These Canadian Regions Won’t Process Low-Wage LMIAs

If you’re an employer or foreign worker looking to apply for a low-wage LMIA under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), take note:

As of April 4, 2025, the federal government has updated its list of cities (called Census Metropolitan Areas or CMAs) where low-wage LMIA applications will not be processed due to high unemployment rates.

Why is this happening?

Since August 2024, Canada has paused low-wage LMIA processing in cities with unemployment rates of 6% or more. This is updated every 3 months.

CMAs Where Low-Wage LMIAs Are Not Being Accepted (April–July 2025):

Census metropolitan area (CMA) Unemployment rate
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 7.6%
Saint John, New Brunswick 7.7%
Fredericton, New Brunswick 6.9%
Drummondville, Quebec 8.0%
Montréal, Quebec 6.7%
Kingston, Ontario 7.2%
Peterborough, Ontario 9.9%
Oshawa, Ontario 8.0%
Toronto, Ontario 8.6%
Hamilton, Ontario 7.3%
St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario 7.7%
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario 8.5%
Brantford, Ontario 7.2%
Guelph, Ontario 6.2%
Windsor, Ontario 9.3%
Barrie, Ontario 7.5%
Calgary, Alberta 7.8%
Red Deer, Alberta 8.4%
Edmonton, Alberta 7.3%
Kelowna, British Columbia 6.7%
Kamloops, British Columbia 7.1%
Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia 6.2%
Vancouver, British Columbia 6.6%
Nanaimo, British Columbia 6.0%

This list is valid until July 10, 2025.

What is a CMA?

A Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) is a large urban area with 100,000+ people, based on census data.

CMAs Removed from the Ineligible List This Quarter:

These areas are now eligible for low-wage LMIA applications again:

    • Regina, SK – now at 5.9%

    • London, ON – now at 5.5%

Not Sure if Your Job Is in a CMA?

  • Use your postal code in the Census of Population search.
  • If it says Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) and it’s on the ineligible list, LMIAs won’t be processed.
  • If it says Census Agglomeration or nothing at all, your application may still be eligible.

What Can Employers or Workers Do?

Employers:

Consider offering a higher wage to apply under the high-wage LMIA stream.

Workers:

  • Ask if your employer can wait until the next list update.
  • Focus your job search in areas where LMIAs are still being processed.
  • If your work permit expires and can’t be renewed, consider applying for a visitor record.

Read more about LMIA HERE

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Name