CIMM –International Mobility Program (IMP)– November 07, 2023

Key Facts And Figures

Between January 1 and September 30, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued over 1M work permits under the IMP. This is up from 530K over the same time period in 2022 and has already surpassed IRCC’s total for all of 2022 (over 829K work permits issued).
Latest data from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Employee-Employer Dynamic Database (2019) shows that 130,890 individuals had a work permit under International Experience Canada (IEC) – youth mobility under the IMP – in 2019 and 64.1% (83,920) worked during their stay and had employment earnings.
- The largest share of IECers work in British Columbia (45%), followed by Quebec (20%), Ontario (20%), and Alberta (14%). All other provinces/territories account for (2.4%).
- Nationally, the top industries of employment are accommodation and food (34%), followed by retail trade (11%), administrative and support (9%), professional, scientific and technical services (7%) and arts, entertainment and recreation (6%).

Temporary foreign workers help keep Canada competitive by filling short‑term labour and skills gaps, and can help foreign nationals gain practical experience in Canada.
The IMP is demand-driven with no limits or caps on the total number of work permits that may be requested or issued in a given year.
The IMP is delivered solely by IRCC and allows employers to hire temporary workers without a Labour Market Impact Assessment in support of broader economic, social and/or cultural goals or reciprocal benefits for Canadians or permanent residents. This includes streams for international trade, performing arts, Francophone immigration, youth mobility via IEC, post-graduation work permits, and prospective permanent residents.
IRCC recently introduced a number of facilitative measures to support employers and workers alike. These include an open work permit measure for holders of an American H‑1B visa, expanding eligibility under the Francophone Mobility stream, and providing access to open work permits for the spouses and dependents of all temporary workers entering Canada under the IMP and the high-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. These measures aim to increase the number of workers available to fill labour shortages and skills gaps in various sectors, while supporting family reunification and Francophone immigration.

IRCC also has a number of facilitative temporary public policies for workers, including allowing foreign nationals to start working with a new employer quickly once they have found a new job, and permitting visitors to apply for a work permit from within Canada.