Foreign nationals may be eligible for an LMIA-exempt work permit if hired by one of eight Canadian companies, largely based in the tech sector.
Earlier this month, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced a new work permit under the Innovation Stream.
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The Innovation Stream is one of the four pillars of Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy, designed to bolster economic growth by attracting talent into Canada.
Here’s a look at the eight companies eligible for the LMIA-exempt, employer-specific work permit, and the job opportunities they offer as of October 16:
| Company | Headquartered in | Hiring in | Glassdoor rating |
| Ada Support Inc. | Toronto | Toronto, remote | 3.1 |
| AlayaCare | Montreal | Montreal, Toronto | 3.5 |
| CellCarta | Montreal | Montreal, remote | 2.2 |
| Clarius Mobile Health | Vancouver | Vancouver | 4.3 |
| Clio | Burnaby | Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, remote | 3.9 |
| Lightspeed Commerce | Montreal | Montreal, Toronto. Ottawa, remote | 3.7 |
| Duchesnay Pharmaceutical Group | Montreal | Not currently hiring in Canada | 3.4 |
| Vive Crop Protection | Mississauga | Not currently hiring in Canada | 4.5 |
You can find details on the six companies that are hiring, the kinds of roles they are looking for, and benefits, below:
Ada Support Inc.
Toronto-based Ada was launched in 2016 to change customer service from agent-driven to AI-driven. It works by providing companies and their customers worldwide with AI-powered customer service across channels and languages.
While Ada is a remote company, it does require certain candidates to be based in specific provinces.
Other company perks incude the opportunity to work from abroad, stock options, unlimited vacation, and a home office budget.
The company currently has over 15 vacant positions across product development, revenue, operations, finance, and customer experience.
Some sample vacant positions are:
- HR Generalist (Toronto)
- Staff software engineer, solutions (remote – Canada)
- DevOps Engineer (remote – Canada)
- Senior technical writer (remote – Canada)
- Manager, sales development (Toronto)
AlayaCare
Montreal-headquartered AlayaCare was founded in 2014 with a mission to solve healthcare challenges, especially in the home care sector, through AI and technology. The company’s cloud-based software allows its clients to simplify multiple tasks, including managing employees, scheduling, billing, and more.
It currently has over 550 employees across Canada, Australia, Brazil, and the United States. In Canada, the company currently has a handful of vacancies based in either Toronto or Montreal. Some positions require bilingualism (in French and English).
Some sample vacant positions are:
- Bilingual Senior Technical Services Specialist (Montreal, Quebec)
- Implementation Specialist (Toronto)
- Senior DevOps Analyst (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
- Senior Developer, scheduling (Montreal, Quebec)
- Engineering manager – SRE (Montreal, Quebec)
CellCarta
CellCarta is another Montreal-based company that uses research and technology to map the difference between tissues and cells, and identify biomarkers, resulting in more targeted therapies and diagnoses.
This improves the customization of disease detection and prevention strategies and fosters more targeted therapies.
The company also has locations in China, Australia, the US, and Belgium. At time of posting, it had a very limited number of vacancies in Canada, primarily in Montreal.
Some sample vacant positions:
- Global technology architecture manager (Montreal)
- Global revenue accounting manager (remote)
Clarius Mobile Health
Clarius is a British Columbia-based company founded in 2014 with the mission to make affordable ultrasound tools available to all medical professionals.
In 2024, the company received a certification from Great Place To Work®, a global authority on workplace culture, which is based on employee feedback.
Some benefits include a hybrid work environment, employee recognition program, professional development program, and team events.
At the moment, Clarius has only one opening in Canada:
- Manufacturing technician (Vancouver)
Clio
Clio helps lawyers manage tasks from client intake and contact management, to timekeeping, billing, payments, and more through its cloud-based legal technology.
Apart from its British Columbia headquarters, Clio currently has offices in Toronto, Calgary, and Dublin. It also has remote positions, and a hybrid work model, depending on the role.
Other work benefits include RRSP matching, flexible paid time off (4-week minimum with opportunities for personalization based on individual needs), parental leave benefits, and various health, dental, and vision benefits.
Some sample vacant positions include:
- Account executive, customer sales (Vancouver, Calgary)
- Account executive, mid-market (Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver)
- Business Development Representative (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto)
- Customer Onboarding Specialist (Vancouver Calgary, Toronto)
- Data scientist (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto – with remote option available)
- Director, product research (Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver – with remote option available)
Lightspeed Commerce
Founded in Montreal in 2005, Lightspeed provides companies with a one-stop commerce platform, helping them simplify and scale up operations.
Lightspeed Commerce currently has numerous vacancies in Canada, spread across primarily Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa, with a few remote opportunities available as well.
Some sample vacant positions are:
- Team lead, software development (Montreal)
- Staff software developer (Ottawa)
- Software development manager (Toronto)
- Senior strategic pricing specialist (Montreal)
- Senior site reliability engineer (Ottawa)
- Senior product manager, payment processing (Montreal)
These two companies may not be currently hiring in Canada but that could change in the future:
Vive Crop Protection
Based in Mississauga, Ontario, Vive Crop Protection is an ag-tech company that aims to save farmers time, labour, and resources through its patented delivery system and crop-protection products.
The company currently has no Canada-specific vacancies. However, it encourages qualified candidates to reach out for work opportunities.
Duchesnay Pharmaceutical Group (DPG)
Duchesnay Pharmaceutical Group (DPG) is a pharmaceutical company based in Montreal, which focuses on developing new medicines and offering therapeutic options to improve patients’ health and quality of life.
The company is made up of six pharmaceutical entities based between Canada and the US.
The company provides benefits such as hybrid teleworking and a flexible schedule including summer hours. Duchesnay is not currently hiring in Canada.
How are companies are selected for employer-specific work permits under the Innovation Stream?
The Innovation Stream grants LMIA-exempt work permits to employers participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project (GHP).
The Canadian government launched GHP to help innovative Canadian companies grow. The idea behind the project is to support Canadian companies in creating job opportunities, support small businesses, and bolster growth for the economy. The first eight companies chosen, which are listed above, are all homegrown businesses that the government has identified as industry leaders and innovators.
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