Foreign academics offered a position with Memorial University who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents are required to apply for a work permit and maintain their immigration status in order to begin working and to retain their position with Memorial University. Application for Canadian permanent residency should be made as soon as possible after accepting a tenured or tenure-track position with the university.

Normally, foreign nationals who will be entering Canada as temporary workers are required to have offers of employment confirmed by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) through a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) prior to applying for a work permit.  The university is responsible for submitting the LMIA application to Service Canada for a postive or neutral Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Once a decision has been made, the LMIA assessment will be sent to the foreign national with further instructions on how to obtain a work permit.

The validity of the work permit will vary and it is dependent on a number of factors including the duration of the LMIA, validity of passport and length of job offer.

In some cases, foreign tenure-track and tenured faculty members may fall into a program under the International Mobility program (IMP) and an LMIA will not be required. In this case, the university is required to provide the foreign academic with an offer of employment ID number (issued by IRCC) prior to submitting your application for a work permit.

Please contact the Office of Faculty Relations for information on the appointment process for foreign academics and to ensure that the appropriate immigration guidelines are applied.