New Canada Unemployment Rates For LMIAs Effective July 2026

Last Updated On 13 July 2026, 5:54 PM EDT (Toronto Time)

Canada’s updated CMA unemployment rates for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program are now in effect and apply to all low-wage LMIA applications submitted from July 10, 2026, through October 8, 2026.

This quarterly refresh reverses the sharp tightening seen in the previous April cycle and reopens low-wage LMIA access in several major labour markets across the country.

A total of 15 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) now sit below the 6% unemployment threshold, up from just 11 during the April 2026 period.

8 CMAs that were restricted last quarter have dropped back below 6% and are once again open for low-wage LMIA processing.

4 CMAs moved in the opposite direction and crossed above the 6% threshold, losing their eligibility after sitting below it last quarter.

The net result is a gain of four eligible regions compared to the April cycle, offering employers in those areas renewed access to the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

What The 6% CMA Rule Means For LMIA Applications

Since September 26, 2024, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has enforced a refusal-to-process policy targeting low-wage LMIA applications in high-unemployment regions.

If the offered wage falls below the applicable provincial or territorial median hourly wage and the work location sits inside a CMA where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher at the time of submission, that application will not be processed.

This is not a discretionary decision or a scoring factor within the LMIA assessment.

It is an automatic administrative block that applies the moment an application is received, based entirely on the published quarterly unemployment data for that CMA.

The unemployment rates are refreshed every three months, and the current set will remain in force until the next scheduled update on October 8, 2026.

For employers relying on temporary foreign workers to fill entry-level and hourly positions, a restricted CMA means the low-wage hiring pathway is completely shut down until the next quarterly refresh.

For workers abroad or already in Canada waiting on an employer-supported work permit, a restricted CMA can delay or derail their employment timeline entirely.

8 CMAs Newly Eligible This Quarter

The following eight CMAs were at or above the 6% threshold during the April cycle but have now dropped below it, reopening low-wage LMIA processing from July 10, 2026, through October 8, 2026.

Census Metropolitan Area	Current Rate (%)	Previous Rate (%)
Halifax, Nova Scotia	5.9	6.1
Saint John, New Brunswick	5.9	6.0
Fredericton, New Brunswick	5.3	6.5
Drummondville, Quebec	5.7	7.3
Kingston, Ontario	5.3	6.2
St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario	5.8	7.2
Winnipeg, Manitoba	5.6	6.0
Regina, Saskatchewan	5.9	6.4

St. Catharines-Niagara’s decline from 7.2% to 5.8% is the largest single-quarter drop among the newly eligible group, reopening a significant southern Ontario labour market for LMIA-based hiring.

Drummondville’s fall from 7.3% to 5.7% marks a particularly sharp reversal after the Quebec CMA had jumped above the threshold just one quarter earlier.

Halifax’s return to eligibility at 5.9% restores low-wage LMIA access in Atlantic Canada’s largest labour market, while Saint John and Fredericton also moved below 6%, leaving Moncton as the only restricted New Brunswick CMA.

Winnipeg narrowly cleared the threshold at 5.6% after sitting at exactly 6.0% last quarter, giving Manitoba’s employers renewed access to the low-wage stream.

Regina’s decline from 6.4% to 5.9% reopens Saskatchewan’s capital, though the rate remains close enough to the cutoff that the October update could reverse eligibility again.

Kingston rounds out the newly eligible group at 5.3%, dropping from 6.2% in the April cycle.

4 CMAs Newly Restricted This Quarter

Four CMAs that sat below 6% during the April period have now crossed above the threshold, shutting down low-wage LMIA processing in those regions for July 10, 2026, through October 8, 2026.

Census Metropolitan Area	Current Rate (%)	Previous Rate (%)
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	6.5	5.5
Red Deer, Alberta	7.2	5.9
Kamloops, British Columbia	7.0	5.2
Chilliwack, British Columbia	7.9	5.7

Chilliwack’s surge from 5.7% to 7.9% is the steepest single-quarter increase among the four newly restricted CMAs, representing a 2.2 percentage point jump in a single cycle.

Kamloops climbed from 5.2% to 7.0%, reversing the sharp decline it had recorded in the April update when it first dropped below the threshold.

