Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) recently announced several updates to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), designed to improve worker protections and increase compliance standards for employers. These changes are especially important for businesses in British Columbia that rely on LMIAs to hire foreign workers or for individuals holding or seeking LMIA-based work permits.
"It’s also worth noting that applications submitted before the changes take effect will follow the rules in place at the time of submission."
Higher Wage Thresholds for High-Wage Stream
Starting November 8, 2024, the minimum wage for high-wage stream positions will increase to 20% above the provincial median wage. This adjustment means that many roles previously classified under the high-wage stream may now fall into the low-wage stream, which operates under different compliance requirements.
"Expect a significant increase in jobs being reclassified as low-wage positions due to the new wage thresholds."
Low-Wage Stream: Reclassification and Requirements
With the new wage thresholds, many roles that previously met high-wage criteria will now fall under the low-wage stream. This shift means these roles will be subject to the existing low-wage requirements, including housing and transportation provisions, but will no longer need to meet the new, elevated high-wage thresholds. For businesses, this change requires a close look at workforce planning and compliance to adapt to the reclassification.
"More jobs moving into the low-wage stream may reduce compliance requirements around housing and transportation."
New Compliance Measures and Business Legitimacy
Enhanced compliance checks will include random audits and more rigorous business legitimacy assessments. ESDC now relies on data-sharing agreements to validate employers’ eligibility, reducing the role of attestations from external accountants or lawyers. For businesses, this shift requires careful attention to documentation and compliance to avoid penalties.
"New compliance audits mean BC businesses must closely adhere to TFWP regulations to avoid penalties."
Enhanced Worker Protections
The updated TFWP regulations emphasize worker protection, ensuring that foreign employees can report unsafe working conditions or unfair treatment without fear of retaliation. Employers are now held to higher standards for workplace safety and fair wages, emphasizing the need for a safe and equitable environment for foreign workers.
"Stronger worker protections mean businesses must ensure compliance with fair treatment and safety regulations."
What This Means for BC Employers and Workers
For industries such as construction, hospitality, and manufacturing in BC, these changes mean reassessing hiring strategies, wage planning, and compliance needs. Employers will need to plan around potential reclassification into the low-wage stream, which may bring about different workforce planning and management strategies.
For workers on or seeking an LMIA-based work permit. The maximum employment duration for low-wage roles has been reduced to one year, so individuals in these roles will need to plan for future extensions or new employment sooner than expected.
"More jobs falling under the low-wage stream mean tighter hiring conditions for businesses and workers alike."
Final Thoughts
The 2024 TFWP reforms signal a significant shift for BC businesses and workers. Staying updated on these changes will help employers remain compliant and support workers in navigating new conditions.
Need Help Navigating the Changes?
We’re here to assist businesses and workers in understanding how these new regulations affect their LMIA applications and work permits. Contact us for guidance and support in navigating the TFWP updates.
Published On
October 27, 2024
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HR
Tips & Guides
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min. read
HR Services Every Canadian Employer Should Know About
September 18, 2026
HR challenges rarely show up one at a time. A Canadian employer might be trying to fill a role while also sorting out a performance issue, fielding a question about pay equity, updating an outdated policy, and wondering whether onboarding is actually setting new hires up to succeed. None of these problems wait politely for their turn.
The good news is that solving them doesn't require building a full internal HR department. Many BC employers get further, faster, by bringing in experienced HR support exactly where and when they need it, whether that's ongoing fractional HR, a focused project, coaching for a tough decision, recruitment for a hard-to-fill role, or help with compliance and workforce planning.
Below are HR services that cover the range of challenges Canadian employers tend to run into, whether they're managing day-to-day people issues, responding to change, or planning for what's ahead.
HR Services That Help Canadian Employers Build Stronger Workplaces
From day-to-day people questions to long-term workforce planning, these services are designed to meet employers where they are, not push a one-size-fits-all HR program. Here's what each one covers and the kind of challenge it's built to solve.
Employer Coaching & HR Advice
Not every people problem needs a project. Sometimes it needs a knowledgeable second opinion before you act. A difficult termination, a complaint you're not sure how to handle, or a manager avoiding a hard conversation rarely comes with a manual, and the legal and financial stakes are real.
