Low-Wage LMIA Processing Reopens in Eight Regions — and Pauses in Four More
From July 10, Ottawa resumes low-wage LMIA processing in eight regions including Halifax and Winnipeg, while 26 CMAs stay frozen until October 9. Full lists and wage thresholds.
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Key Takeaways
- From July 10, Ottawa resumes low-wage LMIA processing in eight regions, including Halifax, Winnipeg and Regina.
- Four regions — Saskatoon, Red Deer, Kamloops and Chilliwack — were added to the freeze as their unemployment crossed 6%.
- Low-wage LMIAs remain paused in 26 census metropolitan areas until at least October 9 — four fewer than last quarter.
Starting July 10, the federal government resumes processing low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications in eight regions across Canada, while others — such as Saskatoon and Kamloops — are now off-limits until at least October 9. Between July 10 and October 9, low-wage LMIAs will not be processed in 26 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) with unemployment of 6% or higher, four fewer than the previous quarter. Ottawa processes low-wage LMIAs only where unemployment is below 6%, and updates the list each quarter; the next update is set for October 10. A positive or neutral LMIA is required before a foreign worker can receive a work permit under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
CMAs removed from the freeze on July 10
| CMA | Unemployment: was → now |
|---|---|
| Halifax, Nova Scotia | 6.1 → 5.9 |
| Saint John, New Brunswick | 6.0 → 5.9 |
| Fredericton, New Brunswick | 6.5 → 5.3 |
| Drummondville, Quebec | 7.3 → 5.7 |
| Kingston, Ontario | 6.2 → 5.3 |
| St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario | 7.2 → 5.8 |
| Winnipeg, Manitoba | 6.0 → 5.6 |
| Regina, Saskatchewan | 6.4 → 5.9 |
CMAs added to the freeze on July 10
| CMA | Unemployment: was → now |
|---|---|
| Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 5.5 → 6.5 |
| Red Deer, Alberta | 5.9 → 7.2 |
| Kamloops, British Columbia | 5.2 → 7.0 |
| Chilliwack, British Columbia | 5.7 → 7.9 |
Full list of ineligible CMAs as of July 10
Low-wage LMIAs will not be processed in these CMAs until October 9 at the earliest:
| Census metropolitan area | Unemployment rate (%) |
|---|---|
| St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | 7.3 |
| Moncton, New Brunswick | 8.1 |
| Montréal, Quebec | 6.8 |
| Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec | 6.7 |
| Belleville–Quinte West, Ontario | 6.7 |
| Peterborough, Ontario | 7.0 |
| Oshawa, Ontario | 8.5 |
| Toronto, Ontario | 7.3 |
| Hamilton, Ontario | 6.9 |
| Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario | 8.1 |
| Brantford, Ontario | 6.2 |
| Guelph, Ontario | 7.4 |
| London, Ontario | 7.8 |
| Windsor, Ontario | 7.9 |
| Barrie, Ontario | 7.9 |
| Greater Sudbury, Ontario | 6.2 |
| Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 6.5 |
| Calgary, Alberta | 7.0 |
| Red Deer, Alberta | 7.2 |
| Edmonton, Alberta | 7.2 |
| Kelowna, British Columbia | 7.5 |
| Kamloops, British Columbia | 7.0 |
| Chilliwack, British Columbia | 7.9 |
| Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia | 8.0 |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | 6.7 |
| Nanaimo, British Columbia | 6.5 |
Why processing is paused in some regions
Ottawa tightened access to the low-wage stream in August 2024, halting LMIA processing in CMAs with unemployment of 6% or more to better align the TFWP with regional labour needs and give citizens and permanent residents priority for available jobs. Quarterly unemployment figures then determine where low-wage applications can and cannot be processed. Certain occupations are exempt from the refusal-to-process measure, including: primary agriculture; construction; food manufacturing; hospitals; nursing and residential care facilities; specific in-home caregiver roles; positions supporting permanent residency only (no work permit application); and short-duration positions (120 calendar days or less) meeting specific criteria.
If your job offer is in an affected region
You and your employer should check the unemployment rate for your job's CMA — those at 6% or higher are ineligible for low-wage processing. One option is discussing a wage increase that lifts the role into the high-wage stream, which is not subject to these restrictions. The current hourly thresholds (CAD) for LMIAs received by July 16, and from July 17 onward, are:
| Province/territory | Before July 16 | July 17 onwards |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | $36.00 | $37.50 |
| British Columbia | $36.60 | $38.40 |
| Manitoba | $30.16 | $31.33 |
| New Brunswick | $30.00 | $31.73 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $32.40 | $33.60 |
| Northwest Territories | $48.00 | $48.00 |
| Nova Scotia | $30.00 | $31.96 |
| Nunavut | $42.00 | $45.00 |
| Ontario | $36.00 | $36.92 |
| Prince Edward Island | $30.00 | $31.20 |
| Quebec | $34.62 | $36.00 |
| Saskatchewan | $33.60 | $34.62 |
| Yukon | $44.40 | $45.60 |
Positions below the threshold require low-wage LMIA processing; those at or above it fall under the high-wage stream. Affected applicants may also wait for the October 10 update to see whether their region drops below 6%, or focus their search on eligible CMAs or exempt occupations. Low-wage TFWP workers who cannot extend their permits because of the July 10 update must stop working once their authorization expires; to keep status in Canada, they may apply for a visitor record. A temporary public policy may also help: eligible employers outside CMAs can now hire low-wage TFWP workers for up to 15% of their workforce, rather than the usual 10%.
What This Means for Applicants: The quarterly list can flip a region's eligibility overnight, so both workers and employers should verify the CMA of the specific job location before counting on a low-wage LMIA. Where a region is frozen, the most reliable workarounds are a wage bump into the high-wage stream, an exempt occupation, or a region still under 6% — and workers whose permits can't be extended should plan a status change before their authorization lapses.
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