Red Deer’s jump from 5.9% to 7.2% marks a return to restricted status after just one quarter of eligibility, following its dramatic 8.9%-to-5.9% decline in the previous cycle.

Saskatoon’s move from 5.5% to 6.5% is particularly notable because it had remained consistently below 6% for multiple consecutive quarters, making this the first time the CMA has been restricted in the current quarterly reporting cycle.

With both Saskatoon and Regina now on opposite sides of the threshold, Saskatchewan presents a split picture for employers evaluating LMIA hiring options across the province.

7 CMAs That Remain Eligible

Seven CMAs that were already below 6% during the April period continue to meet the eligibility threshold this quarter.

Census Metropolitan Area	Current Rate (%)	Previous Rate (%)
Saguenay, Quebec	3.4	3.9
Québec, Quebec	4.0	3.3
Sherbrooke, Quebec	4.3	5.2
Trois-Rivières, Quebec	5.3	5.2
Thunder Bay, Ontario	4.9	5.9
Lethbridge, Alberta	5.4	5.9
Victoria, British Columbia	4.6	4.9

Saguenay holds the lowest unemployment rate on the entire list at 3.4%, continuing a multi-quarter trend of consistently strong labour market performance.

Québec City sits at 4.0%, slightly up from 3.3% last quarter but still well within eligible range and one of the strongest markets in the country.

Victoria’s rate improved further from 4.9% to 4.6%, making it one of only two CMAs outside Quebec that have remained consistently eligible throughout 2026.

Thunder Bay’s rate dropped from 5.9% to 4.9%, creating a more comfortable margin above the cutoff after it had come dangerously close to the 6% line last quarter.

Lethbridge also improved from 5.9% to 5.4%, marking its second consecutive quarter below the threshold after spending much of 2025 in restricted territory.

How To Verify If Your Work Location Falls In A Restricted CMA

Before submitting any low-wage LMIA application, employers must confirm whether the work location falls within a Census Metropolitan Area that is currently at or above the 6% unemployment threshold.

The verification process requires two steps.

First, enter the complete postal code of the work location at Statistics Canada’s Census of Population geography search tool.

On the search results page, look for the geographic level labelled Census Metropolitan Area or Census Agglomeration.

If no Census Metropolitan Area classification appears in the results, the work location is outside any CMA and the application remains eligible for processing under this measure.

If the result shows Census Agglomeration rather than Census Metropolitan Area, the LMIA application also remains eligible.

If the result shows a Census Metropolitan Area, the employer must then check the unemployment rate for that specific CMA using the official ESDC table below.

Any CMA showing an unemployment rate of 6% or higher means the low-wage LMIA application for that work location will not be processed during this quarter.

Complete CMA Unemployment Rate Table For July To October 2026

The table below shows the latest unemployment rates applicable for LMIA applications submitted from July 10, 2026, to October 8, 2026, alongside the two previous quarterly periods for comparison.

CMAs with an unemployment rate at or above 6% are shown in bold to indicate they are currently restricted for low-wage LMIA processing.

Census metropolitan area	Unemployment rate (%) in effect for applications submitted from July 10, 2026, to October 8, 2026	Unemployment rate (%) in effect for applications submitted from April 10, 2026, to July 9, 2026	Unemployment rate (%) in effect for applications submitted from January 9, 2026, to April 9, 2026
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador	7.3	7.6	7.1
Halifax, Nova Scotia	5.9	6.1	5.2
Moncton, New Brunswick	8.1	7.4	5.5
Saint John, New Brunswick	5.9	6	5.8
Fredericton, New Brunswick	5.3	6.5	5.2
Saguenay, Quebec	3.4	3.9	4.3
Québec, Quebec	4	3.3	2.9
Sherbrooke, Quebec	4.3	5.2	4.8
Trois-Rivières, Quebec	5.3	5.2	3.9
Drummondville, Quebec	5.7	7.3	5.6
Montréal, Quebec	6.8	6.8	5.5
Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec	6.7	6.2	6.8
Kingston, Ontario	5.3	6.2	5.6
Belleville – Quinte West, Ontario	6.7	7.9	10.6
Peterborough, Ontario	7	6.3	5.3
Oshawa, Ontario	8.5	7.5	8
Toronto, Ontario	7.3	7.9	7.5
Hamilton, Ontario	6.9	6.7	6.4
St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario	5.8	7.2	6.5
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario	8.1	9.1	8.1
Brantford, Ontario	6.2	6.8	8.5
Guelph, Ontario	7.4	6.5	7.4
London, Ontario	7.8	9.3	7.3
Windsor, Ontario	7.9	8.8	7.1
Barrie, Ontario	7.9	8.8	8.7
Greater Sudbury, Ontario	6.2	6.4	6
Thunder Bay, Ontario	4.9	5.9	4.2
Winnipeg, Manitoba	5.6	6	5.7
Regina, Saskatchewan	5.9	6.4	6.3
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan	6.5	5.5	5.8
Lethbridge, Alberta	5.4	5.9	7.2
Calgary, Alberta	7	7.1	6.3
Red Deer, Alberta	7.2	5.9	8.9
Edmonton, Alberta	7.2	7	6.9
Kelowna, British Columbia	7.5	8.9	8.5
Kamloops, British Columbia	7	5.2	6.6
Chilliwack, British Columbia	7.9	5.7	7.3
Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia	8	6.2	6.4
Vancouver, British Columbia	6.7	6.5	5.9
Victoria, British Columbia	4.6	4.9	3.7
Nanaimo, British Columbia	6.5	7.2	6.3

