Those who hire temporary foreign workers should be aware of the latest updates to the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) processing rules under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

As of April 4, 2025, the federal government has released a new table of unemployment rates by Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). These rates determine whether LMIA applications for low-wage positions will be processed under the current refusal-to-process policy.

Refusal to process: Key conditions still in effect

Since Sept. 26, 2024, and until further notice, LMIA applications are not processed if all the conditions below are met:

• The wage offered for the position(s) requested is below the provincial or territorial wage threshold (low-wage positions); and
• The work location is in a CMA; and
• The unemployment rate of the CMA where the work is located is 6% or higher, at the time the LMIA application is submitted.

As usual, the table is updated automatically on a quarterly basis and in accordance with Statistics Canada's publication dates. Upcoming updates will take place in July, October and January.
 
Six CMAs have been added to the table, following Statistics Canada’s major revisions on Jan. 24, 2025, to reflect changes in the demographics of the Canadian population:

• Fredericton (New Brunswick);
• Drummondville (Québec);
• Red Deer (Alberta);
• Kamloops (British Columbia);
• Chilliwack (British Columbia);
• Nanaimo (British Columbia).

While no new Ontario CMAs were added in this update, employers near provincial borders or with operations outside Ontario are encouraged to review the revised table.

As a reminder, certain low-wage positions are exempt from this refusal to process measure. More information can be found on the TFW Program website under Refusal to process a Labour Market Impact Assessment application.
 
If you have any questions about the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

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