The government fee is the number everyone knows. These are the ones that arrive later.
Advertising you have to run anyway
The LMIA route requires a national advertising campaign for a set period. Job board fees, plus the staff hours to run it and document every applicant and why each was unsuitable. That documentation is the deliverable, not a formality.
Recruitment
A placement agency typically charges a percentage of first-year salary. On a $45,000 role that is thousands, per hire, every time. A job board charges a posting fee instead.
Reapplying
A refused LMIA does not refund the $1,000. If you reapply, you pay again.
Record keeping
Employers must retain documents for six years and cooperate with inspections. For a small operator with no HR function, that is real time.
Arrival support
A worker new to Canada needs help with banking, housing, a SIN, transport in their first weeks. Employers who skip this see early turnover, which costs more than the help would have.
The permit clock
Low-wage permits were shortened from two years to one. A one-year permit means the renewal conversation starts almost immediately.
What reduces most of this
An LMIA-exempt route removes the advertising cost, the documentation burden and the refusal risk on the labour market side. Francophone Mobility applies to French-speaking workers in positions outside Quebec.
The sourcing cost remains — but a published posting fee is predictable in a way a placement percentage is not.
FrancoBridge charges a flat rate per posting, from $60, with no per-hire fee.
This is general information, not immigration advice.