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As is the case in most developed countries, Canada’s natural population growth is on the decline if not at a stand still. This negative population trend reaches into many sectors of Canadian life, not the least of which is the labour sector. With less and less people available to take jobs, those looking to hire people to fill positions must turn to sources of foreign labour (remember that foreign labour includes citizens of the United States!).

In order to legally employ foreign workers for jobs in Canada, there are several types of documents that must be acquired and approved. The number and types of documents required in order to hire a foreign worker will depend on what type of work a prospective employer is hiring for, the type of education needed, and where the potential employee is from. In this article, we will take a look at some of the different documents employers may need and go into some of the job specific documents as well.

Labour Market Opinion

The labour market opinion document is one that must be filled out by all employers of foreign workers, from agricultural workers right up to government employees, doctors, and other highly skilled professions. Essentially, this document seeks to guarantee that by hiring people from other countries to fill the position, that no Canadians are denied a job opportunity.

In order to make sure of this, the labour market opinion document establishes that positions in the industry for which the employer is hiring demonstrate a definite dearth when it comes to employees; in other words, positions that need to be filled have a history of remaining vacant, to the detriment of the employer. If this can be demonstrated, the government will allow the hiring of foreign labour.

Job Specific Documents

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