Canadian IMP work visa
Canada’s IMP is the International Mobility Program, or IMP for short. Under this immigration program, Canadian employers are allowed to hire foreign workers on temporary work visas.
This type of work visa does not require a Canadian market impact assessment license or LMIA license and is known as Canadian IMP visa or Significant Benefit based work visa in Iran.
What is a Canadian IMP visa?
Canada’s IMP visa is a subset of the International Movement Program under which the Canadian government grants work visas to those foreign job seekers who prove that they are of economic, cultural or social benefit to Canada and Canadians, or who are subject to international trade agreements with Canada. Exports.
There are two types of Canadian IMP work visas:
Work Permit
Open Work Permit
One of the differences between these two visas is that work permits usually require a job offer from the employer, but open work permits do not require a job offer from the employer to be issued. Also, what they have in common in the international IMP program is that none of them require LMIA approval.
Example 1: Post-study work visa (PGWP) or bridging work visa (Bridging Open Work Permit), which are a subset of the IMP program, are both types of open work visa or open work permit and do not require a job offer and LMIA permit.
Example 2: Jobs that are in the “Significant benefit” category for Canada in the IMP immigration method, such as the Mobilité Francophone Program, require a work permit, which requires a job offer from a Canadian employer outside Quebec. Is. This type of work visa does not require LMIA.
Read more: Canada work permit
Immigrate to Canada through IMP
The IMP immigration program has several routes to obtain a Canadian temporary work visa. Obtaining a work visa through each IMP immigration route requires its own requirements and documents, but they all have one thing in common: no need for an LMIA permit.
Canada IMP International Temporary Work Program Pathways
Some of the pathways that lead to Canadian IMP work visas, which are actually a subset of the IMP immigration process, include:
Stream or Program Who can take action?
The path of public policies
Competitiveness and public policy
Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) program for students who have graduated from Canadian universities and institutions with a DLI number.
Canadian student work visa for the spouse of students who are allowed to study in Canada full-time.
Major benefit path
Significant Benefit
Canadian C11 Visa (Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed) Private sector entrepreneurs who intend to start or buy a business in Canada. In this case, the applicant must be the sole or majority owner of the business in Canada and prove that the business benefit to Canada will be significant.
The ICT Intra-Company Transfer Program (The Intra-Company Transfer Program) is for companies that are outside of Canada and have branches within Canada. These companies can transfer their employees to the Canadian branch and continue working there.
Entrepreneurship visa of Canadian provinces for applicants applying through Canadian Provincial Programs (PNP) in the entrepreneurship branch.
Francophone workforce Those who can contribute significantly to Canada through programs such as the Mobilité Francophone Program.
Television and Film Production Worker
Emergency Repair People who are needed for emergency repairs of industrial equipment in Canada.
Two-way employment path
Reciprocal employment
International Exchange Program (IEC) Citizens of countries that have a bilateral work agreement with Canada and are between 18 and 35 years old.
International Free Trade Agreements
People whose jobs are under one of the following agreements:
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Chile-Canada Free Trade Agreement / Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement / Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement / Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement
Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union (CETA)
General Agreement on Trade in Services
Charitable and Religious Worker path
Charitable Worker People who immigrate to Canada with the purpose of doing charity work.
Religious Worker People who immigrate to Canada with the purpose of working in religious jobs.
Through all the routes that we have mentioned above, it is possible to get a Canadian IMP visa and after that it is possible to obtain a permanent residence in Canada and you can immigrate to this country forever. Statistics of IMP – Significant Benefit work visas issued in each program – 2015 to January 2022
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 January 2022
Significant benefit – general 10,995 7,070 8,760 9,725 14,815 5,735 7,890 520
Entrepreneur / self-employed (C11 visa) 550 590 685 955 1,100 830 1,235 60
ICT visa 11,550 12,365 12,795 14,450 17,230 11,770 15,645 1,350
Emergency repairs 945 1,020 1,215 1,115 1,180 595 685 35
Significant benefit – general ICT entrepreneurship/self-employment visa Emergencyrepairs201520162017201820192020202105000100001500020000
x Significant benefit – general ICT visa for entrepreneurship / self-employment Emergency repairs
2015 10,995 11,
550 550 945
2016 7,070 12,365 590 1,020
2017 8,760 12,795 685 1,215
2018 9,725 14,450 955 1,115
2019 14,815 17,230 1,100 1,180
2020 5,735 11,770 830 595
2021 7,890 15,645 1,235 685
IMP work visa requirements
As mentioned, the Canada IMP work visa program has several tracks and each of these tracks will lead you to a Canadian temporary work visa. What the IMP work visa requirements are depends on which of the International Mobility Program or IMP tracks you choose.
