Canada’s Temporary
Foreign Workers Program has a high-wage stream which typically attracts
professionals in management positions, as well as those in science, technology,
and academia. This high-wage stream makes use of the Foreign Academics
Program to expedite recruitment of top-level international talent to fill
teaching positions and research posts at Canadian universities.
This program
was developed as a result of a joint effort by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC),
and Canadian academic institutions.
The program
permits Canadian universities to hire foreign academic for full-time positions
and describes an academic as someone with at least one postgraduate degree who
earns his or her income from teaching or conducting research at a university or
degree-granting institution.
For some
positions, such as:
· Academic consultants
· Graduate assistants, and
· Self-funded researchers
LMIAs and even
work permits are not required. However, LMIAs are necessary in most
cases, with academic institutions needing to complete detailed records of the
Canadian applicants for a given position, and to submit an annual report on
recruitment practices.
Additionally, some foreign academics consequently
requiring a work permit are not subject to the LMIA requirement, such as:
· Post-doctoral fellows,
· Visiting professors, and
· Eminent researchers.
Academic
hiring is also facilitated for eligible foreign nationals by internationals
agreements between certain countries.
As there are a
multitude of technical requirements to maintain compliance, A&M Canadian Immigration Law Corporation is available to advise educational institutions
and individual foreign academics during the process. We can assist with preparation
of a temporary job offer (LMIA-based) or other work permit strategy.
