What is the difference between a pre-approved LMO and a LMO?
A pre-approved LMO or ‘pre-approval to hire temporary foreign workers’ is a process introduced by Service Canada for employers hiring foreign workers in occupations where the recruitment activities are ‘prolonged and/or extensive’. Given the current pressure for workers, most of the occupations in the construction industry fall under this category. Pre-approved LMOs are used when the employer wishes to have an ‘approval in principle’ prior to starting the recruitment phase. It is important to note that pre-approved LMOs do not guarantee a positive Labour Market Opinion from Service Canada. LMOs are specific to a particular worker and the labour market situation at any given time. The actual determination of a positive LMO can only be made after the employee has been selected. If you have already applied for a pre-approval, you will only provide the worker-specific information once you have selected your worker. For employers who have not applied for a pre-approval to hire a worker, the
