07/14/2025
The government has updated the list of regions in which foreign nationals and employers CANNOT obtain or extend work permits under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
In total, 26 CMAs have been listed. This is an increase from the previous quarter of the year (April 4 to July 10) when 24 regions were listed.
Low-wage LMIA applications in these regions will not be processed by ESDC, until the next update, expected on October 10, 2025.
This list is relevant for anyone applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under the low wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFWP).
That’s because in 2024, the federal government announced that it would no longer process low-wage LMIAs in CMAs that have an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.
Since then, ESDC has been publishing a list of CMAS with unemployment rates of 6% or higher that gets updated every three months.
Employers cannot hire a foreign worker under the TFWP, and a TFWP worker cannot renew their work permit without an LMIA.
What CMAs were on the list in the past?
These CMAs had unemployment rates of 6% or higher between April 4 and July 10, but are no longer on the list as of July 11. This means these regions will begin processing low-wage LMIAs in the third quarter of 2025 again:
Drummondville.
Guelph.
Kelowna.
Red Deer.
For more details of this latest update visit:
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/refusal.html