The government has revised the list of regions where employers and foreign nationals are no longer eligible to apply for or renew work permits under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
Updated List of CMAs Ineligible for Low-Wage TFWP 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 |
As of the latest update, 26 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) are now ineligible for low-wage LMIA processing—up from 24 in the previous quarter (April 4 to July 10).
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) will not process low-wage LMIA applications in these regions until the next list is released, expected on October 10, 2025.
This update is important for anyone applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
The federal government introduced this measure in 2024, announcing that it would no longer process low-wage LMIA applications in CMAs with unemployment rates at or above 6%.
Since then, ESDC has been publishing a quarterly list of affected CMAs. Employers in these regions cannot hire foreign workers under the low-wage TFWP stream, and foreign workers already in Canada cannot renew their work permits without a valid LMIA.
CMAs on the Low-Wage LMIA List in Previous Quarters
The following CMAs had unemployment rates of 6% or higher between April 4 and July 10, but have since been removed from the list as of July 11:
- Drummondville
- Guelph
- Kelowna
- Red Deer
As a result, low-wage LMIA applications in these regions will once again be processed during the third quarter of 2025.
Criteria for Classifying Jobs Under the Low-Wage Stream of the TFWP
A foreign national’s eligibility under the high-wage or low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is based on how their offered wage compares to the provincial or territorial wage threshold.
As of July 27, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has updated these wage thresholds. You can view the latest rates by province [here].
If the offered wage is below the threshold for the region, the employer must apply under the low-wage stream. If it is at or above the threshold, the application must be made under the high-wage stream.
Find Out If You’re Affected
You may be affected if your job—or job offer—is in the low-wage stream and located within one of the impacted Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs).
To check if your location is affected:
- Go to the Census of Population website and enter the full postal code of your job location.
- In the Geography search results, find the section labeled “Census metropolitan area / Census agglomeration.”
- Identify the CMA your job is located in.
- Compare it with the list of affected CMAs provided above.
Tip for employers and foreign workers:
Always check the unemployment rate in your CMA before submitting a low-wage LMIA application. If the rate is 6% or higher, the application may not be processed.
Next Steps If You’re Impacted
If you’ve received a low-wage job offer in one of the CMAs currently ineligible for LMIA processing, you still have a few options:
- Ask your employer if they can increase the wage so that the job qualifies under the high-wage stream instead.
- See if your employer is willing to wait until the next quarterly update (expected in three months) to check if your CMA is removed from the restricted list.
- Focus your job search on CMAs where low-wage LMIAs are still being processed.
- Look for jobs in exempt occupations that are not subject to this restriction. These include roles in:
- Primary agriculture
- Construction
- Food manufacturing
- Hospitals
- Nursing and residential care facilities
- In-home caregiving
- Primary agriculture
If you’re already in Canada on a low-wage TFWP work permit and your permit cannot be extended due to these changes:
- You must stop working once your permit expires and you no longer have status.
- However, if you applied to extend or change your work permit before it expired, you benefit from maintained status—you can remain in Canada and continue working under the same conditions while awaiting a decision from IRCC.
Additionally, a temporary public policy introduced during COVID-19 is still in effect.
If you’re on a closed work permit under the TFWP and have lost your job, you may be eligible to receive authorization from IRCC to start working for a new employer or in a new occupation before receiving a new work permit.