Employer Coaching & HR Advice gives owners and managers a trusted expert to call before something goes wrong rather than after. That can mean a one-off conversation about a specific situation, or ongoing coaching for you and your leadership team on handling feedback, conflict, and everyday people decisions with more confidence. For organizations without an internal HR team, having someone to think through a decision with, grounded in BC employment law, often prevents a small issue from becoming an expensive one.
Fractional HR Services
There's a real gap between needing more HR expertise and needing a full-time HR department. Fractional HR Services fill that gap by embedding an experienced senior HR professional with your business on a part-time or as-needed basis.
This model works for different situations: businesses that have outgrown do-it-yourself HR, organizations with in-house HR at an administrative level that need a strategic layer above it, larger teams that need overflow capacity during a busy stretch, or a specific challenge that calls for specialist expertise. The arrangement can scale up or down as your needs change, which makes it a practical option for businesses that want consistent, senior-level HR support without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Evoke Insights
You don't need to choose between handling HR entirely on your own and hiring a full-time HR department. Fractional HR can provide senior-level expertise when and where your organization needs it.
HR Projects & Interim HR Leadership
Some HR needs aren't ongoing, they're defined. A stalled initiative like a new employee handbook, a job evaluation system, or a reorganization that no one has the bandwidth to lead. Or an HR leader heading out on leave with work that can't simply pause.
HR Projects & Interim HR Leadership brings in seasoned HR for exactly as long as the work requires, whether that's leading a project end to end or holding the HR function steady through a leave or transition. This differs from ongoing fractional support in that it's built around a specific deliverable or a defined period of coverage, with a clean handover once the work is done. It's a way to move an important HR initiative forward, or keep one from stalling, without creating a permanent role for a temporary need.
Employee Engagement & Culture
Disengagement is quiet until it isn't. It shows up first in small things: people doing the bare minimum, quiet absences from team events, conversations that used to flow now feeling short. By the time it shows up in an exit interview, the decision has usually already been made.
Employee Engagement & Culture work starts with finding out how people actually feel, using bespoke surveys built on tested frameworks, and then focus groups to understand the "why" behind the results.
From there, the work can include:
Leadership recommendations
A practical action plan
A return visit to measure whether things have actually moved
Culture isn't something that develops well on its own. Treated intentionally, it supports retention, communication, and the everyday experience of working at your organization.
Strategic Workforce Planning & Succession
Workforce planning used to mostly mean tracking the retirement curve. Today it also means anticipating how roles are changing as technology reshapes the nature of work, on top of the usual drivers: growth, thin leadership layers, and hard-to-find talent.
Strategic Workforce Planning & Succession maps where your workforce is today, where it needs to be, and how to close that gap, including the skills your team will need going forward. Succession planning is part of this picture too: identifying and developing potential successors before a role opens, rather than starting from zero when someone leaves. Together, these connect HR planning directly to your broader business strategy, so staffing decisions aren't made in a vacuum.
Insight for Business Owners
Succession planning isn't only about preparing for retirement. It can also help organizations prepare for changing skills, leadership transitions, and the people they may need to rely on next.
Indigenous HR Services
Indigenous organizations carry responsibilities to community, culture, and governance that generic, off-the-shelf HR was never built to reflect. Policies and pay programs that don't fit local governance, or advisors who don't take the time to understand the community they're working with, are common frustrations.
Indigenous HR Services start from relationship and context rather than a template, covering culturally informed policy, compensation and job evaluation, recruitment and retention, and workforce and succession planning. This work is grounded in direct experience supporting First Nations and Métis governments and other Indigenous organizations across BC, and it adapts to the specific governance structure of each community rather than applying a single approach everywhere. For organizations that have had to repeatedly explain their context to advisors who didn't grasp it, HR support that starts by listening matters.
Onboarding & Offboarding
The first week and the last week someone spends with your organization leave the deepest impressions, both on the person leaving and on everyone watching how it's handled. Scattered onboarding slows new hires down. Uncertainty about how to manage a termination compliantly creates real risk around final pay, Records of Employment, and account access.
Onboarding & Offboarding covers both ends of the employee lifecycle: structured first-week plans and new-hire setup on one side, and compliant, respectful termination support, exit interviews, and ESA-compliant final pay and Records of Employment on the other. How an organization handles both ends of the relationship is a direct reflection of its culture, and it's one of the areas where consistency matters most.
