Advising a Canadian Restaurant in Hiring Foreign Workers.

Assisting an Ontario-based Restaurant During Canadian Labour Shortage 

A well-established North York, Ontario restaurant that specializes in Turkish cuisine inquired whether they could employ a foreign chef from Turkey. We gladly offered our expertise and successfully brought the chef from Turkey.

Below is a summary of the facts of this case:

• The restaurant’s chef quit, and the business was left understaffed without proper support in the kitchen;
• The business desperately needed a chef but was unable to find a suitable candidate due to the specialty nature of the Turkish cuisine and lack of qualified applicants in Canada;
• A suitable candidate was found in Turkey and the restaurant extended him a job offer to become a chef at their North York location; and
• The business retained our firm to facilitate the immigration of the foreign worker to Canada.

Our business immigration lawyers took into account compelling evidence from the business and the foreign chef and advised the Client to pursue the LMIA-supported process to secure a Work Permit for the foreign worker.

The Timeline of the Case

On January 27, 2021 we received an approval for the LMIA application for the employment of the Turkish Chef. Shortly after we submitted the Work Permit application for the foreign worker.

Due to COVID-19 related delays at the VAC centers in Turkey, the worker’s Work Permit application was faced with considerable delays. Our team anticipated the delays and stayed in constant contact with the IRCC. Through available communication channels, we received updates on the file and kept the Client informed as to the status of the application. 

On January 19, 2022, the Work Permit application was ultimately approved.

Lessons & Conclusions from the Case

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRCC was faced with significant challenges in processing applications. This is something that no one in the industry was prepared for or had control over.

Our business immigration lawyers, however, quickly adapted to the changes in processing as well as client care. Once the application is submitted, it is up to the IRCC to assess it and make the decision, which during the pandemic took much longer than usual. 

Our lawyers made sure that the applications were immaculate and did not require any follow-ups or clarifications from the IRCC, which would have added additional processing time to the already lengthy process.

Additionally, on the client’s side, we kept our clients informed and clarified any concerns that they’ve had. In situations like these, it is imperative to be clear and transparent with regard to the process and any possible barriers that the client might face during the immigration journey.

Why You Should Choose Sobirovs for Your Business Immigration Needs

During the pandemic, many Canadian companies were faced with a lack of suitable candidates and an outright labour shortage. Many businesses, like the client in this story, had to hire workers from abroad. Not many businesses have done so prior to the pandemic and it is truly an unfamiliar territory for many Canadian employers.

At Sobirovs, we understand your situation and we are here to help you with hiring foreign workers. With our client-centered approach, vast corporate immigration experience, and commercial awareness, we make hiring foreign workers easy and hassle-free.

If you take these 3 steps, you will learn more about your options and how we could help your business hire foreign workers in these challenging times:

• Step 1: Check your eligibility for business or corporate immigration programs using our Free Instant Assessment tool.
• Step 2: Check our fees using our Fee Calculator. Don’t worry if the fees estimated by the Fee Calculator seem too high. We can give you a discount if your case is strong.
• Step 3: Book a 1-hour Strategy Meeting with our senior business immigration lawyer to discuss your immigration case.