Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has updated the wage thresholds used to determine eligibility under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). These revised thresholds affect both foreign nationals and Canadian employers seeking to hire them. The wage offered to a foreign national now plays a key role in deciding whether an employer must apply under the high-wage or low-wage stream of the TFWP. If the wage being offered is equal to or above the provincial or territorial wage threshold, the employer must submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application under the high-wage stream. Conversely, if the wage falls below the applicable threshold, the employer must apply through the low-wage stream. These changes impact how employers plan their recruitment and LMIA application strategy based on regional wage benchmarks.


In addition to raising wage thresholds, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has introduced stricter restrictions on low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), based on the composition of a work location’s labour force. Specifically, ESDC will not process low-wage LMIA applications if such positions exceed 10% of the total workforce at a given worksite. However, certain sectors are permitted a higher threshold. In industries such as construction (NAICS 23), food manufacturing (NAICS 311), hospitals (NAICS 622), and nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623), the cap is set at 20%. If the number of low-wage positions surpasses this limit, LMIA applications will not be accepted. Additionally, restrictions may soon extend to specific in-home caregiver roles, including registered nurses (NOC 31301), licensed practical nurses (NOC 32101), home childcare providers (NOC 44100), and attendants or support workers for persons with disabilities (NOC 44101). ESDC and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) are currently assessing the impact of potentially including these roles in future regulatory measures.


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