LMIA Rules in 2026: Wage Thresholds, Caps and Paused Cities

ESDC compares the offered wage with the hourly wage threshold for the province, which is the provincial median hourly wage plus 20 percent. At or above it, the LMIA goes in the high-wage stream; below it, the low-wage stream. For LMIAs received from July 17, 2026 the thresholds are $37.50 in Alberta, $38.40 in British Columbia, $31.33 in Manitoba, $31.73 in New Brunswick, $33.60 in Newfoundland and Labrador, $31.96 in Nova Scotia, $36.92 in Ontario, $31.20 in Prince Edward Island, $36.00 in Quebec and $34.62 in Saskatchewan. The territories are $48.00 in the Northwest Territories, $45.00 in Nunavut and $45.60 in Yukon.

ESDC warns that raising a wage just to reach the high-wage stream is not enough. The wage must match what Canadians in the same job and place are paid, and adjusting it to fit a stream can lead to a negative LMIA.

ESDC does not process low-wage LMIAs for work locations in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. For applications submitted from October 9, 2026 to January 7, 2027 that is 30 areas: St. John's, Halifax, Moncton, Fredericton, Montréal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Kingston, Belleville-Quinte West, Peterborough, Oshawa, Toronto, Hamilton, St. Catharines-Niagara, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Brantford, Guelph, London, Windsor, Barrie, Greater Sudbury, Regina, Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Kelowna, Abbotsford-Mission, Vancouver and Nanaimo.

Still open in this period are Saint John, Saguenay, Québec, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Drummondville, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Kamloops, Chilliwack and Victoria, and anywhere outside a census metropolitan area. ESDC checks the work location's full postal code and updates the table every three months; the next update is January 8, 2027.

Some positions are exempt: primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, certain in-home caregiver positions, positions supporting permanent residence only with no work permit, and some truly temporary or highly mobile jobs of about 120 days or less.

Low-wage temporary foreign workers are capped at 10% of the workforce at a work location, or 20% in construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities and certain in-home caregiver positions. Applications above the cap are not processed.

From April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, employers outside census metropolitan areas in participating provinces and territories may keep their current share above the cap, and in some provinces use a 15% cap instead of 10%. Each province chose its own measures and start date; British Columbia uses only the first, from May 4, 2026, and Alberta is not taking part.

Before applying, the employer must advertise on Job Bank and use at least two other recruitment methods within the three months before filing. The advertising must run for at least 4 consecutive weeks for a high-wage job and at least 8 consecutive weeks for a low-wage job, and one of the three activities must continue until the LMIA decision. Low-wage recruitment must also reach youth aged 15 to 30.

The processing fee is $1,000 for each position. High-wage positions need a transition plan to recruit, retain and train Canadians and permanent residents. ESDC updates Job Bank wages each fall, this year on November 18, 2026, so check the prevailing wage again before filing.

LMIA processing time in BC covers how the rules apply in B.C. and where to check ESDC's processing times. Workers whose LMIA job leads to permanent residence should also read valid job offers for Express Entry, since CRS points for a job offer now depend on the occupation.

The wage against the threshold and the prevailing wage, whether the work location is in a closed city this quarter, the cap at that location, the advertising record and dates, and whether an LMIA-exempt route would fit the employer and the worker better.