Canada recognizes lululemon’s growth in British Columbia as a significant investment project under the Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement (the Agreement).
This means that, for a variety of high-skilled occupations, lululemon can hire foreign workers without needing to apply for a labour market impact assessment (LMIA).
Founded in Vancouver, Canada in 1998, lululemon athletica is a technical athletic apparel company for yoga, running, training and most other sweaty pursuits.
Lululemon is a Canadian multinational athletic apparel retailer headquartered in British Columbia.
It has over 600 total company-operated stores worldwide with 29,000 employees in 17 different countries.
Generally, Canadian employers need an LMIA before they can hire a temporary foreign worker for the position they are recruiting for in Canada.
An LMIA confirms that there is a need for this temporary foreign worker and that no Canadian citizens or permanent residents are qualified, available, and/or interested to take up that job.
The institution that handles the LMIA process and reviews LMIA applications in Canada is Employment and Social Skills Development Canada (ESDC), also known as Service Canada.
According to IRCC, a significant investment project means
“A new endeavour in an existing firm’s operations or the entrance of a firm that is beginning operations in a province that will result in a substantial improvement to the provincial labour market or economy, without displacing jobs for Canadians.”
On February 28, 2023, IRCC announced that through the collaboration of the federal and provincial governments, lululemon’s growing workforce and global headquarters will benefit from a facilitative immigration measure that recognizes it as a significant investment project under the Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement (the Agreement).
Through the Temporary Workers Annex of the Agreement, British Columbia can identify significant investment projects for consideration for a special exemption from the LMIA process.
Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada then assess the project to determine if it meets the criteria.
Bringing global talent to lululemon’s hometown of Vancouver will enhance British Columbia’s workforce through knowledge sharing, leveraging the company’s international footprint and resulting in significant employment growth over the next several years.
More details of their plans are expected to be communicated later this spring.
How to apply for Canada work permit under a significant investment project
The applicant is eligible if they provide the following documents with their work permit application:
- A provincial letter of support stating the name of the significant investment project. The letter should also mention the full name and the date of birth of the individual. In addition, it must state the employer and the job offer information
- employer’s name
- individual’s occupation
- work location
- employment duration
- An LMIA-exempt offer of employment submitted in the Employer Portal or through an approved alternate submission.
