Hire international tradespeople
without the LMIA wait.
Sourc’d recruits and screens candidates for LMIA-exempt work permit streams, CUSMA Professionals, Mobilité Francophone, Intra-Company Transfers, Significant Benefit, and Reciprocal Employment. Where the stream fits, your hire skips the $1,000 LMIA fee, the four-week advertising period, and the recruitment-effort report. Border’d, our partnered firm, confirms eligibility and files the work permit. Sourc’d handles the search. Border’d handles the file.
Why hire through the International Mobility Program instead of the TFWP?
The International Mobility Program is different. LMIA-exempt work permits bypass advertising, the recruitment report, and the $1,000 fee entirely. The employer pays a $230 compliance fee and submits an offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal. The candidate’s work authorization is determined by their profile, nationality, language, qualifications, treaty status, not by a government assessment of whether Canadians are available.
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program works. It is also slow, expensive, and administratively heavy. Under a standard LMIA, you must advertise the position for four weeks across three channels (including the Government of Canada Job Bank), document every applicant response, pay a $1,000 filing fee per position, and wait for Employment and Social Development Canada to process the file. High-wage and low-wage streams add layers: transition plans, cap calculations, and, in low-wage cases, housing and transport obligations. Processing stretches across months. Procedural fairness letters arrive when recruitment effort or wage justification looks thin.
Sourc’d sources candidates whose profiles align with specific LMIA-exempt streams at the intake stage. We do not present you with a generic pool and hope one qualifies. We screen for eligibility before the first interview. Border’d confirms stream fit and files the work permit. Where LMIA-exempt streams do not apply, we fall back to TFWP/LMIA pathways, handled by the same legal team, managed through the same workflow.
LMIA-exempt streams
Sourc’d screens for
Not every candidate qualifies for every stream. Sourc’d’s intake identifies which pathway fits the candidate’s nationality, language, qualifications, and your role requirements. Border’d confirms eligibility before any application is filed.
CUSMA Professionals
(T23/T24)
U.S. and Mexican nationals in 60+ professions listed under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. Trades and technical roles included where the profession appears on the CUSMA list.
Mobilité Francophone
(C16)
French-speaking skilled workers destined for positions outside Quebec. No LMIA required.
Intra-Company Transfers
(C12)
Employees of multinational companies transferred to a Canadian parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate. Requires one year with the foreign entity in managerial, executive, or specialised-knowledge capacity. Initial permits typically one to two years, with extensions available.
Significant Benefit
(C10)
Foreign nationals whose work in Canada would generate significant economic, social, or cultural benefit. Discretionary. Border’d assesses each case individually and builds the documented evidence package. Best suited to high-impact projects requiring rare expertise.
Reciprocal Employment / International Experience Class
Nationals of countries holding reciprocal youth-mobility agreements with Canada, typically aged 18–35. Employer submits through the IRCC Employer Portal ($230 compliance fee). Bridges into longer-term permits or permanent residence for qualifying candidates.
NOTE:
When LMIA-exempt streams do not apply, Sourc’d and Border’d fall back to TFWP/LMIA pathways, high-wage stream, Global Talent Stream (where the occupation qualifies), or PNP-linked work permits. The same coordinated workflow applies. The only difference is the timeline.
How It Works
STEP 1
Role intake and stream mapping
Book a 20-minute consultation. We review your open trades roles, required qualifications, and worksite location. Border’d identifies which LMIA-exempt streams match the position profile. We do not guess. We map.
STEP 2
Immigration-first candidate screening
U.S. and Mexican nationals in 60+ professions listed under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. Trades and technical roles included where the profession appears on the CUSMA list.
STEP 3
Work permit filing by Border’d
Book a 20-minute consultation. We review your open trades roles, required qualifications, and worksite location. Border’d identifies which LMIA-exempt streams match the position profile. We do not guess. We map.
STEP 4
Placement and ongoing compliance
We assist with arrival logistics and trade credentialing. Border’d monitors work permit validity, flags compliance obligations, and assesses PR transition timing. The worker stays legal. You stay compliant.
