Starting April 10, the federal government will stop processing low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) in nine regions across Canada, including Vancouver in British Columbia, Winnipeg in Manitoba, and Halifax in Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, regions such as Lethbridge in Alberta and Kamloops, British Columbia, will be eligible for LMIA processing until the list is updated once more on July 10.<\/p>\n
In total, 30 CMAs have been listed as regions where low-wage LMIAs will not be processed by the federal government this quarter. This is a increase from the previous quarter, when 24 regions were listed.<\/p>\n
Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation<\/a><\/p>\n Every quarter, the federal government releases its next quarterly list of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in Canada where low-wage will not be processed. LMIAs<\/a> are needed for the issuance of work permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).<\/p>\n Which CMAs were removed from the processing freeze, starting April 10?<\/p>\n Lethbridge, Alberta \u2014 7.2% \u2192 5.9% From April 10 to July 9, low-wage LMIAs under the TFWP from these regions will once again be processed.<\/p>\n Which CMAs were added to the processing freeze, starting April 10?<\/p>\n Halifax, Nova Scotia \u2014 5.2% \u2192 6.1% From April 10 to July 9, low-wage LMIAs under the TFWP from these regions will not be processed.<\/p>\n Note: despite being “removed” from the processing freeze list in the last quarter, LMIAs in Montreal did not get processed due to Quebec having a moratorium on low-wage LMIA processing in the administrative regions of Montreal and Laval until December 31, 2026<\/p>\n Full list of CMAs under the low-wage LMIAs processing freeze as of April 10<\/p>\n \tCensus Metropolitan Area Unemployment rate for Q2 2026<\/p>\n \tSt. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador7.6<\/p>\n \tHalifax, Nova Scotia6.1<\/p>\n \tMoncton, New Brunswick7.4<\/p>\n \tSaint John, New Brunswick6<\/p>\n \tFredericton, New Brunswick6.5<\/p>\n \tDrummondville, Quebec7.3<\/p>\n \tMontr\u00e9al, Quebec6.8<\/p>\n \tOttawa-Gatineau, Ontario\/Quebec6.2<\/p>\n \tKingston, Ontario6.2<\/p>\n \tBelleville – Quinte West, Ontario7.9<\/p>\n \tPeterborough, Ontario6.3<\/p>\n \tOshawa, Ontario7.5<\/p>\n \tToronto, Ontario7.9<\/p>\n \tHamilton, Ontario6.7<\/p>\n \tSt. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario7.2<\/p>\n \tKitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario9.1<\/p>\n \tBrantford, Ontario6.8<\/p>\n \tGuelph, Ontario6.5<\/p>\n \tLondon, Ontario9.3<\/p>\n \tWindsor, Ontario8.8<\/p>\n \tBarrie, Ontario8.8<\/p>\n \tGreater Sudbury, Ontario6.4<\/p>\n \tWinnipeg, Manitoba6<\/p>\n \tRegina, Saskatchewan6.4<\/p>\n \tCalgary, Alberta7.1<\/p>\n \tEdmonton, Alberta7<\/p>\n \tKelowna, British Columbia8.9<\/p>\n \tAbbotsford-Mission, British Columbia6.2<\/p>\n \tVancouver, British Columbia6.5<\/p>\n \tNanaimo, British Columbia7.2<\/p>\n Low-wage LMIA applications in these regions will not be processed until the next quarterly update, expected on July 10.<\/p>\n What does this mean for employers and foreign workers?<\/p>\n Both employers and foreign nationals should check the unemployment rate of the CMA where the job is located before submitting a low-wage LMIA application.<\/p>\n If the job is located in a CMA with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher, the application will not be processed unless an exemption applies.<\/p>\n If an employer wishes to hire a foreign national in an affected CMA, one possible option is to raise the wage being offered so that the job falls under the high-wage stream of the TFWP.<\/p>\n Alberta: 36.00British Columbia: 36.60Manitoba: 30.16New Brunswick: 30.00Newfoundland and Labrador: 32.40Northwest Territories: 48.00Nova Scotia: 30.00Nunavut: 42.00Ontario: 36.00Prince Edward Island: 30.00Quebec: 34.62Saskatchewan: 33.60Yukon: 44.40<\/p>\n Foreign nationals with a job offer under the low-wage stream in an affected CMA may also wish to wait for the next quarterly update, in case the unemployment rate changes and the CMA becomes eligible again.<\/p>\n Foreign nationals who do not have a job offer yet can focus their job hunt on occupations exempt from the refusal to process measure. This includes the following:<\/p>\n Occupations under primary agriculture; It is also worth noting that foreign nationals in participating provinces may also benefit from a recent temporary public policy that allows employers in rural areas<\/a> of Canada (those identified as outside of CMAs) to increase their percentage of low-wage LMIA workers from 10% to 15%. This means employers in rural areas in some regions may be looking to hire more workers under the low-wage stream of the TFWP.<\/p>\n Why doesn\u2019t Canada process LMIAs in certain regions?<\/p>\n In August 2024, the federal government announced that it would stop processing LMIA applications under the low-wage stream of the TFWP for CMAs with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.<\/p>\n According to the feds, the policy change was implemented to align the TFWP with local labour market needs, and ensure job opportunities were offered to Canadian and permanent residents first.<\/p>\n Since then, the government has been releasing a quarterly list of CMAs and their unemployment rates so that foreign nationals and employers know where low-wage LMIA applications will and will not be processed.<\/p>\n
\nRed Deer, Alberta \u2014 8.9% \u2192 5.9%
\nKamloops, British Columbia \u2014 6.6% \u2192 5.2%
\nChilliwack, British Columbia \u2014 7.3% \u2192 5.7%<\/p>\n
\nMoncton, New Brunswick \u2014 5.5% \u2192 7.4%
\nSt. John, New Brunswick \u2014 5.8% \u2192 6.0%
\nFredericton, New Brunswick \u2014 5.2% \u2192 6.5%
\nDrummondville, Quebec \u2014 5.6% \u2192 7.3%
\nMontr\u00e9al, Quebec \u2014 5.5% \u2192 6.8%
\nKingston, Ontario \u2014 5.6% \u2192 6.2%
\nPeterborough, Ontario \u2014 5.3% \u2192 6.3%
\nVancouver, British Columbia \u2014 5.9% \u2192 6.5%
\nWinnipeg, Manitoba \u2014 5.7% \u2192 6.0%<\/p>\n
\nPositions in construction;
\nPositions in food manufacturing;
\nPositions in hospitals;
\nPositions in nursing and residential care facilities;
\nSpecific in-home caregiver positions;
\nPositions in support of permanent residency only (no application for work permit; and
\nShort duration (120 calendar days or less) that also meets specific criteria.<\/p>\n