Employers hiring through the low-wage arm of Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program can now keep those workers for up to 24 months, after Ottawa doubled the ceiling on Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) from 12 months. The change took effect November 6, 2026, and applies to applications filed on or after that date, according to Employment and Social Development Canada.

What changed on November 6?

An LMIA is the federal approval a business needs before it can bring in a foreign employee; it confirms that no local worker was available for the role. The approval's length also sets the longest work permit immigration officials can issue.

A job counts as low-wage when it pays below 120 per cent of the hourly median wage in its province or territory. As of the reporting, that threshold stood at $36.92 in Ontario and $38.40 in British Columbia.

Ottawa also added early childhood educators to the occupations shielded from a freeze on low-wage processing in metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6 per cent or higher. Health care, construction and food processing were already exempt.

What is still proposed?

A second package is slated for March 1, 2027, but only if provinces and territories sign on. It would:

  • Let regional governments add or remove occupations from the 6 per cent exemption list.
  • Allow employers in selected communities to raise their low-wage foreign share from 10 to 15 per cent.
  • Tie access in large cities with low unemployment to occupation lists.

What should workers and employers watch?

The freeze still covers 30 metropolitan areas, including Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax. That list is refreshed quarterly, with the next update set for January 8, 2027. Immigration Minister Lena Diab said her department will work more closely with the provinces on regional thresholds.

FAQ

Do the two-year permits apply to everyone?

No. The longer duration covers only low-wage stream applications submitted from November 6, 2026 onward, and a worker extending a permit still needs a fresh LMIA.

When do the regional rules start?

They are proposed for March 1, 2027, and take effect only in provinces and territories that choose to participate.