Work Permits Update — September 14, 2026
Monday, September 14, 2026
IRCC's 2025-2026 Departmental Plan (published June 20, 2025) announces plans to create a new work permit stream for agriculture and fish processing, make the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot permanent by end of 2025, and change eligibility for spousal open work permits.
A major LMIA wage threshold change takes effect July 17, 2026: the cutoff between high-wage and low-wage streams is increasing across most provinces and territories, meaning jobs currently classified as high-wage may fall into the more restrictive low-wage category.
Low-wage LMIA applications in areas with regional unemployment at 6% or higher are being refused before assessment, regardless of recruitment efforts — work permits under the low-wage stream are also limited to one year versus up to three years under high-wage.
What You Should Do
- If you are an employer planning to submit an LMIA application soon, check the updated provincial/territorial wage thresholds before July 17, 2026 at canada.ca to confirm whether your job offer falls under the high-wage or low-wage stream — the date of submission determines which threshold applies.
- If your LMIA is for a low-wage position, check the current regional unemployment rate for your specific area at Statistics Canada (statcan.gc.ca) before applying — if the rate is 6% or higher, your application will not be processed.
- Spouses of foreign workers or international students holding or planning to apply for a spousal open work permit (SOWP) should monitor IRCC's website (canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship) for announced changes to SOWP eligibility requirements expected in 2025-2026.
- Workers or employers in agriculture or fish processing should watch IRCC's website (canada.ca) for the launch of the new dedicated foreign labour work permit stream announced in IRCC's 2025-2026 Departmental Plan.
Sources
Topics Covered
LMIA-Exempt Work Permit Expansion: IRCC's 2025-2026 Departmental Plan announces a new dedicated work permit stream for the agriculture and fish processing sector, and plans to implement work permit provisions under new free trade agreements with Indonesia and Ecuador.
LMIA Low-Wage Advertising Reform: The wage threshold separating high-wage and low-wage LMIA streams is increasing across most provinces and territories effective July 17, 2026, pushing more positions into the low-wage category with stricter rules, shorter permit durations, and regional processing restrictions.
How these topics connect
Employers relying on low-wage temporary foreign workers face a compounding squeeze: the advertising period has doubled while LMIA-exempt alternatives are being scaled up, signaling a clear federal push to make LMIA-based low-wage hiring progressively less viable.
More Work Permits Updates
Work Permits Update — October 1, 2026
Oct 1, 2026
Work Permits Update — September 24, 2026
Sep 24, 2026
Work Permits Update — September 17, 2026
Sep 17, 2026
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