Low-Wage LMIA Pause by City: October 2026 Update and What It Means in B.C.

Updated October 13, 2026

If you are an employer hoping to hire a temporary foreign worker, or a worker with a job offer in Canada, where the job is located can now decide whether a low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application is processed at all.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) refuses to process low-wage LMIA applications for jobs in large cities, called census metropolitan areas (CMAs), where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher. The list is updated every three months. Here is what changed in the latest update, and what it means in British Columbia.

What changed on October 9, 2026

• 30 of 41 CMAs are now restricted, up from 26 last quarter.
• Newly restricted: Halifax, Fredericton, Kingston, St. Catharines-Niagara, Regina and Lethbridge.
• No longer restricted: Kamloops and Chilliwack, both in British Columbia.
• This list applies from October 9, 2026 to January 7, 2027. The next update is expected on January 8, 2027.

When does the rule apply?

A low-wage LMIA application is refused under this rule only when all three of these are true:

1. The wage offered is below the provincial or territorial wage threshold (a low-wage position).
2. The job is located in a census metropolitan area.
3. That area’s unemployment rate is 6% or higher.

In British Columbia, the wage threshold is $38.40 an hour for LMIA applications received on or after July 17, 2026. The threshold is the provincial median hourly wage plus 20%. Jobs paying at or above it fall under the high-wage stream, which this rule does not affect.

British Columbia at a glance

Victoria is just under the 6% limit, so its status could change at the next update.

Where low-wage LMIAs are still processed

Only 11 CMAs across Canada are below the 6% limit this quarter: Saint John (N.B.), Saguenay, Québec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Drummondville, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Kamloops, Chilliwack and Victoria. Jobs located outside a CMA, such as in smaller towns and rural areas, are not affected by this rule.

Exceptions

Even in a restricted CMA, ESDC still processes low-wage LMIA applications for:

• primary agriculture occupations;
• positions in construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities;
• certain in-home caregiver positions in a private household;
• positions supporting permanent residence only, with no work permit application; and
• short positions, generally 120 days or less, that are truly temporary or highly mobile (an exemption request must be included).

What this means for you

For employers

• For most low-wage jobs in Metro Vancouver, Abbotsford-Mission, Kelowna and Nanaimo, an LMIA application will not be processed until the area’s rate drops below 6%.
• Check whether your position fits one of the exceptions above, or whether the work location is outside a restricted CMA.
• The wage must reflect what you pay Canadians in the same job. ESDC warns that adjusting a wage just to fit a different stream can lead to a negative LMIA decision.

For workers

• If your job offer depends on a low-wage LMIA in a restricted city, your employer may not be able to apply right now.
• If you are already in Canada, plan ahead before your current permit expires. Other options, such as an open work permit, an LMIA-exempt work permit or a provincial nominee program, may be available depending on your situation.

Important to know

These rules change every three months, and other LMIA requirements still apply. Always check the current list on ESDC’s Refusal to process an LMIA application page before you apply.

Not sure how this affects your hiring plans or your work permit? Book a consultation, and we’ll review your situation and explain the options that may fit.

Sources: ESDC: Refusal to process a Labour Market Impact Assessment application; ESDC: Hiring a temporary foreign worker in a high-wage or low-wage position. Figures as of October 9, 2026.