Resumption of low-wage LMIA processing

From 09 January, the federal government will begin processing low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) in eight additional regions across Canada.

Vancouver, Winnipeg and Kingston are some of the regions where low-wage LMIA processing will be resumed.

The reason is that these regions have recorded unemployment rates falling below 6%. The government only processes low-wage LMIAs in regions with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.

Without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) positive or neutral from an employer, foreign nationals cannot apply for or renew a work permit under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

Jobs fall under the low-wage stream if the wage does not equal or exceed 120% of the median wage in that region, or falls within the wage range that the employer pays existing employees at that location with the same role and experience, whichever is higher.

Some occupations are exempt from the pause, such as those in primary agriculture, construction and certain frontline healthcare professions.

The next update for this list is scheduled for 10 April 2026.

Which regions have been added to the list

No new regions have been added to the list of Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher (although many regions on the previous quarter’s list recorded an increase in unemployment compared to the previous quarter).

Which regions have been removed

• Halifax, NS: 6,1 → 5,2
• Moncton, NB: 7,3 → 5,5
• Saint John, NB: 7,3 → 5,8
• Fredericton, NB: 6,7 → 5,2
• Montréal, QC: 6.7 → 5.5
• Kingston, ON: 6,6 → 5,6
• Winnipeg, MB: 7,3 → 5,7
• Vancouver, BC: 6,8 → 5,9

Job offers from these regions were previously ineligible for low-wage LMIA processing in the final quarter of 2025. However, they will now be eligible for low-wage LMIA processing in the first quarter of 2026.

Full list of ineligible CMAs

STT	Census metropolitan area	Unemployment rate (%) for applications submitted from 09/01/2026 to 09/04/2026
1	St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador	7,1
2	Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec	6,8
3	Belleville – Quinte West, Ontario	10,6
4	Oshawa, Ontario	8,0
5	Toronto, Ontario	7,5
6	Hamilton, Ontario	6,4
7	St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario	6,5
8	Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario	8,1
9	Brantford, Ontario	8,5
10	Guelph, Ontario	7,4
11	London, Ontario	7,3
12	Windsor, Ontario	7,1
13	Barrie, Ontario	8,7
14	Greater Sudbury, Ontario	6,0
15	Regina, Saskatchewan	6,3
16	Lethbridge, Alberta	7,2
17	Calgary, Alberta	6,3
18	Red Deer, Alberta	8,9
19	Edmonton, Alberta	6,9
20	Kelowna, British Columbia	8,5
21	Kamloops, British Columbia	6,6
22	Chilliwack, British Columbia	7,3
23	Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia	6,4
24	Nanaimo, British Columbia	6,3

In August 2024, the government announced it would pause the processing of LMIA applications under the low-wage stream of the TFWP for CMAs with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher to encourage businesses to hire qualified labour already present in the region and seeking work.

Since then, the federal government has published a quarterly list of CMAs with their unemployment rates so that foreign workers know which regions will not process the low-wage LMIAs required for a work permit.

What are my options if the job offer is in one of the affected regions?

Both employers and workers should check the unemployment rate of the CMA where the job position is located before submitting an LMIA application under the low-wage stream of the TFWP.

For employers

If an employer wishes to hire a foreign worker under the low-wage stream of the TFWP and the position is located in a CMA with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher, they may increase the wage so that the position falls under the high-wage stream of the TFWP.

Wage thresholds can be looked up here:

Province / Territory	New wage threshold ($ CAD)
Alberta	36,00
British Columbia	36,60
Manitoba	30,16
New Brunswick	30,00
Newfoundland and Labrador	32,40
Northwest Territories	48,00
Nova Scotia	30,00
Nunavut	42,00
Ontario	36,00
Prince Edward Island	30,00
Quebec	34,62
Saskatchewan	33,60
Yukon	44,40

If the foreign worker’s wage equals or exceeds the wage threshold mentioned above (in the province of employment), the employer must apply under the high-wage stream of the TFWP.

Another option is to wait three months in case the unemployment rate of the CMA where the job position is located changes.

For foreign workers

Foreign workers can focus on finding jobs in occupations that are exempt from this refusal-to-process measure, including:

• Occupations in primary agriculture;
• Positions in construction;
• Positions in food processing;
• Positions in hospitals;
• Positions in nursing and residential care facilities;
• Specific home care positions;
• Positions supporting permanent residents (not requiring a work permit application); and
• Short-term (120 calendar days or less) meeting specific criteria.

Foreign workers may also focus their job search on CMAs that are still processing low-wage LMIA applications.

Foreign workers currently on a low-wage TFWP work permit who lose their status because they cannot renew their permit must stop working. They may apply for a visitor record to remain in Canada as a visitor if they wish.

Foreign workers who accept a job from a different employer may begin working in the new role while their application is being processed if they meet certain criteria.

How do I know if my job offer is in an affected region?

Go to website Census of Population.

Enter the full postal code of the work location into the search bar.

On the geographic search results page, check the “Census metropolitan area / Census agglomeration” result.

If a Census metropolitan area (CMA) is displayed, check if the CMA is included in the table above. If it is, the application will not be processed for the next three months.

If this level is not listed, the application remains eligible.

If a Census agglomeration is displayed, the application remains eligible.