Quebec has released the 2025 list of occupations eligible for simplified processing, affecting employers who rely on LMIA-exempt recruitment in the province. If your business is hiring foreign talent, these changes could impact your workforce planning.
Employers submitting applications under the previous list remain eligible until March 24, 2025, as part of the 30-day transitional period.
As anticipated, the list has been significantly reduced, with many occupations across various industries being removed.
To take advantage of the transitional period, it is crucial to identify affected positions within your company if you were planning to submit an LMIA application.
Below is a list of occupations eligible for simplified processing:
- Medical administrative assistants
- Computer specialists
- Database Analysts and Data Administrators
- Software Engineers and Designers
- Software developers and programmers
- Civil Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers
- Chemical technologists and technicians
- Surveying Technologists and Technicians
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
- Maintenance Electronics Technicians (Household and Commercial Goods)
- Industrial Instrument Technicians and Mechanics
- Clinical and laboratory medicine specialists
- General practitioners and family physicians
- Veterinarians
- Audiologists and speech therapists
- Pharmacists
- Psychologists
- Physiotherapists
- Occupational therapists
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- Nurse practitioners
- Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
- Practical nurses
- Respiratory therapists, cardiovascular perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- Dental hygienists and therapists
- Medical laboratory technologists
- Medical Radiation Technologists
- Cardiology technologists and diagnostic electrophysiology technologists
- *Certified nurses’ aides, orderlies and orderlies (this designation only)
- Secondary school teachers (only for educational institutions designated and recognized by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur or another government department or agency)
- Primary and preschool teachers (only for educational institutions designated and recognized by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education or another government department or agency)
- Social workers
- Counseling therapists and related specialized therapies
- Community and social service workers
- *Certified early childhood educators (this designation only). The employer authorized to hire is an educational institution designated and recognized by the Ministère de l’Éducation or another government department or agency, or a daycare service recognized by the Ministère de la Famille).
- Instructors for persons with disabilities
- *Certified food service supervisors (this designation only)
- *Qualified or experienced cooks (this designation only)
- Butchers – wholesale and retail
- Bakers – pastry-making
- Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors
- Sheet metal workers
- Structural metal erectors
- Welders and soldering machine operators
- Electricians (except industrial and power system electricians)
- Industrial Electricians
- Telecommunications Line and Cable Installers and Repairers
- Steamfitters, Pipefitters and Sprinkler System Installers
- Carpenters and Joiners
- Bricklayers
- Insulators
- Construction Millwrights and Industrial Mechanics
- Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
- Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanics
- Elevator constructors and mechanics
- *Motor vehicle, truck and bus mechanics and repairers (this designation only)
- *Certified collision, body, paint and glass technicians and damage estimators (this designation only)
- Electromechanics
- Crane operators
- Concrete finishers
- Tilesetters
- Plasterers, interior systems installers and finishers, and lathers
- Roofers and shinglers
- Glaziers
- Painters and Decorators (except Interior Decorators)
- Floor Covering Installers
- Transport truck drivers
- Heavy equipment operators (except crane)
- Drillers and blasters, surface mining, quarrying and construction
- Supervisors in food and beverage processing
- Water and waste treatment plant operators
For occupations that are followed by an asterisk (*) in this list, only specific designations are eligible for simplified processing. To visit the full list of occupations and designations, please visit the MIFI website.
How BHLG Can Help
BHLG specializes in helping businesses navigate Quebec’s LMIA exemptions and work permit requirements with ease. Our immigration experts provide:
✔ Real-time updates on policy changes.
✔ Assistance in ensuring compliance and reducing application delays.
✔ Strategic guidance for hiring foreign workers efficiently.
Get in touch with BHLG today to discuss how these changes impact your business.