Recruitment & Talent Acquisition
A great hire can change the shape of a team. A rushed one can cost you for years. When a role is hard to fill, time is short, or a strong candidate happens to be based outside Canada, having someone run the search end to end is a real advantage.
Recruitment & Talent Acquisition covers full-cycle recruitment, from defining the role through sourcing, interviews, and the offer, along with licensed local, national, and international hiring. This isn't positioned as a flagship service or an executive search replacement. It's offered because, having already worked closely with a business's culture and team, this kind of recruitment support is often well-positioned to find the right fit rather than just fill a seat.
LMIA & Foreign Worker Recruitment
Some Canadian employers turn to international recruitment when a role simply can't be filled locally, or when they need to retain a specialized employee whose work permit situation is changing. A Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA, is often the document that determines whether that hire or retention can move forward, and the process comes with real complexity: ESDC requirements that can shift, advertising rules that need to be followed precisely, and processing timelines that can stretch for months.
LMIA & Foreign Worker Recruitment support covers the process end to end, from confirming whether an LMIA is actually needed, through advertising and recruitment compliance, the application and ESDC's questions, and work permit support afterward. Because this work sits at the intersection of immigration law, recruitment regulation, and employer compliance, it benefits from being handled by someone working in all three areas rather than treated as a form-filling exercise.
Compensation Analysis & Job Evaluation
Compensation is one of the biggest decisions an employer makes, and one of the easiest to get wrong without good data. Pay gaps between similar roles, offers that lose to competitors, and salary requests with no consistent way to evaluate them are all signs that compensation decisions are being made ad hoc rather than by design.
Structured job evaluation, including step-grid and collective-agreement contexts
Job description review, supporting fair pay, accurate evaluation, and clear expectations
Once pay is fair and competitive, it stops being a source of friction and becomes a baseline employees can trust, which frees everyone to focus on the work itself.
Performance & Talent Management
Most teams don't have a performance problem so much as a process problem. Without a clear way to set expectations, give feedback, and track progress, good performance goes unrecognized and poor performance drags on unaddressed, often for far longer than it should.
Documented performance improvement plans where needed
The goal is a coaching culture where feedback happens in the moment and managers are trained to have honest conversations as they come up, so the formal review becomes a summary of conversations already had rather than a stand-in for conversations that never happened. Treating performance as an ongoing practice, rather than an annual event, tends to produce better outcomes for both the employee and the organization.
HR Policy & Compliance
Compliance risk tends to build quietly. It sits in an outdated handbook or a missing harassment-prevention policy until a complaint, an injury, or an inspection brings it into the light. At that point, the cost of catching up is much higher than the cost of staying current would have been.
Alignment with the BC Employment Standards Act, WorkSafeBC, and BC Human Rights Code
Support for both unionized and non-unionized environments
Policy work doesn't stop at drafting. Implementation and manager training are part of what makes a policy enforceable when it actually matters, rather than a document that sits unread in a shared drive. Because legislation and business needs both shift over time, this is best treated as an ongoing responsibility rather than a one-time project.
Evoke Insight
A policy sitting in a shared drive doesn't reduce risk on its own. Effective HR policies need to be current, understood by managers, and implemented consistently.
Connecting the Pieces
These services rarely operate in isolation, and most HR challenges connect to more than one of them at once. Recruitment feeds directly into onboarding. Compensation decisions affect retention, which shows up in engagement data. Performance management is closely tied to employee engagement and culture, since how people are coached day to day shapes how they feel about their work. Workforce planning and succession planning are two sides of the same conversation about where an organization is headed.
Because of these overlaps, employers don't need to solve every HR challenge at once, or guess which single service will fix everything. It's usually more practical to start with whatever is creating the most pressure right now and build from there, bringing in additional support as new needs surface.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When should a business consider fractional HR support?
Fractional HR tends to make sense once a business has outgrown informal, do-it-yourself HR but doesn't yet have enough volume or complexity to justify a full-time hire. It's also useful for organizations with in-house HR that need a strategic layer above day-to-day administration, or extra capacity during a busy period.