The next scheduled update to this table will take place on October 8, 2026.

What Employers Must Do Before Filing

Employers preparing to submit low-wage LMIA applications between July 10, 2026, and October 8, 2026, should take the following steps before filing.

Confirm the exact CMA classification for every work location using the Statistics Canada postal code lookup, because municipal boundaries and CMA boundaries do not always align.

Verify whether the offered wage is above or below the applicable provincial or territorial median hourly wage threshold, since the 6% unemployment restriction applies exclusively to the low-wage stream.

If a CMA that was open last quarter is now restricted, do not submit applications expecting the previous rate to apply.

The rate that matters is the one in effect at the date of submission, not the date the job offer was made or the date advertising began.

Employers in newly eligible CMAs like Halifax, Kingston, St. Catharines-Niagara, or Winnipeg should file promptly if the hiring need is urgent, because eligibility can reverse again at the October 8, 2026, update.

Maintain thorough recruitment records demonstrating outreach to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, including the 8-week advertising requirement for low-wage positions that took effect on April 1, 2026.

For employers in restricted CMAs who urgently need to fill positions, evaluate whether the role qualifies under one of the sector exemptions outlined later in this article.

Another option is to assess whether raising the wage offer above the provincial median threshold would reclassify the position under the high-wage LMIA stream, which is not subject to the CMA unemployment restriction but carries its own requirements, including a transition plan.

Employers with operations across multiple CMAs should assess each work location individually, since eligibility can differ from one region to another even within the same province.

What Foreign Workers Should Know

Foreign workers waiting on employer-supported work permits should understand how these quarterly shifts directly affect their situation.

Job opportunities tied to low-wage LMIAs will expand in the eight newly eligible CMAs because employers in those regions have regained access to the low-wage TFWP stream.

In the four newly restricted CMAs, employer access to the low-wage stream has been shut down, which could stall pending job offers and delay hiring timelines.

The unemployment rate is assessed at the time the LMIA application is submitted to ESDC, not when the job offer is extended or when the worker applies for a work permit.

This means timing within the quarterly cycle matters significantly for both employers and workers.

Workers currently holding a valid work permit in a restricted CMA are not directly affected by this measure.

The restriction applies to the processing of new low-wage LMIA applications, not to the status of existing work permits or renewals already in progress.

Workers considering job offers from employers in newly restricted CMAs should ask whether the employer plans to apply under the high-wage stream or through an exempt sector before committing to a relocation or job change.

For those exploring opportunities in newly eligible CMAs, acting within this quarter is critical since the next update on October 8, 2026, can shift eligibility in either direction.

Workers already inside Canada on other valid status should consult a licensed immigration professional before accepting any employer-supported position in a restricted CMA.

Sector Exemptions From The CMA Restriction

Even in CMAs where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher, LMIA applications for certain sectors and occupations remain exempt from this refusal-to-process measure.

Positions in primary agriculture continue to be processed without regard to the CMA unemployment rate, including applications through the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

Construction positions classified under NAICS 23 are exempt from the unemployment rate restriction.

