A practical guide for employers participating in the 2026 Destination Canada Mobility Forum, with a focus on francophone and bilingual candidates. 

For Ottawa-based employers attending the 2026 Destination Canada Mobility Forum, international recruitment should be planned with immigration strategy in mind from the start. The forum is designed to connect Canadian employers with French-speaking and bilingual candidates abroad, many of whom may be eligible for facilitated work permit options.

A job offer is only the first step; employers should also understand which work permit category may apply, what the employer’s involvement must be, and how the candidate will secure authorization to travel to and work in Canada.  

Ottawa has a compelling value proposition for francophone and bilingual candidates: a national capital labour market, proximity to federal institutions, a strong services and technology base, and communities outside Quebec where French-language skills are highly valued.  

Ottawa employers also do not have to build their international recruitment approach alone.

Invest Ottawa is the city’s lead economic development agency and a delivery partner on the City of Ottawa’s Talent Plan, and its Global Talent Program helps employers attract, hire, and retain skilled talent.  

Through Work in Ottawa, the program maintains a talent pool of active job seekers that employers can access, promotes Ottawa to skilled professionals abroad, and produces free resources employers can use in candidate outreach.

Pairing those supports with immigration planning means sourcing, work authorization, and relocation are considered together rather than in sequence.

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1. Start with LMIA-exempt options

LMIA-exempt work permits are often the first place to look because they can avoid the time, additional cost, and uncertainty of obtaining an LMIA approval. Common LMIA-exempt pathways include free trade agreement categories for eligible professionals, Francophone Mobility, International Experience Canada (IEC) permits for young professionals, and significant benefit work permits for unique talent. 

For multinational organizations with global mobility, the reciprocal employment work permit offers another LMIA-exempt option. The right option depends on the worker’s citizenship, occupation, age, work history, corporate structure, and the nature of the Canadian role. 

For employers recruiting at Destination Canada, these options are especially relevant where candidates are abroad and need a clear path to enter Canada quickly once an offer is finalized. Screening should happen before the offer is issued so the proposed duties, wage, work location, and start date align with the selected category. 

To support an LMIA-exempt work permit category, the employer must register an Employer Portal with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) where they will pay a $230 employer compliance fee and submit the job details including location, wage, benefits, responsibilities and relevant information on the category eligibility. This will generate two reference codes that the worker needs to submit their work permit application.

2. Use Francophone Mobility strategically

The Francophone Mobility work permit is one of the most important options for employers hiring French-speaking workers. It allows employers to support an employer-specific work permit where the worker will live and work outside Quebec, has a qualifying job offer, and can demonstrate intermediate French speaking and listening ability. French language ability can be demonstrated through completion of French education or an accredited language test with minimum test scores. 

This category can be particularly useful in Ottawa because employers often need candidates who can serve national, public-sector, bilingual, or francophone-client needs. It is incredibly broad; it encompasses almost all occupations, has no median wage requirement other than the applicable provincial minimum wage, and has no limit on the number of work permit extensions.  

Invest Ottawa supports the recruitment side of this work. The Global Talent Program represents Ottawa at francophone and international recruitment events, including Connexion Francophone and ICTC, and has taken part in IRCC missions to France and Belgium. That outreach builds awareness among French-speaking candidates well before an employer reaches the offer stage.

3. When no exemption fits, consider an LMIA-based work permit

If no LMIA-exempt pathway is available, the employer may need to apply for an LMIA. An LMIA, or Labour Market Impact Assessment, is the government’s assessment of whether hiring a foreign worker is likely to have a positive or neutral effect on the Canadian labour market. Employers must pay $1000 and demonstrate business legitimacy through financial documents, genuine business need for the role, wage compliance, and recruitment efforts demonstrating an inability to locate a qualified Canadian or permanent residents for the role.  

The most common LMIA streams are the High-Wage Stream, the Low-Wage Stream, and the Global Talent Stream. The High-Wage Stream is generally used where the offered wage meets or exceeds what is considered the wage threshold for the province of employment and may require a transition plan demonstrating how the employer plans to transition the role back to a Canadian or permanent resident. The plan typically indicates that the foreign worker intends on pursuing Canadian permanent residence status. The Low-Wage Stream can be useful for certain operational roles but can be more complex as it involves caps and additional program requirements.

