Maple News reports that, effective April 10, the federal government will suspend processing low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) in nine Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) across Canada, including Vancouver (British Columbia), Winnipeg (Manitoba), and Halifax (Nova Scotia). LMIAs are required for issuing work permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
In contrast, other CMAs such as Lethbridge (Alberta) and Kamloops (British Columbia) will remain eligible for LMIA processing until the list is refreshed again. Overall, the quarter’s update covers 30 CMAs under the low-wage LMIA processing freeze, up from 24 regions in the previous quarter.
From April 10 to July 9, low-wage LMIAs for the TFWP from the following regions will be processed again only after the freeze period ends: Lethbridge, Red Deer, Kamloops, and Chilliwack. These areas are listed as being removed from the processing freeze for this window.
Conversely, the freeze now includes Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton (New Brunswick), Drummondville (Quebec), Montréal, Kingston (Ontario), Peterborough (Ontario), Vancouver (British Columbia), and Winnipeg (Manitoba). During April 10 to July 9, LMIA applications for low-wage positions in these regions will not be processed.
Note that Montreal’s situation remains nuanced. Although it was removed from the freeze in the last quarter, LMIAs in Montreal did not proceed due to a Quebec-wide moratorium on low-wage LMIA processing in the administrative regions of Montreal and Laval through December 31, 2026.
The next quarterly update is expected on July 10, at which time the government will publish the new list of CMAs and any changes to the LMIA processing status. Industry observers say these regional adjustments can affect employer hiring timelines, project planning, and recruitment strategies for foreign workers.