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).
Which CMAs are ineligible as of July 11?
| Census metropolitan area (CMA) | Unemployment rate |
| St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador | 7.2 |
| Halifax, Nova Scotia | 6.2 |
| Moncton, New Brunswick | 6.4 |
| Saint John, New Brunswick | 7.4 |
| Fredericton, New Brunswick | 6.2 |
| Montréal, Quebec | 6.9 |
| Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec | 6.4 |
| Kingston, Ontario | 7.2 |
| Belleville – Quinte West, Ontario | 7.1 |
| Peterborough, Ontario | 9.9 |
| Oshawa, Ontario | 9.2 |
| Toronto, Ontario | 8.9 |
| Hamilton, Ontario | 6.6 |
| St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario | 6.4 |
| Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario | 6.9 |
| Brantford, Ontario | 6.8 |
| London, Ontario | 6.9 |
| Windsor, Ontario | 11 |
| Barrie, Ontario | 7.3 |
| Calgary, Alberta | 7.3 |
| Edmonton, Alberta | 7.6 |
| Kamloops, British Columbia | 8.7 |
| Chilliwack, British Columbia | 6.3 |
| Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia | 6.1 |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | 6.3 |
| Nanaimo, British Columbia | 7.3 |
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:
- Drummondville.
- Guelph.
- Kelowna.
- Red Deer.
This means these regions will begin processing low-wage LMIAs in the third quarter of 2025 again.
How to determine if a job falls under the low-wage stream?
Whether a foreign national is eligible for the high-wage or low-wage stream of the TFWP depends on whether their salary is above or lower than the wage threshold in that province or territory.
On July 27, ESDC increased the wage thresholds for those applying under the TFWP. You can find the new wage thresholds, according to province, here.
If a foreign worker’s wage is lower than the wage threshold in the province where their employment is based, then their employer must apply under the low wage stream of the TFWP. If it is higher, then their employer must apply under the high wage stream.
How do I know if I will be impacted?
You may be impacted if your job (or job offer) falls under the low-wage stream and is also located in one of the affected Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs).
To find out if your location is affected:
- Enter the complete postal code of your work location on the Census of Population website.
- On the Geography search results page, look for the section labeled “Census metropolitan area / Census agglomeration.”
- The page will display the name of the CMA your job is located in.
- Check if that CMA is included in the list of affected areas listed above.
Employers and foreign nationals should check the unemployment rate of the CMA where the job position is located before submitting an LMIA application to help them find out if the application will be processed.
What can I do if I am impacted?
If you have a low-wage job offer from one of the CMAs mentioned above, there are still have some options. You can
- Check if your employer is willing to increase the wage of the position so that it falls under the high wage stream;
- Ask your employer if they are willing to wait three months and see if there is a change to the CMA unemployment rates;
- Focus your job hunt on CMAs where low-wage LMIAs are still being processed; or
- Focus your job hunt on an occupation that is exempt from this measure. This includes specific occupations in primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and in-home care.
Those on a low-wage TFWP work permit who lose status because their permit cannot be extended must stop working.
If a worker applied to extend or change their work permit before it expired, they can stay in Canada and keep working under the same conditions until IRCC makes a decision. This is called maintained status.
Workers on TFWP closed work permit who lose their job can benefit from a Covid-19 era temporary public policy. Under this policy, a foreign worker on closed work permit can obtain authorization from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to begin working for a new employer and/or in a new occupation prior to obtaining a new work permit.
Foreign workers who lose status can apply for a visitor record to remain in Canada as a visitor.
