Regions in Canada Where Low-Wage LMIAs Will Not Be Processed as of January 2025

As of January 2025, the federal government has updated the rules for Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The government will no longer process LMIAs for regions with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. This change affects specific Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), and the list of ineligible regions will update every three months, with the next update scheduled for April 4, 2025.

Affected Regions

As of January 10, 2025, the following 15 CMAs have an unemployment rate of 6% or higher, making them ineligible for low-wage stream LMIAs:

• St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador: 6%
• Saint John, New Brunswick: 6.1%
• Montréal, Quebec: 6.2%
• Oshawa, Ontario: 7.5%
• Toronto, Ontario: 7.9%
• Hamilton, Ontario: 6.3%
• St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario: 6.2%
• Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario: 7.3%
• Guelph, Ontario: 6.2%
• London, Ontario: 6.4%
• Windsor, Ontario: 8.8%
• Barrie, Ontario: 6%
• Regina, Saskatchewan: 6.1%
• Calgary, Alberta: 7.5%
• Edmonton, Alberta: 6.8%

The government will update this list every three months, with the next update scheduled for April 4, 2025.

How to Check if Your Job Is Affected

To determine whether your job falls within one of these CMAs, you can enter the full postal code of the work location on the Census of Population website. Under the Geography search results page, look for “Census Metropolitan Area/Census Agglomeration” to see if your location is listed.

Understanding the Low-Wage Stream of the TFWP

The TFWP allows employers to hire foreign workers to fill labor shortages in Canada. The stream under which an employer applies for an LMIA depends on the wage offered:

• High-Wage Stream: For positions with a wage at or above the provincial or territorial wage threshold.
• Low-Wage Stream: For positions with wages below the threshold.

If a position’s wage is at or above the high-wage stream threshold, employers can apply under that stream. If the wage is below the threshold, the employer must apply under the low-wage stream.

As of November 8, 2024, the high-wage stream wage threshold is 20% higher than the median wage for the province or territory, or at least equal to what other workers with the same role and experience earn at the same employer.

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What Can Employers and Employees Do?

1. For Employers: If the position is in a CMA with an unemployment rate above 6%, employers can try increasing the wage to meet the high-wage stream threshold. This would make the position eligible for an LMIA under the high-wage stream.
2. For Employees: If the job is in an affected CMA, employees may ask their employer to wait for the next quarterly update of the unemployment rates to see if the area will become eligible again. Alternatively, job seekers can focus on opportunities in regions where LMIAs are still being processed.
3. For Workers on Expiring Low-Wage TFWP Permits: If a foreign worker’s current low-wage TFWP permit cannot be extended due to these new restrictions, they must stop working. However, they can apply for a visitor record if they wish to remain in Canada temporarily.

CMAs Previously Affected but No Longer on the List

The government has removed some regions from the list of CMAs with an unemployment rate over 6% between October 11 and January 9, including:

• Trois-Rivières, Quebec: 5.2%
• Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec: 5.4%
• Kingston, Ontario: 5.7%
• Brantford, Ontario: 4.2%
• Winnipeg, Manitoba: 5.6%
• Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia: 5.4%
• Vancouver, British Columbia: 5.9%

What Is a CMA?

A Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is a region formed by one or more adjacent municipalities around a core population center. To qualify as a CMA, the area must have a population of at least 100,000, with at least 50,000 people living in the core. The government designates CMAs based on economic and social integration, including commuting patterns. Once an area receives CMA status, it retains that designation even if its population falls below the threshold.

Would you like to explore any specific CMAs or need more information on how to check the wage threshold for a particular province?

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