Food manufacturing roles under NAICS 311 also remain eligible for processing regardless of the CMA rate.

Hospital positions under NAICS 622 and nursing and residential care facility positions under NAICS 623 are exempt from this measure.

Specific in-home caregiver positions under NOC 31301, 32101, 44100, and 44101 continue to be processed in all CMAs.

Short-duration positions of 120 calendar days or less that are truly temporary or highly mobile may also qualify for an exemption, provided the employer submits a written justification with the application.

Positions submitted in support of permanent residency only, where no work permit is being requested, are also exempt from the CMA restriction.

Even when an exemption applies, all other standard LMIA requirements remain in effect, including advertising obligations, wage compliance, and workplace safety standards.

Employers must clearly identify the applicable exemption in their application and provide supporting documentation where required.

The July 2026 CMA unemployment rate update provides meaningful relief for employers and workers in eight regions that lost eligibility during the April tightening.

With 15 CMAs now below the 6% threshold compared to 11 last quarter, the overall LMIA eligibility landscape has loosened for the first time since the January 2026 cycle.

However, the simultaneous restriction of four previously eligible CMAs serves as a reminder that these quarterly shifts can move in both directions within a single update.

Employers should not assume that a CMA’s current eligibility will carry forward into the October 2026 period, as recent quarterly cycles have shown that rates near the 6% line can flip in either direction from one update to the next.

The quarterly cycle continues to be the single most important variable in low-wage LMIA planning, and both employers and workers should build their hiring and application timelines around the next scheduled update on October 8, 2026.

For employers in restricted CMAs, the LMIA-exempt work permit pathways and sector exemptions outlined in this article remain viable alternatives while the unemployment rate restriction is in effect.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If my employer submitted an LMIA during the April quarter when the CMA was restricted, can they resubmit now that the rate has dropped below 6%?

Yes, an LMIA that was refused to process due to the CMA unemployment rate during the April period cannot be retroactively reconsidered. However, the employer can submit a completely new LMIA application during the current July 10 to October 8 period using the updated unemployment rate. Each application is assessed based on the rate in effect at the time of submission, so the new application would be evaluated under the current lower rate.

Can an employer with multiple work locations in different CMAs submit one LMIA covering positions across both eligible and restricted regions?

No, each work location is assessed independently under the CMA unemployment rate restriction. If an employer has positions in both an eligible CMA and a restricted CMA, the low-wage LMIA for the restricted location will not be processed regardless of the other location’s eligibility. The employer would need to submit separate applications and would only be able to proceed with positions in the CMA that is below the 6% threshold.

Does the 6% CMA restriction apply to LMIA renewal applications for workers who are already employed at the same location?

Yes, the refusal-to-process measure applies to all new low-wage LMIA applications submitted during the applicable period, including renewals for existing positions. If a worker’s current LMIA-based work permit is expiring and the employer needs a new positive LMIA to support the renewal, that application is subject to the CMA unemployment rate in effect at the time of the new submission. There is no exemption for renewal applications.

What happens to workers who are mid-process on a work permit application if the CMA rate changes at the next quarterly update?

Once a positive LMIA has been issued based on the unemployment rate that was in effect when the application was submitted, a subsequent quarterly change to the CMA’s rate does not retroactively invalidate that LMIA. The worker can continue with their work permit application using the positive LMIA. The quarterly update only affects new LMIA submissions received after the updated rates take effect.

Are there any LMIA alternatives for employers in restricted CMAs who cannot meet the high-wage threshold or qualify for a sector exemption?

Employers who cannot access the low-wage stream and do not qualify for sector exemptions should explore whether their position and worker profile fit an LMIA-exempt pathway under the International Mobility Program. Categories such as intra-company transfers, international trade agreements like CUSMA, and certain reciprocal employment arrangements do not require an LMIA at all. Each category has its own eligibility rules, so employers should verify qualification before applying.

Fact-Checked: All unemployment rates and CMA data referenced in this article are sourced directly from the official ESDC refusal-to-process page on Canada.ca, last verified on July 13, 2026.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice; consult a licensed immigration professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Kamal Deep Singh, RCIC

Kamal Deep Singh, RCIC (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant) licensed by CICC (formerly known as ICCRC) with member number R708618. He brings extensive knowledge of immigration law and new changes to rapidly evolving IRCC.