Employer-specific work permit? IRCC updated its officer instructions for checking that a job offer is genuine on 17 September 2026, LMIA or not.
Check your offerEmployer services · LMIA · 2026
LMIA: the wage decides everything else.
One number — the hourly wage you offer — sets your stream, your advertising period, your worksite cap, and whether your application can be processed at all. Check it before you spend $1,000 a position.
Below8 weeks of advertising, a worksite cap, no processing in a CMA at 6%+
At or above4 weeks of advertising, a transition plan, no cap
- Consecutive weeks of advertising for low-wage, up from 4 before April 2026
- 8weeks
- CMA unemployment at or above this and low-wage LMIAs are not processed
- 6%
- Tracked census metropolitan areas currently over the line
- 30of41
- Government fee per position — never recoverable from the worker
- $1,000
Stream checker
Which rulebook applies to your position?
The same job can be a straightforward high-wage file in one province and an unprocessable low-wage file in another. Work it out before recruitment starts, because the advertising period you need depends on the answer. A planning estimate, not a decision — an officer decides each case.
The recruitment clock
The clock starts before you file.
Every bar comes from the rules on this page. Advertising has to run its full length first; ESDC publishes no fixed decision time, so that bar has no end.
- Advertise the job8 consecutive weeks, on the mandatory platforms4 consecutive weeks, within the three months before you file
- Youth-targeted recruitmentDocumented as you go, not reconstructed afterwardsTransition planGenerally required, with measurable commitments
- File and pay ESDC$1,000 per position, never recoverable from the worker
- ESDC assessmentNo fixed time stated. In a CMA at 6% or above, not processed unless exemptNo fixed time stated. The CMA refusal-to-process measure does not apply
- The worker’s work permitA separate application. Maximum duration currently one yearA separate application. Longer maximum than low-wage
- ComplianceWage, duties, hours and location inspectable for six years
Weeks before filing are to scale. After filing, bars show order, not length — no processing time is promised here.
The thresholds
Every province and territory. In effect July 17, 2026.
Set at the provincial or territorial median hourly wage plus 20%, from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey. Applications received before that date are assessed on the previous figures, which had stood since June 27, 2025.
| Province / territory | $28$50 | Threshold now | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | $37.50 | $36.00 | +1.50 | |
| British Columbia | $38.40 | $36.60 | +1.80 | |
| Manitoba | $31.33 | $30.16 | +1.17 | |
| New Brunswick | $31.73 | $30.00 | +1.73 | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $33.60 | $32.40 | +1.20 | |
| Northwest Territories | $48.00 | $48.00 | unchanged | |
| Nova Scotia | $31.96 | $30.00 | +1.96 | |
| Nunavut | $45.00 | $42.00 | +3.00 | |
| Ontario | $36.92 | $36.00 | +0.92 | |
| Prince Edward Island | $31.20 | $30.00 | +1.20 | |
| Quebec | $36.00 | $34.62 | +1.38 | |
| Saskatchewan | $34.62 | $33.60 | +1.02 | |
| Yukon | $45.60 | $44.40 | +1.20 |
The threshold decides which stream applies — it is not the wage you must pay. The prevailing wage for the occupation at that location sets the floor. It is the higher of two figures: the median wage for that NOC and location on Job Bank, or the wage range you already pay employees doing the same job, at the same location, with the same skills and experience. ESDC treats a wage adjusted purely to reach a preferred stream as grounds for a negative decision. Confirm the current figures on canada.ca before filing.
What changed
Rewritten twice this year. Old checklists will fail.
Jul 17, 2026: New wage thresholds
Median hourly wage plus 20%, in 12 of 13 jurisdictions. Positions that were high-wage in June may be low-wage now.
Apr 1, 2026: Low-wage stream overhauled
Advertising extended to eight consecutive weeks, youth-targeted recruitment required, and the worksite cap tightened in most cases.
Jan 1, 2026: Agriculture advertising reinstated
Proof of advertisement submission is required again with primary agriculture LMIA applications.
Quebec
A second set of rules on top of the federal ones.
Until December 31, 2026, low-wage LMIA applications for a work location in the Montréal and Laval economic regions will not be processed. Exempt: crop production; animal production and aquaculture; support activities for crop and animal production; construction; food manufacturing; beverage manufacturing; elementary and secondary schools; health care and social assistance, including child daycare services; and in-home caregiver positions under NOC 31301, 32101, 44100 and 44101 that care for a person with medical needs, or for a child whose custodian cannot care for them for medical reasons, backed by a physician’s note. While the Montréal CMA sits at or above the federal unemployment line, ESDC applies the federal refusal-to-process rules and their exemptions there instead (Source: ESDC, verified October 9, 2026).
