LMO Processing Time Ontario

[gymbunny]

Have LMO processing times decreased? Work permits are only taking 34 days since last week. They used to take up to 72 days less than a month ago. Have processing times decreased for LMOs as well?

I suspect the work permits are taking less time because fewer people apply for the work permit as they are still waiting for the LMO

 

[justtheme]

I suspect the work permits are taking less time because fewer people apply for the work permit as they are still waiting for the LMO

That's crazy. Did you receive your LMO?

 

[fernanpe]

Hello,

This Temporary Foreign Worker LMO was deemed Positive on December 22, 2011 and I just received the documents in the mail today. Therefore it appears as if the currently wait time is 3.5 months.

Good Luck to anyone who is still waiting.

Regards,
PF

Hello,

Has anyone received a Positive LMO under the Foreign Worker Program? I submitted a LMO Application for a Foreign Worker on October 5, 2011 and am still waiting to find out if it was Positive or not. I still have not received a call from the Processing Offer. I work in Human Resources and submitted it directly to the Service Canada without the assistance of an Agency or Lawyer.

If you have received your Positive LMO in the past week or two please let me know when it was filed.

Thanks,

PF

 

[uncertainity]

Hello,

This Temporary Foreign Worker LMO was deemed Positive on December 22, 2011 and I just received the documents in the mail today. Therefore it appears as if the currently wait time is 3.5 months.

Good Luck to anyone who is still waiting.

Regards,
PF

Congrats ...can you tell us your NOC and duration for which LMO will be valid.

Also can you tell me when your employer mailed and when they received ,and when they gave them file number.

 

[gymbunny]

That's crazy. Did you receive your LMO?

I am still waiting, it has been 16 weeks now since my application was mailed. I should get an answer within the next 1-2 weeks because they started processing it the week before Christmas. I think my application is taking a lot longer than for most other people. I am not sure why, maybe it depends on the NOC group?
I gave my notice at my old job to try and speed up the move but now I have been at home without a job for more than 2 months
When we mailed the LMO application SC told us it would take 2-3 weeks. It is bad enough that they take such a long time but because they can't even give a proper estimate on the processing time I have not been able to plan a days work ahead.

 

[uncertainity]

I am still waiting, it has been 16 weeks now since my application was mailed. I should get an answer within the next 1-2 weeks because they started processing it the week before Christmas. I think my application is taking a lot longer than for most other people. I am not sure why, maybe it depends on the NOC group?
I gave my notice at my old job to try and speed up the move but now I have been at home without a job for more than 2 months
When we mailed the LMO application SC told us it would take 2-3 weeks. It is bad enough that they take such a long time but because they can't even give a proper estimate on the processing time I have not been able to plan a days work ahead.

Can you tell me if duration of your applied LMO is more than 2 years ....as i want to understand if duration of LMO also affects the processing time.

 

[grepis]

For tracking: Mine application was submitted middle of October. Positive LMO issued begin of December. Duration - 2 years.
Mail never arrived at all. Finally they faxed it to HR.

 

[justtheme]

For tracking: Mine application was submitted middle of October. Positive LMO issued begin of December. Duration - 2 years.
Mail never arrived at all. Finally they faxed it to HR.

2 years?? I read that LMOs can only be valid for up to 6 months now?!

 

[gymbunny]

Can you tell me if duration of your applied LMO is more than 2 years ....as i want to understand if duration of LMO also affects the processing time.

The LMO is for 2 years, Not sure if has any influence on the processing time. I heard they give you a work permit that is valid for 1 year now so you still have to go through the whole process again in a years time. It does hardly seem worth it, having to wait for 6 months for a work permit that is valid for only 1 year.

 

[gymbunny]

2 years?? I read that LMOs can only be valid for up to 6 months now?!

The 6 month rule applies to the expiration date of the LMO. It means you have 6 months to apply for the work permit after you receive the LMO.

 

[My2bits]

I thought I would share my experiences with LMO processing times. I am an employer in Alberta and have 3 seperate businesses that employ foreign workers, and so have to constantly apply for LMO's.

An example:

September 14, 2011 - received letter from HRSDC that acknowledges they have received my LMO application. They also provide a file number for reference. NOTE: this file number can be included in the comments section of the application for a Work Permit (you can apply for a work permit while waiting for confirmation of the LMO). The HRSDC will always provide a letter with a file # stating that they have received the LMO application.

It is now January 4th and I have yet to have a response from HRSDC regarding this LMO application. The foreign workers work permits expired while we are waiting for the LMO approval (I had originally applied for an LMO in May but had made a very slight error in my application and so they denied that LMO) I have called HRSDC and spoken to them to inquire about the LMO, and while they can tell me that an agent has the application in hand, they cannot tell me much more than that (still good to know that it has not been denied, or that my fax machine might have goofed up and I missed a letter from them)

Also in 2 other seperate LMO applications it took 4 to 5 weeks to get this acknowlegement that the application had been received, so even that part is very slow.

So if you have a valid Work Permit and are waiting for an LMO you can apply for a new work permit.

