Employers and foreign nationals in Montreal and Laval regions face continued restrictions on applying for or renewing work permits under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

The province of Quebec has extended the moratorium on low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) until December 31, 2026. A positive or neutral LMIA is necessary for TFWP work permit applications.

This suspension affects LMIA applications for all sub-threshold jobs in Montreal and Laval, where the minimum wage is $34.62/hour. Certain sectors and workers are exempt from this freeze.

The freeze also includes LMIA applications under Quebec’s facilitated process and for renewing work permits of foreign workers in Montreal and Laval.

The moratorium was initially implemented in August 2024 and was set to last until November 30, 2025.

Impacted Regions

The affected administrative regions include municipalities like Baie-D’Urfé, Beaconsfield, Côte-Saint-Luc, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Dorval, Hampstead, Kirkland, Laval, Dorval Island, Montreal, East Montreal, Montreal West, Mount Royal, Pointe-Claire, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Senneville, and Westmount.

Exemptions

General exemptions apply to jobs outside Montreal and Laval, jobs meeting or exceeding the federal high-wage threshold, TSS requests linked to approved LMIAs, and LMIA applications submitted before September 3, 2024. Certain professions in industries like Agriculture, Construction, Food Processing, Education, Health and Social Services, and Home Healthcare Providers are also exempt from the freeze.