Hiring under the High Wage Worker Stream

A transition plan, valid for the duration of the employment of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW), is a mandatory requirement to hire TFWs in high-wage positions. The transition plan describes the activities the employer is agreeing to undertake to recruit retain and train Canadians and permanent residents and to reduce their reliance on the TFW program. If the employer applying for a LMIA has previously submitted a transition plan for the same position and work location, he/she must report the results of the commitments made in the previous transition plan.

Transition plans are not required for the following positions:

• Caregiver:
  • Private household employers under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 8141 for caregiving positions, (specifically National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes, 31301, 32101,44100 and 44101
• Health care institutions (under two-digit NAICS 62) for caregiving positions, specifically NOC 31301, 32101 and 33102
• Position under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, the Agricultural Stream and other primary agriculture occupations
• Specialized occupation that qualifies for Quebec’s facilitated Labour Market Impact Assessment process (applicable only to the first request for the same job at the same work location)
• limited duration where:
  • the job is time-limited in nature and the employment duration may range from 1 day to a maximum of 2 years
  • there is no reasonable expectation that you could transition the position to a Canadian or permanent resident
  • the job will not be filled after the departure of the temporary foreign worker as the position will no longer exist (for example, project-based occupations such as consultant for business management, specialized engineer for a dam construction project)
  • in some cases, repeat use of the specific position is the norm for the industry, but each employment duration is limited (for example, some Film and Entertainment positions, emergency repairs and warranty work)
• unique skill – skills or traits which belong to a specific individual and are not readily available in Canada (for example, NOC TEER 000 occupations, hiring by a foreign government)