Starting October 9, 2026, employers cannot get a low-wage LMIA processed in 30 Canadian cities where unemployment is 6% or higher. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) added six cities to its list, including Halifax, Regina and Kingston, and took Kamloops and Chilliwack off. This list stays in force until January 7, 2027.
What is the low-wage LMIA freeze?
The low-wage LMIA freeze is a federal rule. ESDC will not process a Labour Market Impact Assessment for a job that pays below the provincial or territorial wage threshold if the job is in a city region where unemployment is 6% or more. The file comes back unprocessed, however strong it is.
The rule covers applications submitted since September 26, 2024. ESDC updates the city list every three months, using Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey.
The list only looks at the 41 census metropolitan areas, or CMAs. A CMA is a large city region as Statistics Canada draws it. Smaller towns do not trigger the freeze.
Which cities were added to the low-wage LMIA list in October 2026?
Six cities joined the list on October 9, 2026: Halifax, Fredericton, Kingston, St. Catharines-Niagara, Regina and Lethbridge. Each one crossed the 6% unemployment line in ESDC’s new table. Kingston had the biggest jump, from 5.3% to 6.3%, while Lethbridge only just made it at exactly 6.0%.
Here are the six new cities, with the rate for July to October next to the rate for the new period:
- Halifax, Nova Scotia: 5.9% to 6.1%
- Fredericton, New Brunswick: 5.3% to 6.2%
- Kingston, Ontario: 5.3% to 6.3%
- St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario: 5.8% to 6.5%
- Regina, Saskatchewan: 5.9% to 6.7%
- Lethbridge, Alberta: 5.4% to 6.0%
Which cities came off the list?
Kamloops and Chilliwack, both in British Columbia, came off the list for this period. Unemployment fell from 7.0% to 3.6% in Kamloops and from 7.9% to 5.6% in Chilliwack. Employers in those two cities can apply for low-wage jobs again, as long as the rest of the file meets the program rules.
Saint John, Winnipeg, Victoria and Thunder Bay are still under 6%, and so are five Quebec CMAs: Saguenay, Québec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Drummondville.
Where does the low-wage LMIA freeze apply now?
The low-wage LMIA freeze now covers 30 of the 41 CMAs in ESDC’s table, and Ontario has 15 of them if you count Ottawa-Gatineau. Oshawa has the highest rate on the list at 9.8%, then London at 9.1% and Kelowna at 8.6%. Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver are all on it.
The full list for October 9, 2026 to January 7, 2027, by province:
- Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John’s
- Nova Scotia: Halifax
- New Brunswick: Moncton, Fredericton
- Quebec: Montréal
- Ontario: Ottawa-Gatineau, Kingston, Belleville-Quinte West, Peterborough, Oshawa, Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines-Niagara, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Brantford, Guelph, London, Windsor, Barrie, Greater Sudbury
- Saskatchewan: Regina, Saskatoon
- Alberta: Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton
- British Columbia: Kelowna, Abbotsford-Mission, Vancouver, Nanaimo
Which jobs are exempt from the low-wage LMIA freeze?
Some low-wage LMIA files can still be processed in a listed city. ESDC exempts primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities. Some in-home caregiver jobs, LMIAs filed only to support permanent residence, and short jobs of about 120 days or less are exempt too.
The sector exemptions use industry codes. They are NAICS 23 for construction, 311 for food manufacturing, 622 for hospitals and 623 for nursing and residential care.
The caregiver exemption covers in-home jobs in a private household under NOC 31301, 32101, 44100 or 44101. In Quebec CMAs, it only applies when the care is for a person with medical needs, or for a child whose parent cannot give care for medical reasons, and a doctor’s note is needed.
For short jobs, the work must be truly temporary or highly mobile. The employer asks through LMIA Online with a written “Exemption request”, and ESDC looks at requests longer than 120 days only in exceptional cases.
What should employers and workers do now?
Check the work location first, then the wage. If the job is in one of the 30 listed cities and pays below the provincial threshold, ESDC will not process a low-wage LMIA for it before January 8, 2027, unless an exemption fits. A job paid at or above the threshold is outside this measure.
If you are not sure which occupation code fits the job, start with our NOC code finder. The code decides whether the caregiver exemption can apply.
Workers whose permit depends on a renewal in a listed city should plan early. Some people can move to a permit that needs no LMIA at all. Our guide to the C11 work permit for entrepreneurs and self-employed people covers one of those routes.
Employers who still need an LMIA can read how the LMIA process for work permits works step by step. Those hiring for tech roles can also read our guide to the Global Talent Stream for tech hiring.
For help with a specific job offer, see our LMIA work permit services. If you already hold a work permit, you can check your application and its conditions on the IRCC website.
When will the low-wage LMIA list change again?
ESDC will post the next list on January 8, 2027. The current one runs from October 9, 2026 to January 7, 2027. Kamloops went from 7.0% to 3.6% in one update. A city on today’s list could drop off, and one that is off could join.
We tell employers not to build a hiring plan around one quarter’s table. If timing matters, have a second route ready before the list changes.
Planning a hire or a renewal in one of these cities? Book a Strategy Consultation with Amir Ismail, RCIC #R412319, and we will look at the options for your exact location and wage.
