Low-Wage LMIAs Refused in 26 Canadian Cities Under July 10 Update

Since September 26, 2024, Service Canada has refused to process low-wage LMIA applications for jobs located in a CMA where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher. The list is refreshed every three months using Statistics Canada data.

The July 10, 2026 update applies to applications submitted from July 10 to October 8, 2026. In this period, 26 CMAs are at or above 6%:

• Ontario: Oshawa (8.5%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (8.1%), Windsor (7.9%), Barrie (7.9%), London (7.8%), Guelph (7.4%), Toronto (7.3%), Peterborough (7.0%), Hamilton (6.9%), Belleville-Quinte West (6.7%), Brantford (6.2%), Greater Sudbury (6.2%)
• Ontario and Quebec: Ottawa-Gatineau (6.7%)
• Quebec: Montréal (6.8%)
• British Columbia: Abbotsford-Mission (8.0%), Chilliwack (7.9%), Kelowna (7.5%), Kamloops (7.0%), Vancouver (6.7%), Nanaimo (6.5%)
• Alberta: Red Deer (7.2%), Edmonton (7.2%), Calgary (7.0%)
• Saskatchewan: Saskatoon (6.5%)
• New Brunswick: Moncton (8.1%)
• Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's (7.3%)

The previous list, effective April 10, 2026, had 30 CMAs at or above the threshold.

• Employers in these CMAs who want to hire a foreign worker at a wage below the provincial or territorial wage threshold (the median wage plus 20%). Most of these LMIA applications will be returned unprocessed.
• Foreign workers on low-wage work permits in these cities whose employer needs a new LMIA to extend their permit.

The rule does not apply to:

• High-wage LMIAs (at or above the median wage plus 20%).
• Jobs outside any CMA.
• Primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities.
• Some in-home caregiver positions.
• Truly temporary jobs of 120 calendar days or less.
• LMIAs used only to support a permanent residence application.

1. Employers: confirm the work location's CMA and the current wage threshold before filing. The threshold is the provincial or territorial median wage plus 20%, updated on July 17, 2026 (for example, $36.92 an hour in Ontario). If the wage can be raised to the threshold, the job moves to the high-wage stream. See LMIA for employers.
2. Workers: if your permit expires soon and you are in a listed city, talk to your employer early about timing and options. See extending your status.
3. Watch October 9, 2026. Cities can be added or removed at each quarterly update.
4. Look at routes that do not need a low-wage LMIA, such as the Rural Community Immigration Pilot or the Atlantic Immigration Program.

Our low-wage LMIA refusal areas page has the full list and exemptions.