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Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Notice - Labour Market Opinions no longer required for foreign medical residents, clinical fellows and medical research fellows as of September 1, 2010

Effective September 1st, 2010, universities will no longer be required to apply for a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) to hire temporary foreign medical residents, clinical fellows or research fellows. However, foreign workers in these occupations will still require a work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to work in Canada, including for those positions of less than four months. For more information on work permit applications, visit CIC’s Web site.

Foreign medical residents or fellows applying for a work permit from CIC, will be required to provide the following information to immigration officers at Canadian missions abroad and at Canadian ports of entry.

• a letter of employment from the university; written on university letter head and signed by a senior administrator (e.g. the Program Manager) from the Postgraduate Medical Office. The letter should include:
  • the position offered to the worker including the area of specialty if applicable;
  • the length of the residency training or fellowship period (number of months) including the beginning and end dates of this training or fellowship;
  • if the position is covered by a collective agreement;
  • the location(s) of work for the duration of the residency or fellowship; and
  • the annual income offered to the worker with an attestation that the wage is commensurate with that of a Canadian performing the same duties in the same location of work.
• a copy of the letter from the relevant provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons (where applicable) which confirms the eligibility of the foreign national for licensure. Note that it is the responsibility of the host university to ensure that all occupational regulatory requirements are met. In some provinces, research fellows who do not have contact with patients do not require licensure from the provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons. If a research fellow does not require licensure from the regulatory body, the university should indicate this in their letter of employment.

This new LMO exemption does not include provisions to exempt foreign national medical residents and fellows from other temporary immigration requirements such as medical examinations, temporary resident visas where applicable, and other admissibility requirements. Medical examination requirements apply to all foreign nationals seeking to work in Canada in an occupation in which the protection of the public health is essential. Foreign medical residents and fellows, regardless of whether they have direct patient contact, must hold a medical certificate of health issued by a physician on Canada’s list of designated medical practitioners for presentation to immigration officers.

In provinces, where universities have agreed to a consultative process with the provincial Ministry responsible for Health in the hiring of foreign medical residents or fellows, universities may continue these practices as necessary.

For more information on CIC’s requirements regarding LMO exemptions, please consult the CIC’s Website.

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Date Modified:

2011-02-28