ESDC's list of cities where low-wage LMIA applications are refused processing now includes Halifax, Fredericton, Kingston, Regina and more.
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) updated its "refusal to process" list on October 9, 2026. For the period October 9, 2026 to January 7, 2027, six more census metropolitan areas (CMAs) have an unemployment rate of 6% or higher: Halifax, Fredericton, Kingston, St. Catharines-Niagara, Regina and Lethbridge. In those cities, ESDC will not process a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application for a low-wage position. This is an existing rule applied to a list that is updated each quarter; it is not a new policy announcement.
What changed
The rule has applied since September 26, 2024: an LMIA application will not be processed if the offered wage is below the provincial or territorial wage threshold and the work location is in a CMA with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher at the time of submission. The October 9 update changes which CMAs meet that test. ESDC's own tables show these six moving from below 6% in the July 10 to October 8, 2026 period to 6% or above:
- Halifax: 5.9% to 6.1%
- Fredericton: 5.3% to 6.2%
- Kingston: 5.3% to 6.3%
- St. Catharines-Niagara: 5.8% to 6.5%
- Regina: 5.9% to 6.7%
- Lethbridge: 5.4% to 6.0%
Which other cities are on the list?
Per ESDC's page, these CMAs were also at or above 6% for the October 9 to January 7 period: St. John's, Moncton, Montréal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Belleville-Quinte West, Peterborough, Oshawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Brantford, Guelph, London, Windsor, Greater Sudbury, Saskatoon, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Kelowna, Abbotsford-Mission, Vancouver and Nanaimo. Winnipeg is shown at 5.9%, below the threshold. Always check the current table on the ESDC page for the exact work location and submission date.
Who is affected
Employers in the listed CMAs who want to hire a temporary foreign worker in a position paid below the provincial or territorial wage threshold, and the workers those employers planned to hire. Applications are assessed against the unemployment rate in effect when the LMIA is submitted.
Who is not affected
ESDC exempts primary agriculture occupations, construction (NAICS 23), food manufacturing (NAICS 311), hospitals (NAICS 622), nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623), and specific in-home caregiver positions in private households. The measure concerns low-wage positions only.
This update does not cancel work permits already issued, and it does not by itself decide whether a particular LMIA or work permit application will be approved. Each case depends on the employer's circumstances, the wage offered and the work location.
What to do next
Employers should confirm the CMA of the work location using the full postal code on the Statistics Canada tool linked from ESDC's page, then check the unemployment rate for the submission date. Workers whose employer-specific permit depends on a low-wage LMIA should talk to their employer early about timing, and may want to look at other routes, such as Canada's permanent residence pathways, or check their points with the CRS calculator. For background on earlier changes, see our August 2026 LMIA rule changes article.
Rates and lists are updated quarterly and can change. This article is general information, not legal advice, and no outcome is guaranteed. Source: ESDC, Refusal to process a Labour Market Impact Assessment application, page last modified October 9, 2026 (canada.ca).
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