2. Can a business get HR help for a specific project rather than ongoing support?
Yes. Project-based and interim HR support is built around a defined deliverable, like a new handbook, a job evaluation system, or coverage during a leave, with a clean handover once the work is finished. It's a different arrangement than ongoing fractional HR, and it suits organizations that need expertise for a specific initiative rather than continuous support.
3. What HR areas can an external HR partner realistically help with?
A broad range, from everyday advice and coaching to recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, compensation analysis, performance management, workforce planning, policy and compliance, and specialized areas like LMIA support and Indigenous HR services. Most employers only need a few of these at any given time, and support can expand as new needs come up.
4. How can HR support help an established or growing business?
HR support can help organizations at different stages address challenges such as hiring, onboarding, compensation, performance, compliance, workforce planning, and succession. External HR support gives employers access to experienced, senior-level expertise when they need it, whether they're responding to a specific issue, managing change, or planning for what's ahead.
Choosing the Right HR Support for Your Business
The right type of HR support depends on what an organization actually needs at a given point, not on any one service being inherently "better" than another.
An occasional, tricky people decision usually calls for coaching or advice rather than a full engagement. A business that's outgrown informal, do-it-yourself HR but isn't ready for a full-time hire is often better served by fractional support. A defined initiative, like rolling out a new handbook or covering a leave, fits a project or interim arrangement.
A hard-to-fill role points toward recruitment support, while a business bringing in talent from outside Canada, or trying to retain someone whose work permit situation is changing, needs LMIA and immigration expertise specifically. Organizations preparing for growth, retirements, or a shift in the skills their business needs point toward strategic workforce planning, and Indigenous organizations benefit from HR support built around their specific governance and community context from the outset.
There's no ranking among these. The right starting point is simply the one that matches your organization's current size, stage, and priorities.
Not sure where to start? Contact us and let's talk about your HR needs.
All
LMIA
0
min. read
The LMIA Process for Canadian Employers: What You Need to Know
September 11, 2026
If you've ever tried to fill a specialized role in Canada and come up empty locally, you already know the pressure. For many employers, a Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA, is an important step in determining whether a foreign worker can be hired.
An LMIA is required in many foreign worker recruitment situations, but not all of them. Some work permit pathways are LMIA-exempt, depending on the role, the program, and the worker's circumstances. Knowing which category your situation falls into is the first real step in the LMIA process, and it shapes everything that follows.
For employers, the process involves more than completing an application. You need to understand which stream applies, make sure the position and wage meet the relevant requirements, complete the required recruitment activities, prepare supporting documentation, and be ready to meet employer obligations after approval.
This guide walks through what an LMIA is, why the process can be challenging, how the high-wage and low-wage streams work, what's involved in recruitment and advertising, and what employers should consider from eligibility through to work permit support.
What an LMIA Is and Why Employers Need One
An LMIA is a document issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). It assesses whether hiring a temporary foreign worker is expected to have a positive, neutral, or negative impact on the Canadian labour market. Where a position doesn't qualify for an LMIA exemption, a positive LMIA is generally required before a foreign worker can apply for a work permit.
The purpose of the process is to establish that there is a genuine need for the position and that reasonable efforts have been made to hire or train Canadians and permanent residents where required. Employers also need to demonstrate that the job offer is legitimate and that the employment terms meet the requirements of the applicable program.
An LMIA therefore connects a specific hiring need with Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program requirements. The details matter because the requirements can vary depending on the stream, occupation, wage, location, and other circumstances surrounding the position.
For employers, getting the foundation right before submitting an application is often more important than simply trying to move through the process as quickly as possible.
Why the LMIA Process Can Be Challenging
ESDC requirements can change, documentation needs to be complete and consistent, and processing timelines can vary. For a business with an important position to fill, that uncertainty can be difficult to manage alongside everything else involved in running an organization.
The process also requires employers to look at several pieces together. The position needs to be clearly defined, the wage needs to meet the applicable requirements, the recruitment process needs to be documented, and the business needs to be prepared to meet its obligations if the LMIA is approved.
That means an LMIA isn't simply a matter of filling out forms. The application needs to tell a consistent story about the employer, the position, the labour market need, and the foreign worker being hired.
