In scenarios of hiring a temporary foreign worker or renewing an employee's work permit, the employer must sometimes submit a job offer for immigration purposes in the Immigration, Refugees Employer Portal and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Use of the employer portal is still required when applying for a closed work permit under the International Mobility Program (IMP) – a temporary immigration program that allows Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers without require a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

This article aims to explain the usefulness and use of the Employer Portal and to raise common issues that employers face.

The International Mobility Program (PMI)

The IMP allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers to fill specific positions without the need for an LMIA, thereby speeding up the temporary immigration process. The PMI is structured through dozens of distinct temporary immigration programs such as intra-company transfers and work permits for CSQ holders. More generally, the PMI finds its application in cases where the hiring of a foreign national presents social or cultural advantages for Canada or the hiring responds to international agreements, such as NAFTA (now replaced by CUSMA).

The Usefulness of the IRCC Employer Portal

The IRCC Employer Portal constitutes the web platform through which job offers for immigration purposes are submitted to IRCC, an essential preliminary step to obtaining a closed work permit under the PMI for the foreign worker . Each LMIA-exempt employer-specific job offer must be reported on this portal.

Submitting a Job Offer on the Employer Portal

Submitting a job offer through the Employer Portal requires detailed information, including:

  • Details of the company submitting the job offer to IRCC
  • Details of the foreign worker including their passport number;
  • The duration of the job offer for immigration purposes;
  • Precise job description, including tasks and responsibilities.
  • Details of working conditions, including salary, benefits, and working hours; And,
  • A rationale for the LMIA exemption.

The IRCC program code under the PMI must also be selected for each job offer. This information allows immigration services to assess the match between the job offer and the selected immigration programs.

It is essential that the employer ensures that they complete the job offer on the portal with care and precision since they will then be required to respect the terms of the employment declared under penalty of sanctions. Indeed, as part of an immigration services inspection, the employer will have to demonstrate that it respects all of these obligations, all as described in the article "  Better understanding of the employer inspection system in immigration to Canada  »

Once the job offer is submitted to IRCC, a job offer number starting with the letter "A" is generated. This number is crucial since it must be included in the work permit application submitted by the foreign worker, thus directly linking the job offer to the permit application.

Employer Portal Access Issues

Accessing the Employer Portal can sometimes present challenges, including forgetting login information, changes in the internal team responsible for immigration cases, not being logged in for an extended period of time, or problems techniques. These obstacles can block the immigration process and require specialized and often urgent intervention to resolve the problem.

Fortunately, it is possible to reset access to the Employer Portal if you lose login information. However, this process can be complex, and the customer may have difficulty finding an effective reset mode without going through a trial and error process. Therefore, the intervention of a lawyer to promote a rapid and effective resolution should be considered.

Indeed, our collective experience as a firm specializing in business immigration allows us to directly address the connection problem and request in an adequate and sufficiently justified manner the reset of the employer portal to the immigration services. In the context of our interventions, we will also be able to advise you on the conformity of the job offer for immigration purposes that you present and answer your questions regarding immigration law.

Conclusion

Do not hesitate to contact us to reset your connection to the IRCC portal. Our team of immigration lawyers will act quickly to help you achieve your business goals. Our team of immigration lawyers can also advise your business in connection with all temporary immigration programs under the PMI or when an LMIA is required.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.