Canada: Changes In Labour Market Impact Assessment Exemption Codes

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has made several changes and additions to the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-exemption codes in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) and Employer Portal. Notably, certain individual free trade agreement exemption categories have new codes, and certain LMIA-exemption codes that were used for work permit categories such as A75 (bridging open work permits and other permanent resident work permit categories) had new codes created, among other changes. Detailed code changes as of December 15, 2022 can be found here. These codes are used by employers and foreign nationals when applying for work permits under LMIA exemption streams, including intracompany transferees, CUSMA and other international agreements-based permits, and Reciprocal Employment (C20), among other categories. Employers should ensure that they use the correct exemption code when applying for LMIA-exempt work permits.