It also helps to remember that an LMIA isn't just paperwork. On the other side of every application is a person, someone whose ability to work in Canada, support their family, or continue building their future may depend on the process being handled correctly. Good LMIA work takes both the business case and the human one seriously.
Two Common LMIA Situations
Employers generally come to the LMIA process for one of two broad reasons:
Recruitment-driven LMIAs: a business has a genuine position to fill and has not been able to find a suitable Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Retention-driven LMIAs: an employer wants to continue employing a foreign worker whose experience, skills, or knowledge have become valuable to the organization.
The circumstances can vary considerably from one employer to another. A growing business may be dealing with a skills shortage, while an established employer may be trying to maintain continuity in a specialized role.
The important point is that the employer needs to establish a legitimate employment need and meet the requirements of the particular LMIA stream that applies to the position.
LMIA Eligibility and Strategy
Before anything is submitted, it's worth confirming the right LMIA stream and understanding the wage requirements that apply to the position.
High-wage and low-wage are the two most common streams, and the stream is determined by comparing the wage being offered with the applicable provincial or territorial hourly wage threshold. In British Columbia, the current hourly wage threshold is $38.40 for LMIAs received as of July 17, 2026. If the offered wage is at or above the threshold, the position generally falls under the high-wage stream; if it is below the threshold, the low-wage stream generally applies.
It's important not to confuse that threshold with the prevailing wage for the occupation. These are two separate calculations.
The provincial or territorial hourly wage threshold is used to determine whether the position falls into the high-wage or low-wage stream. Separately, the wage actually offered to the temporary foreign worker must meet the applicable prevailing wage for the specific occupation and work location. Employers generally use the Job Bank wage information for the relevant occupation and region to determine the prevailing wage.
Both requirements matter. An employer cannot simply offer a wage above the provincial threshold and assume that the prevailing-wage requirement has been satisfied.
High-wage and low-wage are also not the only LMIA streams. Other programs exist for specific circumstances, including the Primary Agriculture Stream, the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP), and the Global Talent Stream, along with other pathways that have their own requirements.
This is why the first stage should be about understanding the specific circumstances rather than assuming that one LMIA process applies to every employer.
LMIA Program Rules Can Change
LMIA program rules — especially for the low-wage stream — have changed multiple times in the past two years and continue to be updated regularly. If you're planning around a specific pathway, confirm current requirements with us before you rely on them.
Advertising and Recruitment Compliance
Recruitment is one of the areas where the details of the LMIA process matter. The requirements differ between the high-wage and low-wage streams, so employers need to know which stream applies before planning their advertising strategy.
For both high-wage and low-wage positions, employers must advertise the position on the Government of Canada's Job Bank and use the required Job Match and Direct Apply features. Employers must consider applications received through Direct Apply. Job Match provides potential matches based on the skills and requirements in the job posting, using a one-to-five-star matching system.
If Job Match identifies candidates who meet the applicable matching threshold, the employer must invite those candidates to apply. For high-wage positions, employers must invite candidates matched at 4 stars or more within the first 30 days of the advertisement. For low-wage positions, employers must invite candidates matched at 2 stars or more within the first 30 days.
For high-wage positions, employers must conduct at least two additional recruitment methods that are relevant to the occupation, in addition to the Job Bank posting. The additional methods should be appropriate for the occupation and its target audience, and one must be national in scope. High-wage advertising must run for a minimum of 4 consecutive weeks within the three months before the LMIA application is submitted.
For low-wage positions, the minimum advertising period is 8 consecutive weeks within the three months before submitting the LMIA application. This requirement was increased from four weeks effective April 1, 2026. Employers must also demonstrate recruitment efforts specifically aimed at youth. Youth-specific job boards can be used to satisfy this part of the recruitment requirement.
In addition, low-wage employers must complete the required additional recruitment activities targeting underrepresented groups. These include groups such as Indigenous peoples, newcomers, persons with disabilities, and asylum claimants with valid work permits. The additional recruitment methods need to reach different audiences rather than simply repeating the same type of advertising in multiple places.
Recruitment documentation is important regardless of the stream. Employers should keep records of their advertising and recruitment efforts, including the results of those efforts. Current program requirements state that recruitment records must be retained for a minimum of 6 years.
