The federal government has released the latest quarterly list of Canadian regions where low-wage LMIA applications are not processed due to high unemployment rates. Check the affected areas from April 4 to July 10, 2025.
Canada’s Updated List of CMAs Affected by Low-Wage LMIA Restrictions
As of April 4, 2025, the Canadian federal government has issued an updated list of Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) where low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) will not be processed. This decision, part of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), aims to restrict low-wage employment applications in regions with higher unemployment rates.
The update comes as part of a broader government policy, announced in August 2024, that discontinues low-wage LMIA processing for CMAs with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. This initiative will be in effect until July 10, 2025. Without an LMIA, employers in these regions cannot hire foreign workers under the low-wage stream of the TFWP, nor can existing foreign workers in these areas renew their work permits.
Which CMAs are Affected?
The federal government has identified 24 CMAs with unemployment rates of 6% or above, where low-wage LMIA applications will not be processed in the upcoming quarter. The affected regions are:
| 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% |
Changes in CMAs Affected by Low-Wage LMIA Restrictions
Several CMAs that previously had unemployment rates above 6% have now been removed from the list. These CMAs, which were restricted in the first quarter of 2025, will now accept low-wage LMIA applications for the second quarter.
- Regina, Saskatchewan (5.9%)
- London, Ontario (5.5%)
How Employers and Workers Can Navigate the Restrictions
Employers seeking to hire foreign workers in CMAs with unemployment rates above 6% can consider increasing the wage offered to the position. This could potentially shift the job offer to the high-wage stream of the TFWP, which remains unaffected by these restrictions.
Foreign workers whose work permits are tied to a low-wage LMIA in these areas may experience disruptions if their permits cannot be extended. In such cases, they must stop working and may apply for a visitor record to remain in Canada as a visitor if desired.
How to Verify if a Location is in a Restricted CMA
To determine if a job position falls under a restricted CMA, employers and foreign workers can search using the full postal code of the work location. If the result shows the area as a Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), it is subject to the low-wage LMIA restrictions. If it is listed as a Census Agglomeration, it remains eligible for low-wage LMIA processing.
Quick Recap:
- The Canadian government has updated its list of CMAs where low-wage LMIAs won’t be processed.
- 24 CMAs, including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary, are impacted by the new restrictions.
- The decision is based on an unemployment rate of 6% or higher in these regions.
- Regina, Saskatchewan, and London, Ontario, were removed from the restricted list due to improved unemployment rates.
- Employers can still proceed by offering higher wages to qualify for the high-wage TFWP stream.
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