A Labour Market Impact Assessment (French: étude d’impact sur le marché du travail, LMIA) is a document that an employer in Canada may need to receive prior to hiring a foreign worker.
[2] When a Canadian employer is seeking to hire a foreign worker, it must first be determined if an LMIA is needed or if the position is LMIA-exempt before applying for a work permit.
A positive LMIA, sometimes called a confirmation letter, indicates that there is a need for the temporary foreign worker and that no Canadians or permanent residents of Canada are available to do the job.
There is a list of LMIA-exempt jobs and their corresponding exemption codes provided by the Government of Canada.
[5] As of August 2020, there is an indication that the Owner Operator category of LMIA processing has resumed.