The details can feel technical, but this is exactly why recruitment should be planned before an LMIA application is submitted. An employer needs to be able to show not only that a job was advertised, but that the applicable recruitment requirements were actually followed.
Application, Submission, and Responding to ESDC
A complete, accurate application matters more than a rushed one. This stage involves preparing the application package, submitting it to ESDC, and responding to any follow-up questions or requests for additional information.
The supporting documents will depend on the stream and circumstances, but employers may need to provide information demonstrating business legitimacy, details about the position, wage information, recruitment records, and other documentation required for the application.
Consistency is important. The job advertisement, employment terms, wage information, recruitment records, and LMIA application should all reflect the same position and employment arrangement. Differences between documents can create questions that need to be addressed.
Employers should also be prepared for the possibility that ESDC may request additional information during the assessment. Processing times can vary significantly between streams and can change over time, so employers should avoid building a hiring plan around an outdated processing estimate.
Employer Compliance After Approval
Evoke Insight
Once a positive LMIA is issued, it is generally valid for up to 6 months. This gives the employer a window to formally extend the job offer and gives the foreign worker time to apply for their work permit. Employers should plan around this validity period and confirm the current requirements that apply to their specific LMIA.
An approved LMIA isn't the finish line. Employers take on ongoing LMIA compliance obligations once a foreign worker is in place, and ESDC can conduct inspections to confirm those obligations are being met.
The employer needs to provide the employment described in the application and comply with the applicable conditions relating to wages, working conditions, occupation, and other terms.
Good record keeping is therefore essential. Recruitment records, employment documentation, payroll information, and other relevant records may need to be retained and made available if an employer is selected for an inspection.
Compliance is also important for future applications. Employers who have previously participated in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program need to understand their responsibilities and maintain appropriate records rather than treating each LMIA as an isolated transaction.
Staying organized helps protect both the current employment relationship and the employer's ability to navigate future applications.
Work Permit Support
Once an LMIA is approved, the foreign worker still needs to apply for a work permit.
This distinction is important. An approved LMIA does not itself give a foreign worker authorization to work in Canada. The LMIA is part of the process, while the worker's work permit application is a separate immigration step.
The worker may need to provide the positive LMIA information, employment documents, identity documents, and other supporting materials as part of the work permit application. The exact requirements depend on the individual's circumstances and the type of work permit being sought.
Having the same person support both the LMIA and the work permit stage can help keep the process consistent, without gaps in communication between different advisors.
It also gives the employer and worker an opportunity to identify potential issues before they become more complicated. The goal is to make sure the employment information remains consistent from the LMIA stage through to the worker's application for authorization to work.
Potential Permanent Residency Pathways
For some foreign workers, an LMIA-supported job offer can be relevant to permanent residency pathways down the road. However, an LMIA does not automatically result in permanent residence.
Insight for Business Owners
An LMIA-supported job offer and permanent residence are separate immigration steps. A worker may have future permanent residence options, but eligibility depends on the individual's circumstances and the requirements of the program available at the time.
Permanent residency is a separate immigration process with its own eligibility requirements. The worker's occupation, work experience, language ability, education, age, province, and other circumstances can all affect which programs may be available.
For employers who expect a foreign worker to become a long-term part of the business, it can be useful to discuss potential pathways early. Understanding the broader picture can help both the employer and employee plan around employment and immigration timelines.
Eligibility depends on the individual's circumstances and the immigration programs available at the time, so this is worth exploring with appropriate guidance rather than assuming a straight line from work permit to permanent residence.
Why Professional Guidance Matters
The LMIA process touches employment requirements, immigration regulations, recruitment, and day-to-day HR realities all at once. Requirements can change, and what worked for one employer or one position won't necessarily apply cleanly to the next.
For an employer, it can be difficult to stay on top of recruitment requirements while also managing employees, payroll, clients, operations, and the actual hiring process. Professional guidance can help bring those pieces together.
A good assessment should begin before an application is prepared. It should look at whether an LMIA is actually required, which stream may apply, whether the position and wage meet the relevant requirements, what recruitment steps need to be completed, and whether the employer is prepared to meet its obligations after approval.
Professional support can also help identify potential issues before they become expensive problems. If the wage needs further review, the recruitment plan isn't sufficient, or the position may fall under a different LMIA stream, finding that out early gives the employer more options.
