Employers hiring foreign workers in 10 agriculture, food processing, and trucking occupations can now skip past a time-consuming step in the work permit process.

Canada is now waiving the advertising requirement for the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) in certain high priority occupations.

As of March 20, the minimum recruitment requirements for pending and future LMIA applications will be waived for the following 10 occupations:

• Butchers, meat cutters and fishmongers-retail and wholesale (NOC 6331)
• Transport Truck Drivers (NOC 7511)
• Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers (NOC 8252)
• General Farm Workers (NOC 8431)
• Nursery and Greenhouse Workers (NOC 8432)
• Harvesting laborers (NOC 8611)
• Fish and seafood plant workers (NOC 9463)
• Laborers in food, beverage and associated products processing (NOC 9617)
• Laborers in fish and seafood processing (NOC 9618)
• Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (NOC 9462)

Truck drivers who are situated in a province that has a Mandatory Entry-Level Training requirement must have the certification in their possession at the time they receive their work permit. Provinces with this requirement include B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.