Quebec files additionally require provincial acceptance alongside the federal LMIA. Treat a Quebec work location as a different process, not a variation on the same one.
Side by side
Not variations. Different programs.
| Rule | High-wageAt or above the threshold | Low-wageBelow the threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | 4 consecutive weeks within the three months before you file | 8 consecutive weeks since April 1, 2026, plus documented youth-targeted recruitment |
| After you file | At least one of the three recruitment activities must stay active until ESDC issues its decision, positive or negative (Source: ESDC low-wage and high-wage requirements, verified October 9, 2026) | |
| Transition plan | Generally required — measurable commitments to reduce reliance on the program over time | —Not listed for this stream |
| Worksite cap | No worksite cap on the proportion of foreign workers | 10% cap on low-wage foreign workers at the worksite, but 20% in construction, food manufacturing, hospitals and nursing or residential care, and in the in-home caregiver NOCs. Fewer than 10 employees at the site: 1 worker, or 2 where the 20% cap applies. Temporarily 15% for employers outside a CMA in participating provinces only (MB, NB, NL, NS, NT), to March 31, 2027 |
| CMA unemployment | Not subject to the refusal-to-process measure | Refused to process in any CMA at 6% unemployment or above, unless exempt |
| Transportation & housing | —Not listed for this stream | Obligations apply |
| Permit duration | Longer maximum work permit duration than the low-wage stream | Maximum currently one year |
Processed regardless of the local unemployment rate — exemptions from refusal-to-process
- Primary agriculture
- Construction
- Food manufacturing
- Hospitals
- Nursing & residential care
- Caregiving
- Permanent-residence-only applications
- Certain short-duration or highly mobile roles
After the approval
A positive LMIA is a set of promises. Inspectable for six years.
Wage, duties, hours, location, and the conditions you committed to are all enforceable, and ESDC inspections have been rising alongside the program's tightening. Findings run from warnings to administrative monetary penalties, a public list of non-compliant employers, and bans from the program — which end your ability to hire this way at all.
What we deliver
Stream confirmed before you spend
We check the offered wage against the current threshold for your province and the status of your work location, so you know which rulebook applies before the fee is paid.
Recruitment built to the right length
Eight consecutive weeks for low-wage, four for high-wage, with the mandatory platforms and the youth-targeted efforts documented as you go — not reconstructed afterwards.
A job offer that survives scrutiny
Title, NOC, duties, hours, wage and location consistent across the offer, the advertisement, the LMIA and the eventual work permit. Inconsistency is the most common single failure.
Prevailing wage evidenced
The offered wage justified against the rate for that occupation and location — not adjusted to reach a preferred stream, which ESDC treats as grounds for a negative decision.
Cap and exemption analysis
Where you sit against the worksite cap, and whether the position falls inside one of the listed exemptions from refusal-to-process.
Compliance readiness after approval
The conditions you have just agreed to are inspectable for six years. We set up the records before an inspection asks for them.
Next steps
The LMIA is one half of the hire. Here is the other.
Questions, answered.
The questions we hear most on this topic, answered by our consultants. The full list is in the Help Centre.
I hold an employer-specific LMIA permit. Can I do a short course with a co-op?
What is an LMIA-based work permit?
What makes an LMIA application strong?
How important is the wage?
What compliance obligations do we take on?
More questions on this topic are answered in the Help Centre.
Before you advertise
Get the stream right before recruitment starts.
Advertising for the wrong period, in the wrong places, cannot be fixed later — it has to be run again from the beginning. A short employer consultation confirms your stream, your obligations and your realistic timeline. Brampton, London, or remotely anywhere in Canada.
General information only, not legal advice, and no consultant–client relationship is created by reading this page. Wage thresholds, the CMA list and program requirements change on their own schedules; the CMA list alone is revised quarterly. Confirm current figures on canada.ca before filing. Wage thresholds are those in effect from July 17, 2026; CMA unemployment rates are ESDC’s table of October 9, 2026, for applications submitted October 9, 2026 to January 7, 2027.
Next on your path
Keep your file moving.
The checklist, free tools and guides that usually come next.
- ChecklistLMIA employer checklistRecruitment, wage and business documents for the employer.
- GuideLMIA exemption codesEvery IRCC code in one searchable index.
- Free toolLMIA employer directoryEmployers with recent positive LMIAs, by city and job.
- GuideLMIA-based work permitThe worker side of an approved LMIA.
- GuideExpress EntryThe federal PR pool: score, categories and draws.
- Latest articleExpress Entry is changing on November 3: high-wage points, job offers without an LMIA, and a pause in drawsOctober 16, 2026
LMIA review
Does your employer need an LMIA at all?
Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.
- 01Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant
- 02A written shortlist of the programs you qualify for
- 03Fee-based; the fee and times come by reply
CHK Immigration Services, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions. Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.