The goal isn't simply to submit an LMIA application. It's to build a complete and credible application based on the employer's actual circumstances and to support the process through to the worker's next immigration step.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an LMIA, and when is it actually required?
An LMIA, or Labour Market Impact Assessment, is a document issued by Employment and Social Development Canada that assesses the potential impact of hiring a temporary foreign worker on Canada's labour market.
Where a position doesn't qualify for an exemption, a positive LMIA is generally required before that worker can apply for a work permit. However, not every foreign worker requires an LMIA. Some work permit categories are LMIA-exempt under specific programs, agreements, or circumstances.
If you're not sure whether an LMIA is required, it's worth confirming the applicable pathway before starting the process.
2. What's the difference between a high-wage and a low-wage LMIA?
The high-wage and low-wage streams are determined by comparing the offered wage with the applicable provincial or territorial hourly wage threshold.
In British Columbia, the current hourly wage threshold is $38.40 for LMIAs received as of July 17, 2026. If the offered wage is at or above that threshold, the position generally falls under the high-wage stream. If it is below the threshold, the low-wage stream generally applies.
This should not be confused with the prevailing wage. Regardless of whether the position is classified as high-wage or low-wage, the wage offered must also meet the applicable prevailing wage for the occupation and work location. For that reason, the two figures serve different purposes and both need to be considered when preparing an LMIA.
3. Can any employer apply for an LMIA?
Not automatically. An employer needs to meet the requirements that apply to the relevant LMIA stream and demonstrate that the business and job offer are legitimate.
The employer may also need to demonstrate recruitment efforts, meet wage and working-condition requirements, provide supporting documentation, and comply with other conditions associated with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Every business looks a little different on paper, so an assessment of the employer, position, and circumstances should come before assuming an LMIA will be appropriate.
4. Are there situations where an LMIA isn't needed at all?
Yes. Some positions and workers may qualify for LMIA-exempt work permits under specific programs, agreements, or circumstances.
The International Mobility Program, for example, includes work permit categories that do not require an LMIA. Other exemptions can apply depending on the worker, employer, occupation, or purpose of the work.
Whether an exemption applies depends on the specific facts of the situation. It's worth checking this before starting an LMIA application, particularly because the requirements and available pathways can change over time.
5. What happens after an LMIA is approved?
Approval isn't the finish line. The employer still needs to meet the conditions associated with the approved employment and comply with applicable Temporary Foreign Worker Program requirements. The foreign worker will also generally need to complete the appropriate work permit process before beginning work under the relevant authorization.
Employers should continue to maintain accurate records and ensure the employment arrangement remains consistent with what was approved. ESDC can conduct inspections to verify employer compliance. Staying organized after approval protects the employment relationship and can also help the employer manage future LMIA applications.
Ready to Start Your LMIA?
If your business is considering an LMIA, whether to recruit new talent or retain someone you already count on, the earlier you get clarity on your options, the more room you'll have to plan around it.
The first step doesn't have to be submitting an application. It can simply be understanding whether an LMIA is required, which stream may apply, how the wage requirements work, what recruitment activities you'll need to complete, and whether your business is ready to support the process.
Because LMIA requirements can change, getting current information before you commit to a particular pathway can also help you avoid relying on rules or timelines that may no longer apply.
Reach out today to walk through your situation and map out the right next step for your LMIA process.
All
Immigration
0
min. read
What Employers with TFW-Reliant Workforces Can Expect in 2026
February 23, 2026
For many Canadian employers, Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) are not a supplement to the workforce they are essential to business continuity.
Across sectors, employers rely on temporary workers to fill roles that are consistently difficult to staff domestically, including:
Community Support Workers
Home Support Workers and Care Aides
Early Childhood Educators and Assistants
Cooks, kitchen helpers, and food service staff
Hospitality and accommodation roles
Manufacturing, processing, and warehouse positions
Agriculture and seasonal work
Cleaning, maintenance, and building services
For years, workforce planning in these sectors rested on a set of assumptions: that temporary workers could remain long enough to support operational stability, that some would eventually transition to permanent residence, and that international students and post-graduate work permit holders would continue to support hard-to-fill roles.
As employers look toward 2026, those assumptions are being tested.
