foreign worker is needed and no Canadian or permanent resident is available.
Low-wage positions may not be processed at all
ESDC compares the wage you offer with Ontario’s wage threshold. Below it, the position is low-wage, and ESDC refuses to process many low-wage LMIAs in census metropolitan areas with high unemployment, subject to sector exemptions. Vaughan is part of Statistics Canada’s Toronto census metropolitan area, and Toronto has been on that list during 2026. The list is updated every quarter, so we check it again before you spend money on recruitment.
High-wage positions
At or above the threshold, the position is high-wage. Under ESDC’s high-wage requirements, you must advertise for at least four consecutive weeks within the three months before applying, on the Government of Canada’s Job Bank and through at least two other methods, consider the Canadians who apply, and submit a transition plan. You must pay at least the prevailing wage for the occupation and region, or what you pay your own staff in the same job, whichever is higher.
Keep the file
Every advertisement, every applicant and why they weren’t hired should be documented. ESDC can ask for them during the assessment, and inspectors can ask again later.
Why Wannes Law
A Toronto law firm that keeps you informed
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A licensed Ontario lawyer
Rosalie Wannes, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, is responsible for your file from start to finish.
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Fees before you commit
Instant online quotes and published flat fees, so you know the cost before you retain us.
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Every step explained
Plain-language explanations of what happens, what you provide and what we handle, at every stage.
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Direct access
Reach your lawyer and law clerk directly by phone and email while your matter is underway.
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Sign in person or remotely
Meet at our Sheppard Ave E office in Toronto, or review documents by video and courier the originals.
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English, Armenian and Arabic
Talk through your matter in the language you are most comfortable with.
Without an LMIA
LMIA-exempt hiring, and the obligations that follow any hire
Some positions don’t need an LMIA at all. Whichever route you use, the employer’s obligations last for the whole of the employment.
International Mobility Program
IRCC lists who can be hired without an LMIA. Common categories include professionals under trade agreements, intra-company transferees moving from a related company abroad, and work that brings a significant benefit to Canada. For most exempt positions, the employer submits the offer of employment to IRCC through its Employer Portal and pays a compliance fee before the worker applies. An exemption that doesn’t fit the job can lead to refusal, so the job description and the category have to match.
Employer obligations
Once a foreign worker is hired, you must provide the wages, duties and working conditions set out in the offer or the LMIA, keep a workplace free of abuse, and not recover recruitment fees from the worker. Employers can be inspected, and non-compliance can lead to monetary penalties and bans from hiring foreign workers.
Workers changing jobs
A worker on an employer-specific permit needs a new permit before starting with a new employer, although IRCC may authorize them to start while that application is processed if they ask. If you are recruiting someone who already works elsewhere in the GTA, plan for that time.
Start to finish
From job offer to work permit, and beyond
When both the employer and the worker are our clients, we look at both sides together. Most of the work is done by phone and email.
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Step 1: Choose the route
We look at the position, the wage, the worker’s citizenship and history, and whether an exemption fits. For low-wage roles we check the current refusal-to-process list first.
You provide
- Job description, wage and location
- The worker’s CV and immigration history
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Step 2: Employer’s side
Either recruitment, the LMIA application and transition plan, or, for an exempt position, the offer of employment in the Employer Portal.
We handle
- Recruitment plan and records
- LMIA or offer of employment
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Step 3: Worker’s permit
The worker applies to IRCC, from abroad or, where allowed, from inside Canada. If they are already here, the timing has to protect their status.
You provide
- Passport, qualifications and experience letters
- The LMIA decision or offer number
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Step 4: Keeping the worker
Extensions before expiry, and a plan for permanent residence through Ontario’s Workforce Priority stream, which since June 26, 2026 requires an approved position with an Ontario employer, or through Express Entry.
In Vaughan
Settling in Vaughan: local help for workers and families
In the 2021 Census, 46.4% of Vaughan residents in private households were immigrants, and about 12% of those admitted between 1980 and 2021 had held a work permit before becoming permanent residents (Statistics Canada).
Free help for newcomers
- York Region’s Welcome Centre in Vaughan, on Jane Street, with settlement, employment and interpretation support
- The York Region Newcomer Guide, in several languages, covering housing, health care, transit and child care
- IRCC’s online finder for other funded services by postal code
Where we come in
- Any question about the permit itself, its conditions or its expiry
- A worker whose status has lapsed, or who worked outside the permit’s conditions
- An employer contacted by ESDC or IRCC about compliance
- Sponsoring a spouse or child once the worker has permanent residence
Related in Vaughan
- Buying a home on a work permit or as a new permanent resident: our Vaughan real estate page
- Wills and powers of attorney for new families: our Vaughan wills page
Questions
Vaughan immigration questions
Can my Vaughan business get a low-wage LMIA right now?
For many positions, not at the moment. Vaughan is in the Toronto census metropolitan area, which has been on ESDC’s refusal-to-process list for low-wage LMIAs during 2026, subject to sector exemptions. The list is updated quarterly.
How long must we advertise before applying for a high-wage LMIA?
At least four consecutive weeks within the three months before you apply, on Job Bank and through at least two other methods. You also need a transition plan.
Can I charge the worker for the cost of recruiting them?
No. Employers can’t recover recruitment fees from a foreign worker, and doing so can lead to penalties.
Our worker’s permit expires next month. Can they keep working?
Yes, if IRCC receives their extension application before the permit expires and they stay in Canada. They can keep working on the same conditions until it is decided.
Can you help the worker become a permanent resident?
Yes. Ontario’s nominee program now runs through the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which is built around an approved position with an Ontario employer. Express Entry is the other main route.
Do you have an office in Vaughan?
No. Our office is at 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, in Toronto. Employer and worker files are handled by phone and email.
Areas We Serve
Immigration advice across York Region and the GTA
Phone consultations for employers, workers and families wherever you are.
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Scarborough
Immigration lawyer for Scarborough clients. Our office is on Sheppard Ave E.
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North York
Immigration lawyer for North York clients.
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Markham
Immigration lawyer for Markham clients.
Here to help
Check the route before you recruit.
Book a free 15-minute call, or tell us about the position in the quote form.
Prefer to talk now? Call (647) 707-7718 · Service in English, Armenian and Arabic