Low-Wage LMIA: Can You File Where You Are?
ESDC will not process a low-wage LMIA application for a position located in a census metropolitan area where unemployment is 6.0% or higher. That currently closes 26 of Canada's 41 metropolitan areas, including six of the seven in British Columbia. The list is redrawn every three months, so a region that was open last quarter may not be this one.
Abbotsford–Mission
8.0%
A standard low-wage application for a position here will not be processed under the current table — the 4th-highest rate in the country. Chilliwack (7.9%), Kelowna, Kamloops, Nanaimo and Vancouver are closed too. Victoria, at 4.6%, is the only British Columbia metropolitan area still open. The exempt categories below are unaffected.
Check a region
Every census metropolitan area on the current ESDC table, highest rate first. Type a city or filter by status.
| Metropolitan area | Unemployment | Low-wage LMIA |
|---|---|---|
| OshawaON | 8.5% | Will not be processed |
| Kitchener–Cambridge–WaterlooON | 8.1% | Will not be processed |
| MonctonNB | 8.1% | Will not be processed |
| Abbotsford–MissionBC | 8.0% | Will not be processed |
| BarrieON | 7.9% | Will not be processed |
| ChilliwackBC | 7.9% | Will not be processed |
| WindsorON | 7.9% | Will not be processed |
| LondonON | 7.8% | Will not be processed |
| KelownaBC | 7.5% | Will not be processed |
| GuelphON | 7.4% | Will not be processed |
| St. John'sNL | 7.3% | Will not be processed |
| TorontoON | 7.3% | Will not be processed |
| EdmontonAB | 7.2% | Will not be processed |
| Red DeerAB | 7.2% | Will not be processed |
| CalgaryAB | 7.0% | Will not be processed |
| KamloopsBC | 7.0% | Will not be processed |
| PeterboroughON | 7.0% | Will not be processed |
| HamiltonON | 6.9% | Will not be processed |
| MontréalQC | 6.8% | Will not be processed |
| Belleville–Quinte WestON | 6.7% | Will not be processed |
| Ottawa–GatineauON/QC | 6.7% | Will not be processed |
| VancouverBC | 6.7% | Will not be processed |
| NanaimoBC | 6.5% | Will not be processed |
| SaskatoonSK | 6.5% | Will not be processed |
| BrantfordON | 6.2% | Will not be processed |
| Greater SudburyON | 6.2% | Will not be processed |
| HalifaxNS | 5.9% | Can be processed |
| ReginaSK | 5.9% | Can be processed |
| Saint JohnNB | 5.9% | Can be processed |
| St. Catharines–NiagaraON | 5.8% | Can be processed |
| DrummondvilleQC | 5.7% | Can be processed |
| WinnipegMB | 5.6% | Can be processed |
| LethbridgeAB | 5.4% | Can be processed |
| FrederictonNB | 5.3% | Can be processed |
| KingstonON | 5.3% | Can be processed |
| Trois-RivièresQC | 5.3% | Can be processed |
| Thunder BayON | 4.9% | Can be processed |
| VictoriaBC | 4.6% | Can be processed |
| SherbrookeQC | 4.3% | Can be processed |
| QuébecQC | 4.0% | Can be processed |
| SaguenayQC | 3.4% | Can be processed |
No metropolitan area matches that search.
Rates published by Employment and Social Development Canada, derived from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey. Always confirm against the official ESDC list before filing.
What still works in a closed region
The rule targets standard low-wage positions. ESDC lists categories it does not apply to, so an employer in Abbotsford is not necessarily shut out.
Primary agriculture
On-farm positions under NOC 80020, 80021, 82030, 82031, 84120, 85100, 85101 and 85103 sit outside the rule and carry no cap.
Construction
Positions in NAICS 23.
Food manufacturing
Positions in NAICS 311 — relevant across the Fraser Valley's processing plants.
Hospitals & care facilities
NAICS 622 and 623, plus caregiving occupations within healthcare institutions under NAICS 62.
In-home caregivers
Certain positions under NOC 31301, 32101, 44100 and 44101, where the medical or custody circumstances are met.
Short and seasonal work
Positions of 120 calendar days or less that are genuinely temporary or highly mobile, and seasonal positions not exceeding 270 days.
Caps are a separate question. Being exempt from refusal to process does not mean being exempt from the cap on low-wage workers at a worksite. The baseline is 10% of the workforce at that location; the sectors above are generally capped at 20%; on-farm primary agriculture, short-duration and seasonal positions carry no cap. An employer with fewer than 10 employees can generally support one low-wage temporary foreign worker under the 10% cap.
How the list is set, and why timing matters
Statistics Canada publishes unemployment by census metropolitan area through the Labour Force Survey. ESDC takes those figures and redraws this table every three months. A region crossing 6.0% closes to standard low-wage applications; one falling back below it reopens.
That makes the revision date worth watching if your region sits near the line. The next one is 9 October 2026. The rule is applied according to when an application was submitted, so filing a week either side of a revision can change the outcome — in both directions.
Common questions
Which regions cannot process a low-wage LMIA right now?
On the table in force from 10 July 2026, 26 of Canada's 41 census metropolitan areas have an unemployment rate of 6.0% or higher, so Employment and Social Development Canada will not process low-wage LMIA applications for positions located in them. The remaining 15 sit below the threshold.
Can a low-wage LMIA still be filed in Abbotsford?
Abbotsford–Mission is at 8.0%, above the 6.0% threshold, so a standard low-wage application for a position there will not be processed. Several categories are exempt from the rule entirely — primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals and care facilities, certain caregiver roles, and short-duration or seasonal work. Positions in those categories can still be filed.
How often does the list change?
Every three months. The current table applies from 10 July 2026 to 8 October 2026, and the next revision is due on 9 October 2026. The rates come from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, so a region can open or close between quarters.
Does the rule apply to high-wage positions?
No. The refusal-to-process rule applies to low-wage positions only. Whether a position is low-wage depends on the provincial or territorial median hourly wage, which is updated separately — in British Columbia the line sits at $38.40 an hour.
What happens to an application already submitted?
The rule is applied according to when the application was submitted. A region's rate changing after you file does not retroactively change how a submitted application is treated. If your region is close to the line, check the effective dates on the ESDC table before you send anything.
Is being exempt from the rule the same as being exempt from the cap?
No, and this is the point people most often get wrong. Refusal to process and the cap on low-wage workers at a worksite are two separate rules. A position can be exempt from the first and still counted under the second.
Not sure which route applies to your position?
Whether a role is low-wage, whether it falls inside an exempt category, and which cap applies are judgement calls that turn on the specifics of the job and the worksite. We handle LMIA work for Fraser Valley employers in agriculture, food processing and the trades.
Related LMIA pages
The rules this page depends on, and the pathways they feed into.
This page is general information about a federal program, not legal advice, and the rates on it change every three months. Confirm the current table on canada.ca before submitting an application. Compiled and last reviewed against the ESDC and Statistics Canada sources on 4 September 2026 by Waymark Immigration Inc., Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Waymark runs on the Nova System platform — built in Abbotsford, BC by practising RCICs.