If your work permit has expired you have 90 days to file for a restoration and work permit ($350 total)

If you are an employer you need to start the LMO application process 6 to 8 months ahead of the expiry of anyone's work permit.

I also note that the CIC (responsible for Work Permit approvals) have seen their processing times fall rather quickly - I suspect they are catching up and getting ahead while waiting for the HRSDC to get it together (Is there some sort of work slow down or other protest going on at HRSDC?) It used to be the other way around - HRSDC was relatively quick and CIC was taking many many weeks.

To apply for a work permit electronically with CIC you need:

To open an online account at their CIC ACCESS site - a userid and password - keep them as you use them forever.
- a copy of your passport (save it as Jpeg, PDF or TIFF and PNG file)
- a valid job offer (contract - available from HRSDC site or do your own that has all the correct details) - saved as above
- an LMO or File # for reference - saved as above if have LMO or just make note of it in the comments area of the Work Permit application
- a copy of your medical you took prior to coming to Canada - or explain why you don't have it (as in the embassy kept it)
- every entry date you have had to come into Canada

- you can pay online while still in the CIC ACCESS aplication area - you will need a valid credit card - other options available but harder to work with- you will get an e-mail with the payment - you can also save this to any file.

 

[gymbunny]

I thought I would share my experiences with LMO processing times. I am an employer in Alberta and have 3 seperate businesses that employ foreign workers, and so have to constantly apply for LMO's.

An example:

September 14, 2011 - received letter from HRSDC that acknowledges they have received my LMO application. They also provide a file number for reference. NOTE: this file number can be included in the comments section of the application for a Work Permit (you can apply for a work permit while waiting for confirmation of the LMO). The HRSDC will always provide a letter with a file # stating that they have received the LMO application.

It is now January 4th and I have yet to have a response from HRSDC regarding this LMO application. The foreign workers work permits expired while we are waiting for the LMO approval (I had originally applied for an LMO in May but had made a very slight error in my application and so they denied that LMO) I have called HRSDC and spoken to them to inquire about the LMO, and while they can tell me that an agent has the application in hand, they cannot tell me much more than that (still good to know that it has not been denied, or that my fax machine might have goofed up and I missed a letter from them)

Also in 2 other seperate LMO applications it took 4 to 5 weeks to get this acknowlegement that the application had been received, so even that part is very slow.

So if you have a valid Work Permit and are waiting for an LMO you can apply for a new work permit.

If your work permit has expired you have 90 days to file for a restoration and work permit ($350 total)

If you are an employer you need to start the LMO application process 6 to 8 months ahead of the expiry of anyone's work permit.

I also note that the CIC (responsible for Work Permit approvals) have seen their processing times fall rather quickly - I suspect they are catching up and getting ahead while waiting for the HRSDC to get it together (Is there some sort of work slow down or other protest going on at HRSDC?) It used to be the other way around - HRSDC was relatively quick and CIC was taking many many weeks.

To apply for a work permit electronically with CIC you need:

To open an online account at their CIC ACCESS site - a userid and password - keep them as you use them forever.
- a copy of your passport (save it as Jpeg, PDF or TIFF and PNG file)
- a valid job offer (contract - available from HRSDC site or do your own that has all the correct details) - saved as above
- an LMO or File # for reference - saved as above if have LMO or just make note of it in the comments area of the Work Permit application
- a copy of your medical you took prior to coming to Canada - or explain why you don't have it (as in the embassy kept it)
- every entry date you have had to come into Canada

- you can pay online while still in the CIC ACCESS aplication area - you will need a valid credit card - other options available but harder to work with- you will get an e-mail with the payment - you can also save this to any file.

Thanks very much for sharing your experience! It must be equally as frustrating for the employer as for the employee to be in this situation. I will have lost 3 months worth of income by the end of this process and my employer will have lost a lot of potential revenue. I was supposed to start this job in November. It is lucky my employer has been so patient and has not hired somebody else in the mean time.

At least because I am from Europe, I will be able to get my Work Permit at the port of entry so once my LMO is back I should be able to get started quite quickly.

M2b, how long does it usually take for them to get back with the decision after they phone the employer to ask more questions? My employer answered more questions on the 20th of December. On the 23rd it was mailed of to somebody else at HRSDC, who is going to make the final decision. Do you think this is a normal procedure?

HRSDC are apparently slowing down due to serious staff shortages, I read the following info on another forum:
The delay on the west coast is due to the 3 provincial offices being amalgamated into 1 and on the east coast it is due to staff being moved from processing LMO's to Employment insurances instead.

With such a long processing time they should really give the work permit for 2 years instead of a year. If it gets any worse the employer will end up having to apply for a new LMO before the foreign worker has even started the actual job.
Maybe it is possible for employers to complain to the government about this situation. I can completely understand that they want to be strict about who they let into the country, but this situation is bad for the Canadian economy.

 

[gymbunny]

Just got a positive LMO today. So incredibly happy!!! ;D ;D ;D

 

[alinka]

Congratulations!!! It must be such a relief...

 

[shakil_kasuri]

hello dear how r u?
can u please guide me that how to get a job offer in canada? any consultant or recruiter?