Why 2026 Will Feel Different
Many of the most impactful immigration changes introduced over the past two years did not cause immediate disruption. Hiring continued. Permits were issued. Operations carried on.
The impact is emerging now as work permits issued under earlier rules expire.
Employers are encountering:
Fewer extension options for existing workers
Increased retention risk tied to family work authorization
The loss of previously reliable student and graduate labour pools
These pressures are structural, not temporary, and they require a shift in how employers think about workforce planning.
The Core Issue: A Shrinking Temporary-to-Permanent Pipeline
It is important to be precise about what has changed.
Canada has not eliminated permanent residence pathways. Multiple permanent residence programs remain available to eligible candidates already in the country.
What has changed is the size and composition of the temporary workforce that can realistically access those pathways.
In other words, the pressure employers are feeling is upstream.
Fewer Temporary Workers Are Able to Remain Long-Term
Within the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, employer-specific work permits continue to play a critical role in filling labour gaps. However, the surrounding framework has become more restrictive.
One of the most significant shifts relates to spousal work authorization.
Historically, many workers on closed, LMIA-based work permits were able to bring a spouse to Canada on an open work permit. This is no longer universally available. Spousal open work permit eligibility is now occupation-driven, not automatic.
For many workers in essential but lower-wage roles, this means:
The spouse may not be authorized to work
Household income is reduced
Family settlement becomes less viable
Insight for Business Owners
Immigration risk is increasingly a retention issue, not a recruitment issue. When family work authorization is removed, workforce stability becomes harder to sustain.
As a result, some workers are less able or less willing to remain in Canada once initial permits expire, even where employers wish to retain them.
The Student-to-Worker Pipeline Has Narrowed
For years, international students quietly supported local labour markets. Many worked part-time in hard-to-fill roles while studying and transitioned to full-time employment after graduation through a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
That pathway is no longer automatic.
PGWP eligibility is now program-specific, meaning many graduates including those already working for an employer are no longer eligible to remain and work after completing their studies.
For employers, this translates to:
The loss of a familiar staffing pipeline
Reduced access to part-time and entry-level labour
Fewer graduates able to transition into long-term roles
What This Means in Practice
Employers may find that strong, reliable student workers can no longer remain even where there is a clear business need and a full-time role available.
Where TR-to-PR Fits and Where It Does Not
There has been significant discussion about the need to retain temporary residents already contributing to the Canadian labour market. As of now, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has not announced a new, broad Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident (TR-to-PR) pathway similar to those introduced in the past.
Permanent residence options still exist but fewer workers are reaching the point where they qualify.
Evoke Insight
The challenge is not the absence of permanent residence pathways. It is the shrinking pool of temporary workers who are able to remain in Canada long enough to qualify.
From an employer perspective, this distinction matters. Planning based on anticipated programs rather than current eligibility carries real risk.
Short-Term Pressure, Real Adjustment
For employers with TFW-reliant workforces, the next period is likely to feel uncomfortable.
Work permits will expire. Some workers will leave earlier than expected. Retention challenges may intensify in sectors already under strain.
At the same time, this environment is prompting a necessary shift.
Employers are being pushed to think more deliberately about:
Their employment value proposition
Wage structures and non-wage benefits
Scheduling predictability and flexibility
Workplace culture, stability, and support
In a tighter labour market, employers who clearly articulate why someone would choose and stay with their organization are better positioned to weather change.
Insight for Leaders
When external conditions tighten, internal value propositions matter more. Retention increasingly depends on how employment is experienced, not just offered.
Planning for 2026 and Beyond
Canada’s long-term population and labour force growth continue to depend on immigration. At the same time, immigration policy remains responsive to economic, political, and public pressures and change is rarely linear.
For employers, the most effective response is not waiting for policy relief, but planning for uncertainty:
Understanding workforce exposure to expiring permits
Reviewing eligibility well before renewal timelines
Integrating immigration considerations into broader workforce planning
A proactive approach reduces disruption and supports continuity in a shifting environment.
A Steady Path Forward
Evoke HR & Immigration Inc. supports employers in navigating workforce and immigration planning thoughtfully and in compliance with Canadian requirements.
In periods of change, clarity, preparation, and adaptability remain the most reliable tools.
