RA
Rob Attwell
Josh was incredibly helpful and responsive in dealing with our immigration issues through the Global Talent Stream Program. He really knew his stuff and was willing to help me and, more importantly, our candidate through the process.
For employers
Employer compliance: stay onside with IRCC and ESDC.
Audits, inspections, and compliance reviews for employers with foreign workers. The penalties for getting it wrong are real. The fix is a clean program.
Book a compliance review
Overview
Compliance is not optional.
Employers of foreign workers can be inspected for up to six years after each hire. Wages, duties, and working conditions must match what was promised in the LMIA or the offer of employment. Violations bring fines, public listing, and bans from hiring foreign workers. We keep your program clean, and defend it when questions come.
What we cover
Compliance, before and after the letter arrives.
- Compliance reviews that find problems before an inspector does
- Responses to ESDC and IRCC inspections and audits
- Wage, duties, and working condition requirements for each stream
- Employer portal offers of employment and compliance fees
- Corrective action and voluntary disclosure when something has gone wrong
- Penalties at stake range from fines to permanent program bans
How we work
A lawyer-led process, with our own software doing the assembly.
01
Initial consultation
Tell Josh what you are dealing with. You get legal advice on your actual situation, written next steps, and a flat fee for the work, before you commit to anything. We quote after we diagnose, never before.
02
Application preparation
You work in our secure client portal to assemble your file. Our software handles the document assembly, extraction, and cross-checking, which is why a lawyer reviewing every page personally still fits inside a flat fee.
03
A licensed Canadian lawyer reviews and files
A licensed Canadian lawyer reviews every page before it is filed.
Flat fees. Once you are a client, a reply within one business day. No surprises.
What to know
How the regime works.
- 01
Every hire carries a six year tail
ESDC inspects LMIA employers and IRCC inspects LMIA exempt ones. Inspections can be random, triggered by tips, or based on past issues, and they can reach back six years. Most employers meet their first inspector unprepared.
- 02
What an inspector reads
Whether wages, duties, hours, and working conditions match the LMIA or offer of employment, whether you kept the records, and whether the workplace is free of abuse. Small drifts, like a raise that changed the wage from what was filed, count as violations if unexplained.
- 03
What is actually at stake
Consequences run from warnings to administrative monetary penalties per violation, with an annual cap, plus public naming and bans from the programs. The regime is points based, and cooperation and voluntary disclosure reduce the score. ESDC publishes the current penalty amounts.
- 04
Mistakes are survivable
Not every discrepancy is a violation. Some can be justified under the regulations, and errors corrected with compensation to the worker are treated far more leniently. How you frame the record decides which bucket you land in.
- 05
The cheapest fix is a boring file
Offer letters that match filings, wage reviews on a calendar, records kept for six years, and one internal owner for the process. We set this up once and audit it periodically, which costs a fraction of one violation.
Why us
Why employers keep us on file.
Prevention is cheaper
A compliance review costs a fraction of one violation. We audit your files the way an inspector would, before an inspector does.
Inspection defence
When ESDC or IRCC comes asking, the quality and speed of your response decides the outcome. We handle both.
Voluntary disclosure, done right
Self correcting a mistake properly can avoid penalties entirely. Timing and framing matter, and we manage both.
The whole program in view
LMIAs, permits, and compliance handled by one team that sees the full picture of your foreign workforce.
For employers
Hiring more than one person?
If you are running several files a year, the per-file flat fee is not the right structure. We work on retainer or volume terms, with a single point of contact, and we maintain your compliance records across all your hires rather than file by file.
That last part matters more than the pricing. An inspection looks at your practice as an employer, not at one application, and records kept consistently across hires are the difference between a straightforward review and a scramble.
Tell us roughly how many hires you expect this year and we will quote accordingly.
FAQ
Compliance questions, answered.
Do not see your question? Ask us directly. A member of our team will reach out almost instantly.
Ask a question- We found a mistake. What now?
- Do not wait for the inspector. A voluntary disclosure with correction, including back pay where owed, can reduce or eliminate penalties. We manage the disclosure end to end.
- What triggers an inspection?
- Random selection, worker complaints, data mismatches, or history. You do not need to have done anything wrong to be inspected, which is why the file should always be ready.
- Does this apply to LMIA exempt workers too?
- Yes. Offers of employment filed through the employer portal carry the same wage and conditions obligations, inspected by IRCC rather than ESDC.
- How long do we need to keep records?
- Six years from the start of each foreign worker's employment, for every document that supports the LMIA or offer of employment.
- What happens if we are found non compliant?
- Penalties depend on severity, history, and cooperation: fines, public listing on the government website, and program bans from one year to permanent. Early legal handling of the inspection materially changes outcomes.
Trusted by clients across Canada.
Every matter is different. Results vary, and past outcomes do not predict future ones.
Meet our founder
Joshua Schachnow, B.Com., J.D.
Founder
Josh is a Toronto-based lawyer who has been practising immigration law for more than nine years. He has helped thousands of individuals and companies navigate Canadian immigration, from work permits to permanent residence, study permits, citizenship, LMIAs and more, and he built the software this firm runs on. Josh always puts his clients first, and believes quick and thoughtful communication is most important to making the process as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Ready to get started
Book a compliance review.
Tell us about your foreign workforce and any notices you have received. A member of our team will reach out almost instantly to book your consultation, where a licensed Canadian immigration lawyer will scope the review and quote a flat fee.
Flat fees. No obligation. We follow up fast.