Canada: Longer Employment Duration and Expanded Access Under Temporary Foreign Worker Program Low-Wage Stream

Effective November 6, 2026, Canada has introduced two changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s Low-Wage Stream: 

• • Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) for applications submitted on or after November 6, 2026 will have a maximum duration of up to two years, an increase from the current one-year duration. An LMIA confirms an employer’s need to hire a foreign worker and specifies the approved employment period, which is used to determine the associated work permit’s duration. 
  • Early childhood educators are now exempt from the restriction on processing low-wage LMIA applications in Census Metropolitan Areas with unemployment rates of 6% or higher, joining existing priority sectors such as healthcare, construction and food processing.  

The government has also proposed regional changes for March 1, 2027, subject to provincial and territorial participation. These would tailor access to the Low-Wage Stream to local labor needs and provide greater hiring flexibility for eligible employers in designated communities. Further details are expected following consultations. We will report on relevant developments.  

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.