It’s time to take advantage of the EU to fill your labor shortages. The EU offers itself to you to have a qualified workforce.

The European Union, the world’s third largest economy, is Canada’s second strategic trading partner. The signed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) facilitates and increases trade between the two spaces tenfold. Integration and expanding the size of the market are undeniable assets for Canadian entrepreneurs and investors.

Also, it should be noted, in these times of constant labor shortages this historic agreement offers useful solutions. The agreement allows Canadian companies to effectively fight against the need for labor by calling on citizens of the 27 member countries of the European Union. The quality of education and training in these countries is a sure guarantee that expectations regarding the availability of efficient labor will be met. The agreement provides for several categories of these people the possibility of applying for a work permit without the Canadian employer having to go through the hassle of applying for a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

The LMIA exemption allows faster progress in the work permit application and even saves money. In this paper, we present to you three important exemptions linked to the accessibility of skilled labor from one of the 27 member countries of the European Union, that are: i) persons subject to a temporary intra-group transfer; ii) engineering technologists and science technologists; (iii) contractual and independent professional service providers.

1. Persons subject to a temporary intra-group transfer referred to in R204a) (work permit required/LMIA exemption code T44)

Canadian or foreign companies that have representations in Canada can move their staff from EU member countries to fill vacancies. These arrangements allow them to more simply circumvent the use of foreign workers whose hiring and coming to Canada would take longer and cost more. The movement of personnel within the same company benefits from the LMIA code 44. To achieve this, the employees to be transferred must meet criteria that are essentially:

• Be currently employed by a company in a Member state of the European Union (EU) or have been partners for at least one year at the time of submission of the application;
• Be temporarily transferred to a business (that may be a subsidiary, a branch or the head office of the business) in Canada;
• Be a senior executive, specialist, graduate trainee.

Spouses of EU citizens temporarily transferred to Canada through this program are entitled to an open work permit for the same duration as the transferee spouse’s work permit (LMIA exemption code T45).

2. Engineering technologists and science technologists (work permit required/LMIA exemption code T48)

Canadian companies can, under certain conditions, retain the services of engineering technologists and science technologists from member countries of the European Union. This is an opportunity to seize for companies in this sector that are experiencing growing shortages. However, applicants must:

• Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union;
• Have a post-secondary degree in the field concerned;
• Have an employment contract;
• Other requirements are related to the employer.

3. Contractual and independent professional service providers (work permit required/LMIA exemption codes T47 and T43)

To curb the labor crisis, Canadian companies can resort to contractual suppliers and independent professionals from the European Union. The particularity of the latter is that they can be more quickly available to serve in Canada, but within well-defined limits. Suppliers and professionals must:

• Provide proof that they are citizens of a Member state of the European Union;
• Provide a service on a temporary basis for a period not exceeding 12 months per period of 24 months;
• Have a university degree or a title demonstrating knowledge of an equivalent level.

Beyond these more general conditions, there are other aspects specific to each LMIA exemption. When we take on your recruitment mandate, our experience teaches us to see the fastest possibilities for you and, as far as possible, the least expensive for you. For more than 20 years, this has been our identity. With you, it will continue. Take the first step towards us, we will do the rest for you towards the workforce you have been waiting for so long.