Maple News reports that the duration of your work permit under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is not directly tied to the validity of your employer’s Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Instead, it depends on several factors, including a work duration recommendation issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) as part of the LMIA approval.
When a Canadian employer applies for an LMIA to hire a foreign worker, ESDC assesses the need for the position and includes a suggested employment duration for the role in its decision. If the LMIA is approved, it is valid for six months, during which the foreign worker must apply for a work permit through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
IRCC considers the work duration specified in the LMIA when issuing the permit, potentially granting a validity period slightly longer than the recommended work duration to allow for travel and administrative delays. However, the final duration of the permit is determined on a case-by-case basis.
For example, if a Canadian car manufacturer plans to hire a foreign mechanical engineer to start work on December 1, 2025, they may submit an LMIA application by July 30, 2025. If ESDC issues a positive LMIA on September 19, 2025, with a one-year work duration recommendation, the LMIA remains valid until March 19, 2026. The foreign worker must apply for their work permit within that window, say, by September 30, 2025.
Assuming approval, the IRCC might issue a work permit valid from December 18, 2025, to January 30, 2027—slightly longer than a year to accommodate travel. It’s essential to note that while the LMIA validity is six months, it is the work permit issued by IRCC that ultimately governs how long the individual can legally work in Canada.
Should both employer and employee wish to extend the employment, a new LMIA with a fresh work duration recommendation must be obtained. The worker must then apply to extend or modify the conditions of their work permit, ideally at least 30 days before the current permit expires—in this scenario, by December 31, 2026.
In summary, while the LMIA is crucial for obtaining a work permit, it is the IRCC-issued permit—based on ESDC recommendations—that sets the actual timeframe a foreign worker may legally work in Canada.