International Mobility Program (IMP)
The International Mobility Program (IMP) is an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada program that lets an employer hire temporary foreign workers without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). IRCC lists workers with a work permit exemption, workers with an open work permit, and workers eligible for an LMIA-exempt employer-specific permit.
IRCC describes the IMP as a way to hire temporary foreign workers without an LMIA. A buyer meets it when the business relies on foreign staff, or when a foreign buyer plans to work in the business after closing.
How IRCC groups workers
IRCC’s page on who an employer can hire lists workers with a work permit exemption, such as performers, workers who have an open work permit, such as permanent residence applicants with a bridging open work permit, and workers eligible for an employer-specific work permit that is exempt from an LMIA. Its employer pages also cover employer responsibilities, inspections and the penalties for non-compliance.
What to ask
- Which employees hold work permits, and under what category.
- Whether each permit names the employer, and what the permit conditions say.
- Whether the business has had an IRCC inspection.
See can a foreign buyer buy a Canadian business and the open work permit entry.
Sources
This definition is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship CanadaGovernmentHire through the International Mobility Program
- 02Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship CanadaGovernmentWho you can hire under the International Mobility Program
Deavo is an advertising and listings platform, not a brokerage, law firm or valuation firm. This page is general information, not legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and rules differ by province. Confirm anything you rely on with a qualified professional before you act on it.