The Global Talent Stream (GTS) offers a facilitated recruitment-exempt stream for eligible technology or highly specialized roles. Processing times vary by work location and stream, but employers can typically expect at least three months to obtain an LMIA where recruitment is required, and one month under GTS. 

LMIA planning should begin before recruitment commitments are finalized. Advertising, documentation, wage analysis, and processing timelines can all affect whether a candidate can obtain work authorization in time for the employer’s intended start date.

4. How the work permit process works in practice

The mechanics of applying depend on whether the candidate is visa-exempt or visa-required. Typically, the employer will need to complete their part of the process first. If the work permit is LMIA-exempt, as mentioned, the employer usually submits an offer of employment through the Employer Portal, pays the employer compliance fee, and gives the candidate the receipt and offer number. If the work permit is LMIA-based, the employer first obtains an LMIA approval and provides the candidate with the LMIA confirmation and job offer documents. 

Visa-required candidates generally apply online for consular processing for a temporary resident visa (TRV) and work permit before travelling to Canada. They may need to submit biometrics, provide supporting documents, complete medical or police-related requirements where applicable, and wait for a decision abroad. If approved, they receive a port of entry letter of introduction for work permit issuance and, where required, a TRV counterfoil in their passport which allows them to travel to Canada. The actual work permit document is then issued by a border officer when they arrive in Canada. 

Consular processing times vary depending on the location of the worker and whether they qualify for expedited processing under Canada’s Global Skills Strategy. They can range anywhere from three weeks to more than six months. IRCC posts the processing times so employers can proactively check the expected timeline for their onboarding planning. 

Visa-exempt candidates have more flexibility and can be on-boarded faster because in most cases they can travel to Canada and apply for the work permit directly at the port of entry. Visa-exempt air travellers usually need an electronic travel authorization (eTA) unless an exemption applies. The eTA is typically a quick online application, and the eTA is issued within 24-48 hours in most cases.  

Employers should not assume that visa-exempt means document-exempt: candidates should still travel with the requisite documents to apply for the work permit, including a job offer, LMIA or employer portal offer number, proof of qualifications, language evidence where relevant, and any documents needed to show they meet the selected work permit category. 

For candidates with accompanying spouses or dependent children under the age of 22, in most cases they will be eligible for an Open Spousal Work Permit and authorization to study in Canada at the preschool, primary and secondary level. Post-secondary studies require an independent application for a Study Permit. 

Relocation decisions are usually family decisions, and candidates weigh much more than the role itself. Invest Ottawa’s Working in Ottawa and Living in Ottawa toolkits are free, ready-to-share resources covering the tech sector and career paths alongside neighbourhoods, schools, childcare, healthcare, and newcomer settlement supports. Employers can include them with an offer package so a candidate and their family can picture the move while the work permit process is under way. 

5. Do not overlook inadmissibility

Even where a work permit category appears straightforward, candidates must still be admissible to Canada. Issues such as prior criminal charges or convictions, immigration history, medical concerns, misrepresentation, or security-related concerns can delay or prevent entry. Identifying potential admissibility issues early is important to assess whether additional documentation, rehabilitation, a temporary resident permit, or another strategy may be required before travel. 

Key takeaway 

The 2026 Destination Canada Mobility Forum is more than a recruitment event. It is an opportunity to connect with francophone and bilingual talent abroad and to move quickly from candidate selection to work authorization. Employers who understand the available LMIA-exempt and LMIA-based pathways, the mechanics of visa-required and visa-exempt applications, and the importance of admissibility screening will be better positioned to turn international interest into successful Canadian hires. 

Pairing that immigration planning with Invest Ottawa’s Talent Program, from sourcing through the Work in Ottawa talent pool to relocation resources for families, shortens the distance between a conversation at the forum and a signed acceptance. 

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Looking to Hire Bilingual Tech Talent?  

• Join us on September 25 for our upcoming free webinar to learn more about hiring bilingual talent from abroad. Register here.
• Learn more: Talent Services for Ottawa Tech Companies | Invest Ottawa