Each Canadian IMP program and procedure has its own requirements. Some work visa conditions are general and common to all IMP immigration methods, and some conditions are specific to that IMP method.
General conditions
Having a valid academic degree
Having enough work experience
Having sufficient financial ability to cover living expenses in Canada
Having good English or French language skills
Having physical health
Not having a bad background
special condition
By choosing any path from the IMP program, you must also meet its specific conditions:
Example 1: If you want to get a Canadian temporary work visa through the intra-company transfer program (Canada ICT visa), you must meet certain conditions, such as:
Having a business plan or business plan through which you can show a realistic plan in your work field in Canada that justifies your work activities in this country.
Example 2: If you want to get an IMP work visa through the Mobilité Francophone Program, you must meet the following conditions:
Have an intermediate B1 level of French.
Get a job offer from a Canadian employer outside Quebec.
Your job offer can be in any of the occupations in the National Occupational Classification of Canada NOC. (except basic agricultural jobs)
Comparison of TFWP work visa and Canadian IMP work visa conditions
At the opposite point of the IMP program is the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), through which Canadian employers can hire foreign workers to enter Canada with a work visa. But this program requires LMIA approval and the process of obtaining a work visa through it is longer than the IMP program.
To better understand the difference between the Canadian work visa through the IMP program and the TFWP program, see the table below:
Normal work visa conditions TFWP Work visa conditions IMP
LMIA license is mandatory exempt from LMIA
A work visa is a closed type (restricted to a specific employer) A work visa can be open or closed (it may or may not be limited to a specific employer)
It is based on the needs of the labor market (to fill the labor shortage temporarily) The issuance of the visa is not related to the conditions of the labor market and the IMP visa is issued for the commercial, economic or cultural benefit of Canada.
In order to issue a temporary work visa, the conditions of domestic markets in specific Canadian professions and provinces are measured. The IMP visa is largely subject to international agreements.
The amount of salary paid by the employer in the relevant job is important in the work visa review process. The amount of salary is not important in the conditions of the IMP visa, but in some paths of the IMP program, the level of the applicant’s work skills is important.
Employers must apply to the Canadian Forces before making job offers to foreign workers. Employers do not have to prioritize Canadian workers and can offer jobs directly to foreigners.
To get LMIA approval, employers must pay a fee of $1,000. If they have a job offer, the employer only has to pay a compliance fee of $230. There is no need to pay for open work visas.
Only occupations in the highest income decile can receive their visas in two weeks. Most IMP visas are issued in two weeks.
The temporary work visa is issued under the supervision of the Labor and Social Development Canada ESDC, the IMP visa is under the supervision of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada IRCC
Both of these visas are not limited by the employer, which means you can work for any employer, as long as they are on the list of authorized Canadian employers.
Open work permit under the Canadian IMP program
There are two types of Open Work Permit issued under the IMP program:
Restricted Open Work Permit: Under this work permit, you are restricted to occupation or location, which means you can only work in a specific job or in a specific place in Canada.
For example, if you applied for Canadian permanent residence through one of the PNP provincial immigration programs and are waiting for the result, you can also apply for a bridging work visa and start working. But your employment will be limited to the province through which you applied for permanent residence and you must work in the same province.
Open Work Permit (Unrestricted): Under this work permit, you have no restrictions in terms of job and workplace, and you can work in any job and anywhere in Canada.
For example, on a post-study work visa or PGWP, you can work in any job, anywhere in Canada.
