Canada Work Permit (LMIA) Border & Processing Questions (2026): What Officers Check

1. Q1What is the purpose of your trip, and do you have a job offer in Canada?

   State plainly that you're arriving to start employer-specific work and name the employer and job title exactly as they appear on your Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and job offer letter.

   Keep your verbal answer word-for-word consistent with your job offer letter — officers compare what you say to what's on paper.

2. Q2Can you show me your LMIA number and the approved job offer?

   Bring the original LMIA confirmation letter (or the number if your employer applied online) and a signed, detailed job offer letter stating duties, wage, and location. A photocopy or a photo on your phone is not a substitute for the original where one is required.

   IRCC explicitly lists the LMIA copy and number among the documents to bring to the port of entry — don't rely on your employer to have it ready; carry your own copy.

3. Q3What are your qualifications and experience for this specific role?

   Be ready to describe your education, certifications, and work history in a way that clearly matches the job's stated requirements on the LMIA. Bring diplomas, transcripts, and reference letters rather than describing your background only verbally.

   A mismatch between your actual background and the skill level the job was approved at is one of the fastest ways to trigger a second-line examination.

4. Q4Does the wage on your offer match what was approved on the LMIA?

   Confirm the wage in your offer letter is the same as (or higher than) the prevailing wage listed on the approved LMIA. If it's lower, be ready to explain — it's a red flag that the position may not be genuine.

   Ask your employer for written confirmation of the exact wage before you travel; don't guess a number at the border.

5. Q5Will you be working in Quebec, and if so, do you have a CAQ?

   If your job is in Quebec and your role required an LMIA, you also need a Certificat d'acceptation du Québec (CAQ) in addition to the federal LMIA — have it ready alongside your other documents.

   If your LMIA-exempt category doesn't need an LMIA, you also don't need a CAQ for Quebec — check which rule applies to your specific stream.

6. Q6Do you intend to leave Canada when your work permit expires?

   A work permit is temporary status. Answer honestly about your plans, but understand the officer is checking that you understand the permit's time limit and conditions, not demanding a guarantee you'll never apply to stay longer through a separate, legitimate pathway later.

   Know your permit's exact expiry date and employer/location restrictions cold — vague or incorrect answers about your own permit's conditions undermine credibility.

7. Q7Is your family accompanying you, and do they have their own permits or visas?

   Disclose accompanying spouses or children accurately. A spouse may be eligible for an open work permit of their own, and children need their own study or visitor status — each family member's document must be in order independently.

   Apply for a spouse's open work permit and children's documents in parallel with yours, not as an afterthought after you've already travelled.

8. Q8Have you held a Canadian work permit before, or been refused one?

   Disclose prior Canadian immigration history truthfully, including any past refusals or permit violations. CBSA has access to your immigration record, so an omission is treated far more seriously than the original issue.

   If you had a past refusal, be ready to explain concretely what changed in your file — a new LMIA, corrected documents, a different employer.

9. Q9Do you have a medical exam or police certificate, if your occupation or country requires one?

   Certain occupations (healthcare, childcare, some agricultural work) and nationalities require an upfront medical exam, and some cases call for a police certificate. Confirm whether your specific case needs either before travelling, and carry the results if so.

   A missing required medical exam can stop examination at the border cold — check IRCC's current requirements for your occupation and country before you fly.

10. Q10Can you confirm your prevailing job offer is genuine and not misrepresented?

    Be ready to describe the day-to-day duties of the job accurately and in a way consistent with the LMIA's occupation code. Genuineness is assessed on the whole picture — the employer's business legitimacy, the wage, and whether the role plausibly needs a foreign worker.

    If you can, bring any correspondence with your employer (offer negotiation emails, onboarding details) that corroborates a real, pre-existing employment relationship.

Sample answers are for preparation only — always answer truthfully and in your own words.