If a Canadian immigration officer deems that a temporary foreign worker will not be able to perform their job properly due to weak language skills in one of Canada’s official languages, applicant will be denied a work permit.
The Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) attached to a foreign national’s work permit application will state the minimum language skills that the worker must have in order to perform his/her job well. Canadian immigration officers will judge temporary foreign worker applicant’s language skills against this requirement when reviewing a temporary work permit application. Officers will also assess an applicant’s language skills by taking into account:
- The specific work conditions of the applicant’s potential job
- Any arrangements that the applicant’s potential employer has made or will make to accommodate weaknesses in the worker’s language skills
- The terms of the job offer
- The requirements set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) description for the worker’s potential job
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When assessing language skills, a worker’s ability to communicate in English or French with general members of the Canadian public will not be considered. This ability is not considered because it is not relevant to a worker’s ability to perform their job properly.
Language skills can be proven through:
- An interview
- An official language test
- An in-house test at a Canadian mission