How much does Canada’s IMP program fund?
The applicant must prove to the Canadian government with his documents of financial ability that he has sufficient financial ability to stay and in some cases start a business in Canada and that he will not face any problem to meet the minimum requirements of living in this country. Therefore, financial resources can be divided into two parts:
Financial ability to cover the cost of living
Canadian immigration officers use the Lyco chart as a tool to assess the applicant’s financial ability
they do. LICO stands for Low-income cut-off and means the lowest amount of income and is used to show the poverty line in Canadian urban areas with a population of at least half a million people. In other words, if your income is less than the LICO, in Canada’s eyes you are below the poverty line.
In short-term visas, the officers expect you to show 12 months of credit in your bank account.
Number of family members Minimum amount required in Canadian dollars
1 person 26,620
2 people 33,140
3 people 40,742
4 people 49,466
5 people 56,104
6 people 63,276
7 people 70,448
More than 7 people: these amounts are added to 7,172 per person
The point that you should pay attention to is that the budget and financial resources mentioned in the table must be owned by the individual or shared with his wife, and the applicant cannot borrow the amount from another person.
Financial ability to cover investment costs (if starting a business in Canada)
The minimum amount required for investment will be determined according to the type of business in Canada.
Ways to prove financial ability:
Proof of financial ability through bank letter and quarterly circulation of short-term accounts
Proof of financial ability through a bank letter and one to two months’ circulation of short-term accounts along with sources such as affidavit
Proof of financial ability through a bank letter from long-term accounts (and financial source if needed)
Proof of financial ability through a foreign currency account along with providing a financial source
Proof of financial ability through bank letter and official real estate appraisal
Official property appraisal
Note that the last two are less recommended.
Required documents to obtain IMP work visa
To obtain a work visa in any of the methods of the IMP program, you must submit documents related to that method. Since the IMP work visa is a type of temporary work visa, you must provide documents that show that you will not stay there for a long period of time and that you will return to your country after the specified deadline.
Some of these documents are general, such as:
Identification documents (valid passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate if any)
Academic qualifications (university degrees and transcripts)
Job documents (job letter, work contracts if any, insurance records, company registration documents or acquisition certificate in case of self-employment)
Financial documents (financial capacity, account turnover, property documents, etc.)
Certificate of no bad background and medical tests
Documents that are specific to each IMP program:
For example, in the intra-company transfer (ICT) program, you must provide certain documents such as:
Documents proving that you are employed by an international company outside of Canada and intend to transfer to the Canadian branch of that company.
Providing descriptive documents that show the existence of a concrete connection between the activities of the company outside of Canada and its Canadian branch or any other company that is considered to be its partner in Canada.
Providing a detailed business plan
Procedures for obtaining an IMP work visa
Depending on each IMP method, the steps to obtain an IMP work visa are somewhat different, but the general steps are as follows:
Receive a job offer from a Canadian employer (does not include all IMP routes).
Extension of the job offer by the employer
Apply for a work visa
IMP work visa issuance
Canadian IMP work visa fee
The cost of obtaining an IMP temporary work visa varies depending on the method you choose in one of the subgroups of the Canadian IMP program. But all methods share the following costs:
Request type fee in Canadian dollars
Work permit (work permit) 155 dollars
Employer compliance fee (if you have a job offer) $230
Fingerprint (biometric) $85 per person
Family fingerprinting (two people and more) $170
How long does it take to get an IMP work visa?
According to the website of the Canadian Immigration Department, the processing time for work permit cases sent from Iran is now equal to 16 weeks. Of course, this period is considered after fingerprinting at the Canadian embassy. In addition, the duration of the review of IMP work visa cases is not fixed, and according to the conditions of the Canadian Embassy, the duration of the review may be shorter or longer.
What are the benefits of an IMP work visa?
No need for LMIA license
Shortening the application process for a work visa
Expediting the issuance of work visas with the Global Skill Strategy program
The possibility of accompanying family members
The possibility of obtaining permanent residence in Canada after receiving a work visaپ
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