Prior to the introduction of the Express Entry program, many
high skilled foreign workers from the United States and Mexico came
to Canada to work under the North American Free Trade Agreement, an
agreement that provides for immigration between the three countries
without the requirement of a labour market impact assessment under
specific conditions.
With Express Entry becoming the primary method through which
foreign workers can gain permanent residence, this reality has left
some employers concerned about what this means for foreign workers
who entered Canada through the NAFTA.
For the foreign workers employed by Canadian employers who
originally immigrated through NATFA, this likely means that those
workers will be required to re-apply for permanent residence
through the Express Entry and meet that program's requirement.
This is particularly concerning for these employers due to the
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirement for Express
Entry.
