On This Page, You Will Find:
- What the International Mobility Program (IMP) is
- How the IMP differs from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- The main LMIA-exempt categories
- Employer responsibilities and the compliance fee
- How workers apply for a permit
- Recent 2025–2026 changes
- Frequently asked questions
The International Mobility Program (IMP) allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). It exists to advance Canada’s broad economic, social and cultural interests – for example, honouring free-trade commitments, enabling company transfers and supporting Francophone communities – rather than to fill a specific labour gap. For workers, it offers a faster, more flexible route to a Canadian work permit than the LMIA-based Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
IMP vs the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
The key difference is the LMIA. Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, an employer must first obtain a positive LMIA proving no Canadian is available. Under the IMP, no LMIA is needed because the work permit is justified by a broader benefit to Canada. This makes the IMP quicker and, for many roles, the only practical option given recent restrictions on low-wage LMIAs.
Types of Work Permits under the International Mobility Program (IMP)
According to official sources and trusted summaries, the IMP includes the following work permit categories:
- Work permits under Free Trade Agreements: includes professionals covered by CUSMA, CETA, and similar agreements, who are granted LMIA-exempt work permits based on economic or reciprocal benefit grounds.
- Intra-Company Transferee Permits: enables multinational companies to transfer key staff – executives, managers, specialists – to Canadian branches without needing an LMIA.
- International Experience Canada (IEC) Permits: covers youth mobility exchange participants (e.g., working holiday, young professionals, international co-op) under bilateral youth exchange programs.
- Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP): allows eligible international graduates to work in Canada after completing their studies – LMIA is not required.
- Spousal or Common-Law Partner Open Work Permits: enables certain spouses or common-law partners of skilled workers or full-time students to work in Canada without an LMIA.
- Bridging Open Work Permits (BOWP): available to applicants who are awaiting a decision on a permanent residence application – these open permits allow them to keep working while they wait.
- Francophone Mobility (Francophone or Bilingual Workers Outside Quebec): allows employers to hire French-speaking or bilingual workers outside Quebec without an LMIA as part of supporting Francophone communities.
- Other Significant-Benefit Permits: for roles that bring notable economic, social, or cultural benefits to Canada – e.g., unique professionals, researchers, or in emerging sectors such as innovation streams.
Employer Responsibilities and the Compliance Fee
For employer-specific IMP permits, the employer must submit an offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal and pay an employer compliance fee of CAD $230 before the worker applies. Employers must meet their obligations and may be inspected; non-compliance can lead to penalties and bans. Some categories are exempt from the compliance fee – including Francophone Mobility (outside Quebec), the Innovation stream, and situations where the worker holds an open work permit.
How Workers Apply
The general process is: the employer submits the offer of employment and pays the compliance fee (for employer-specific permits); the worker then applies for the work permit online, pays the CAD $155 work permit fee (plus biometrics where required), and provides supporting documents such as the offer of employment number, proof of qualifications and, for Francophone Mobility, French-language results. See our step-by-step work permit guide for the full process, and our page on open work permits, several of which fall under the IMP.
Recent 2025–2026 Changes
The federal government has been “right-sizing” both the IMP and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, with sharper eligibility rules and stronger compliance enforcement in closely monitored streams. IRCC also updated its program delivery instructions for reciprocal employment (C20) permits in early 2026. Because instructions for individual categories are revised periodically, always confirm the current rules for your specific category on the official IRCC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the IMP and the TFWP?
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program requires an employer to obtain a positive LMIA before hiring. The International Mobility Program is LMIA-exempt: the work permit is justified by a broader benefit to Canada, such as a trade agreement, a company transfer, or Francophone immigration goals.
Do employers pay a fee under the IMP?
Yes, in most cases. For employer-specific IMP permits, the employer pays a CAD $230 compliance fee and submits the offer through the Employer Portal. Certain categories – including Francophone Mobility outside Quebec and open work permit holders – are exempt from this fee.
Does the IMP require a job offer?
Employer-specific IMP categories require a job offer submitted through the Employer Portal. Open work permit categories under the IMP – such as post-graduation, spousal and bridging open work permits – do not require a job offer at the time of application.
What is Francophone Mobility?
Francophone Mobility is an IMP stream that lets employers hire French-speaking or bilingual workers destined to live and work outside Quebec, without an LMIA. Applicants must provide French-language results, and employers do not pay the compliance fee for this stream.
Is a CUSMA work permit part of the IMP?
Yes. Work permits for professionals, intra-company transferees, traders and investors under CUSMA (the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement) are LMIA-exempt and fall under the International Mobility Program’s free-trade agreement category.