LMIA for Brampton Employers: 2026 Recruitment Checklist

An LMIA application is an employer process under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. It is not a way to sell a job or guarantee permanent residence. Employers must meet the rules for the applicable stream, demonstrate a genuine job and business, recruit qualified Canadians and permanent residents as required, and keep records. The current high-wage LMIA requirements were updated in September 2026, so older checklists may miss current duties.

For many high-wage positions, employers must conduct at least three recruitment activities: Job Bank plus two additional methods that reach appropriate audiences. The advertising must satisfy duration and timing rules, job postings must contain required details, and recruitment records must be retained for six years. The exact rules and exceptions vary by stream and occupation.

Before submitting, prepare documents that show the business is operating and can meet the employment terms. Keep the job description, wage, work location, payroll structure, recruitment records, interview results, reasons candidates were not selected, and signed employment agreement. Make sure whoever controls the work and pays the employee is correctly identified as the employer.

Employers must not charge or recover recruitment fees from temporary foreign workers, directly or indirectly. Do not let a recruiter promise that an LMIA will be approved or require a worker to pay for a job offer.

As of 3 November 2026, IRCC’s Express Entry job-offer scoring rules are changing. That does not eliminate an LMIA requirement where an employer is using the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to hire a worker. Express Entry scoring and LMIA-based work authorization are separate systems.

Start by identifying the work location, occupation, wage stream, and whether any occupation-specific or regional rule applies. The median-wage threshold used to distinguish streams depends on the work location and current ESDC figures, so do not copy an old threshold from another city or year. Confirm the correct wage for the actual Brampton worksite and compare the offered wage with the current prevailing wage rules.

For a typical high-wage application, plan the recruitment campaign before posting. ESDC’s current guidance calls for Job Bank plus two additional methods that reach appropriate audiences, with specific timing, content, and retention rules. Keep dated copies of every advertisement, the platforms used, applicant resumes, interview notes, screening criteria, and reasons qualified Canadians or permanent residents were not selected. The current requirements specify how long advertisements must run and that employers retain recruitment records for six years; check whether an exception applies to your case.

Prepare the business file as well: proof the business is operating, payroll and financial information requested by the application, a detailed job description, wage and hours, worksite, reporting structure, and employment agreement. The role should reflect real business needs, not be written solely to match a worker’s immigration history.

Employers must not recover recruitment fees from the foreign worker, directly or indirectly. Do not let a recruiter collect money for a job offer or promise that an LMIA will be approved. If using a third party, document the service relationship and check who is responsible for each filing.

Keep the LMIA decision separate from work authorization and permanent residence. An approved LMIA can support a work-permit application in some cases, but IRCC makes that separate decision. Express Entry scoring and Ontario nomination rules are also separate processes.

Before recruiting internationally, an employer should classify the position under the current federal wage rules and check whether the work location falls within a census metropolitan area affected by a refusal-to-process measure. Brampton is in the Toronto CMA. For applications submitted from October 9, 2026 through January 7, 2027, ESDC’s posted Toronto CMA unemployment rate is above the 6% cutoff, so many low-wage LMIA applications in the CMA will not be processed. The rules contain sector and situation exceptions; the employer must check the current federal table for the exact position and submission date.

Ontario’s high-wage threshold is $36.92 per hour as of July 17, 2026. A wage below the applicable provincial threshold is generally treated as low wage for this program; a higher wage does not remove the other LMIA requirements. ESDC updates wage thresholds and CMA unemployment rates periodically, so save the official page checked on the intended filing date. Do not use a national average, an old Job Bank screenshot, or the employee’s offered salary alone to decide the stream.

If the role is low wage and the location or cap rule blocks processing, filing anyway may waste time and fees. Review whether a listed exemption applies and verify it in the current ESDC instructions before restructuring the job or changing its title. Artificially increasing a wage or splitting one position does not make an otherwise non-compliant application genuine. A Brampton business should assess the actual duties, wage, work location, and employer workforce together.

For low-wage positions, employers generally need to provide at least 30 hours of work per week and meet the applicable cap, recruitment, wage, and transition-plan rules. The cap is measured at the work location and depends on sector and applicable exceptions. Keep the calculation and the employee list used to determine the percentage. A company-wide headcount may not answer a location-specific question.

Document genuine recruitment before submission: dates, channels, job descriptions, applicant counts, interview notes, and objective reasons a Canadian citizen or permanent resident was not selected. Keep the advertised wage and conditions aligned with the offer and the LMIA application. Do not charge a worker recruitment fees that the employer is prohibited from passing on, and do not ask the worker to repay wages or costs through side agreements.

The employer’s obligations continue after an LMIA decision. Keep payroll, schedules, workplace-safety, and employment-standards records; provide the promised conditions; and cooperate with inspections. If duties, work location, wage, or business circumstances change, check whether new federal or provincial action is required. The LMIA is not the worker’s permit, and a positive decision does not guarantee that IRCC will issue a work permit.