Low wage LMIA processing resumes in 8 Canadian metro areas through April 9 as unemployment table

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published January 29, 2026

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Canada’s federal government has reopened processing for low wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications in eight census metropolitan areas after updated official labour market data showed local unemployment rates falling below 6%, the threshold that triggers a refusal to process low wage applications under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program when joblessness is 6% or higher at the time of submission.

The updated unemployment table applies to LMIA applications submitted from January 9, 2026 to April 9, 2026, with the next update scheduled for April 10, 2026. Under the current period, the CMAs now below 6% include Vancouver (5.9%), Winnipeg (5.7%), Kingston (5.6%), Halifax (5.2%), Moncton (5.5%), Saint John, N.B. (5.8%), Fredericton (5.2%), and Montréal (5.5%).

Labour market observers and HR practitioners say the change matters for employers in sectors that struggle to staff frontline roles, because an application that would have been refused outright in a 6% or higher CMA can now be accepted for processing in these markets during the current quarter, while the rule remains data driven and can tighten again if unemployment rises at the next update.

Federal guidance also stresses that resumed processing does not mean automatic approval, since employers must still meet program requirements, including caps on the share of low wage positions at a work location and other eligibility rules and exemptions.

In Quebec, Ottawa notes an additional measure remains in force until December 31, 2026: certain low wage LMIA applications with work locations in the economic regions of Montréal (island of Montréal) or Laval and wages below the Quebec wage threshold will not be processed, and no processing fee will be charged in those cases.