Recruitment backed by
regulated immigration counsel
Every Sourc’d placement is reviewed by Border’d, a law firm, before any work permit application is filed. Border’d confirms stream eligibility, manages Employer Portal submissions, and advises on compliance under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, including employer inspections, record-keeping under sections 209.2–209.4, and conditions of work permit validity under sections R209.5–R209.9. Sourc’d does not provide immigration legal advice, prepare immigration applications, or represent clients before IRCC. We recruit. We screen. We coordinate. Border’d handles the law. The boundary is clear on paper and in practice.
Border’d is a law firm. All immigration applications are prepared by regulated consultants or barristers.
Employer compliance is monitored from day one, not flagged when an inspection letter arrives.
If an LMIA-exempt stream does not fit, Border’d pivots to the right TFWP or PNP pathway without restarting the workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Questions employers ask
about LMIA-exempt hiring
What if my candidate does not qualify for an LMIA-exempt stream?
Not every candidate does. Sourc’d’s immigration-first screening identifies stream eligibility before you see a shortlist. If a candidate does not qualify for an LMIA-exempt category, we flag the right alternative, typically a high-wage LMIA, Global Talent Stream (where the occupation qualifies), or a PNP-linked work permit. Border’d manages whichever pathway applies. One recruitment partner. One legal team. Regardless of the stream.
How fast can a CUSMA Professional start work?
Not every candidate does. Sourc’d’s immigration-first screening identifies stream eligibility before you see a shortlist. If a candidate does not qualify for an LMIA-exempt category, we flag the right alternative, typically a high-wage LMIA, Global Talent Stream (where the occupation qualifies), or a PNP-linked work permit. Border’d manages whichever pathway applies. One recruitment partner. One legal team. Regardless of the stream.
Do I still pay the employer compliance fee?
Not every candidate does. Sourc’d’s immigration-first screening identifies stream eligibility before you see a shortlist. If a candidate does not qualify for an LMIA-exempt category, we flag the right alternative, typically a high-wage LMIA, Global Talent Stream (where the occupation qualifies), or a PNP-linked work permit. Border’d manages whichever pathway applies. One recruitment partner. One legal team. Regardless of the stream.
Is this only for tech roles or professional occupations?
Not every candidate does. Sourc’d’s immigration-first screening identifies stream eligibility before you see a shortlist. If a candidate does not qualify for an LMIA-exempt category, we flag the right alternative, typically a high-wage LMIA, Global Talent Stream (where the occupation qualifies), or a PNP-linked work permit. Border’d manages whichever pathway applies. One recruitment partner. One legal team. Regardless of the stream.
What are my compliance obligations after the worker starts?
Not every candidate does. Sourc’d’s immigration-first screening identifies stream eligibility before you see a shortlist. If a candidate does not qualify for an LMIA-exempt category, we flag the right alternative, typically a high-wage LMIA, Global Talent Stream (where the occupation qualifies), or a PNP-linked work permit. Border’d manages whichever pathway applies. One recruitment partner. One legal team. Regardless of the stream.
Can a worker on an LMIA-exempt permit transition to permanent residence?
Not every candidate does. Sourc’d’s immigration-first screening identifies stream eligibility before you see a shortlist. If a candidate does not qualify for an LMIA-exempt category, we flag the right alternative, typically a high-wage LMIA, Global Talent Stream (where the occupation qualifies), or a PNP-linked work permit. Border’d manages whichever pathway applies. One recruitment partner. One legal team. Regardless of the stream.
Find out if your open roles
qualify for LMIA-exempt hiring
Book a 20-minute employer consultation. We review your trades roles, assess stream eligibility under the International Mobility Program, and outline a candidate sourcing timeline. If LMIA-exempt streams do not fit, we tell you upfront, and map the right TFWP or PNP pathway instead.
No obligation. No fee for the initial assessment.
All immigration advice is provided by Border’d, a law firm. Sourc’d does not guarantee immigration outcomes or processing timelines. Individual eligibility is assessedon a case-by-case basis.