If you wish to hire a foreign worker to work with you in Canada, he or she would generally need to secure a valid work permit.  Most foreign workers will require a job offer in order to apply for this. The work permit may be secured in Canada, at a Canadian visa office abroad or at a port- of- entry to Canada. The option that is available to the foreign worker will depend on a variety of factors, including his nationality, the original terms of his admission to Canada, if applicable, the nature of the job and whether he has or will require a labour market confirmation to secure a work permit.

You would generally need to secure a Labour Market Opinion (LMO) from Human Resources and Social Development Canada/ Service Canada (HRSDC/SC) confirming that you may employ a foreign worker to fill your job opening. In the alternative, you may utilize one of the provincial nominee programs that provide for Canadian employers to hire foreign skilled and unskilled workers and international graduates.

Certain persons are exempt from the requirement to secure a LMO. These include workers covered under international agreements, workers transferring within a company, participants in exchange programs, co-op students or the spouses or common-law partners of certain foreign workers and foreign students. People doing charitable or religious work are also exempt from the requirement to secure a LMO.

If you do not intend for the foreign worker to work with you in Canada until he becomes a permanent resident, you should not apply for a LMO. Instead, you should apply to HRSDC/ SC for an Arranged Employment Opinion to facilitate the foreign workers immigration to Canada.