Commencing January 9, the federal government is set to initiate the processing of low-wage labour market impact assessments (LMIAs) in eight additional regions across Canada.
Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Kingston are among the regions where low-wage LMIA processing will resume.
The decision to process low-wage LMIAs in these regions stems from their unemployment rates dropping below 6%. The government exclusively handles low-wage LMIAs in regions where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher.
Foreign nationals cannot apply for or renew work permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) without their employer holding a positive or neutral LMIA.
A job falls under the low-wage stream if the pay is below 120% of the median wage for the region or falls within the range of what the employer pays current employees in the same role and experience level, whichever is higher.
Some occupations are exempt from the freeze, such as those in primary agriculture, construction, and select front-line healthcare roles.
The next update to this list is anticipated on April 10, 2026.
Regions Added to the List as of January 8, 2026
No new regions have been added to the list of Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with an unemployment rate exceeding 6%, although several regions from the previous quarter have witnessed an increase in unemployment rates compared to the last quarter.
Regions Removed from the List as of January 8, 2026
- Halifax, NS: 6.1 → 5.2
- Moncton, NB: 7.3 → 5.5
- Saint John, NB: 7.3 → 5.8
- Fredericton, NB: 6.7 → 5.2
- Montréal, QC: 6.7 → 5.5
- Kingston, ON: 6.6 → 5.6
- Winnipeg, MB: 7.3 → 5.7
- Vancouver, BC: 6.8 → 5.9
Job offers from these regions were previously ineligible for low-wage LMIA processing in the last quarter of 2025 but are now eligible for processing in the first quarter of 2026.
Ineligible CMAs as of January 8
| Number of regions | Census metropolitan area | Unemployment rate (%) for applications submitted from January 9, 2026, to April 9, 2026 |
| 1 | St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador | 7.1 |
| 2 | Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec | 6.8 |
| 3 | Belleville – Quinte West, Ontario | 10.6 |
| 4 | Oshawa, Ontario | 8.0 |