On This Page, You Will Find:
- What the International Mobility Program (IMP) is
- How the IMP differs from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- The main LMIA-exempt categories
- Employer responsibilities and the compliance fee
- Who is exempt from the employer compliance fee
- How workers apply for a permit
- Recent changes to watch
- Frequently asked questions
The International Mobility Program (IMP) allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). It exists to advance Canada’s broad economic, social and cultural interests, for example by honouring free trade commitments, enabling company transfers, supporting reciprocal youth and cultural exchanges and supporting Francophone communities outside Quebec, rather than to fill a specific labour gap. For workers, it often offers a faster and more flexible route to a Canadian work permit than the LMIA-based Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
IMP vs the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
The key difference is the LMIA. Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, an employer must first obtain a positive LMIA from Employment and Social Development Canada showing that hiring a foreign worker will not harm the Canadian labour market. Under the IMP, no LMIA is needed because the work permit is justified by a broader benefit to Canada or by an international agreement. The IMP is administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and for many roles it is the most practical option given recent restrictions on low-wage LMIAs.
The Main LMIA-Exempt Categories
The IMP includes both employer-specific and open work permits. The main categories are:
- Free trade agreement permits: professionals, intra-company transferees, traders and investors covered by agreements such as CUSMA and CETA.
- Intra-company transferees: executives, senior managers and specialized-knowledge staff transferred by a multinational to a related Canadian business.
- International Experience Canada (IEC): Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-op participants under youth mobility arrangements.
- Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP): open work permits for eligible graduates of Canadian designated learning institutions.
- Spousal and family open work permits: for eligible spouses and common-law partners of certain skilled workers and international students.
- Bridging Open Work Permits (BOWP): for eligible permanent residence applicants who need to keep working while their application is processed.
- Francophone Mobility: employer-specific permits for French-speaking or bilingual workers who will live and work outside Quebec.
- Innovation Stream: employer-specific permits for high-skilled roles with employers participating in the federal Global Hypergrowth Project.
- Other significant-benefit and reciprocal employment permits: for roles that bring notable economic, social or cultural benefits to Canada, or that are part of reciprocal arrangements, such as certain researchers, entrepreneurs and cultural exchanges.
Francophone Mobility in more detail
For applications made on or after June 15, 2023, a Francophone Mobility worker must live and work in a province or territory outside Quebec, show French speaking and listening skills at an intermediate level (equivalent to NCLC 5 or higher), and have a job offer in any TEER category except primary agriculture occupations at TEER 4 and 5. Before the worker applies, the employer must submit the offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal under LMIA exemption code C16, pay the CAD $230 employer compliance fee, and give the worker the offer of employment number.
Innovation Stream in more detail
The Innovation Stream is open to employers participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project. The job must be in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation and meet IRCC’s wage assessment. The Innovation Stream does not appear on IRCC’s list of employer compliance fee exemptions, so employers should expect to submit an offer of employment and pay the CAD $230 fee unless IRCC confirms otherwise.
Employer Responsibilities and the Compliance Fee
For employer-specific IMP permits, the employer must, in most cases, create and submit an offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal and pay the CAD $230 employer compliance fee before the worker applies. The offer must include details about the business, the worker, the job and the wages and benefits. If the fee is unpaid or the offer is not submitted before the worker applies, the work permit can be refused.
After hiring, employers must meet the conditions they committed to in the offer, including wages, duties and working conditions, and keep records. IRCC can inspect employers, and non-compliance can lead to warnings, monetary penalties, bans from hiring foreign workers and publication on IRCC’s list of non-compliant employers.
Who Is Exempt from the Employer Compliance Fee?
The fee exemptions are narrower than many employers assume. Under IRCC’s current guidance:
- Open work permit holders: if you hire someone who already holds an open work permit (for example, a PGWP, spousal open work permit or IEC Working Holiday permit), you do not submit an offer of employment or pay the fee.
- Fee-exempt programs and agreements: certain non-trade international agreements (such as the Fulbright Program), reciprocal cultural agreements, research programs sponsored by bodies such as the National Research Council, research chairs, and unremunerated charitable or religious work.
- Quebec work permit extensions: under a public policy in place since March 13, 2026, Quebec employers extending the permit of an eligible worker who applied for permanent selection under Quebec’s skilled worker selection program submit an offer of employment but do not pay the fee.
- Portal exemptions: international missions and consular posts, recognized international organizations, foreign governments and owners or operators of international bridges or tunnels do not use the Employer Portal.
Francophone Mobility and the Innovation Stream are not on the exemption list. Employers hiring under either stream should plan to pay the CAD $230 fee.
How Workers Apply
For employer-specific IMP permits, the process is:
- The employer submits the offer of employment in the Employer Portal and pays the compliance fee, unless exempt.
- The employer gives the worker the offer of employment number.
- The worker applies online for the work permit, pays the CAD $155 work permit processing fee (plus CAD $85 biometrics where required), and uploads supporting documents such as proof of qualifications and, for Francophone Mobility, proof of French ability.
- Workers applying from outside Canada receive a port of entry letter of introduction and are issued the permit on arrival; workers applying from inside Canada receive the permit by mail.
Since December 2024, most people already in Canada can no longer apply for a work permit at a port of entry and must apply online. See our step-by-step work permit guide for the full process, and our page on open work permits, many of which fall under the IMP. If you already hold a permit, see how to extend or change your work permit.
Recent Changes to Watch
The federal government has tightened both the IMP and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program since 2024, including narrower spousal open work permit rules (January 2025), new language and field-of-study rules for PGWPs, and the end of flagpoling for most in-Canada applicants. In 2026, IRCC also introduced targeted public policies, such as the Quebec work permit extension measure for skilled worker selection applicants. Because instructions for individual categories are revised periodically, always confirm the current rules for your specific category on IRCC’s website before applying.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the IMP and the TFWP?
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program requires an employer to obtain a positive LMIA before hiring. The International Mobility Program is LMIA-exempt: the work permit is justified by a broader benefit to Canada, a trade agreement or a reciprocal arrangement. IRCC runs the IMP, while ESDC handles LMIAs under the TFWP.
Do employers pay a fee under the IMP?
In most cases, yes. For employer-specific IMP permits, the employer submits an offer of employment through the Employer Portal and pays a CAD $230 employer compliance fee. Only specific categories are exempt, such as hiring an open work permit holder, certain non-trade international agreements, research programs, unremunerated charitable or religious work, and the 2026 Quebec extension public policy.
Does the IMP require a job offer?
Employer-specific IMP categories require a job offer submitted through the Employer Portal. Open work permit categories under the IMP, such as post-graduation, spousal and bridging open work permits, do not require a job offer when you apply.
What is Francophone Mobility, and does the employer pay the compliance fee?
Francophone Mobility lets employers hire French-speaking or bilingual workers destined to live and work outside Quebec without an LMIA. Workers need French speaking and listening skills at NCLC 5 or higher. The employer must submit the offer in the Employer Portal under exemption code C16 and pay the CAD $230 compliance fee before the worker applies.
Is a CUSMA work permit part of the IMP?
Yes. Work permits for professionals, intra-company transferees, traders and investors under CUSMA (the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement) are LMIA-exempt and fall under the International Mobility Program’s free trade agreement categories.