کانادا زمان انتظار LMIA را به ۹۰ روز افزایش میدهد

Canada has added an extra month to the time foreign workers can wait for their employer’s Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before their work permit is decided. Previously, applicants had only 60 days after submitting a Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) work‑permit request to prove that a Canadian citizen or permanent resident could not fill the job. The new rule, effective August 21, 2026, stretches that window to 90 days. This change works like a safety net: it lets people already in Canada keep working while their employer’s LMIA is still being processed, instead of being forced to stop work or leave the country.

The benefit comes from what immigration officials call “concurrent processing.” Under this system, a worker can apply for a TFWP permit even though the LMIA is not yet approved. The officer then puts the permit decision on hold for up to three months, giving the applicant a chance to attach the LMIA result when it finally arrives. If the LMIA is positive or neutral, the permit can be issued without a break in the worker’s legal status. This avoids the stressful situation where a worker’s current permit expires, the LMIA is still pending, and the worker would otherwise lose the right to work.

To qualify, three simple conditions must be met: the current permit must be due to expire within two weeks, the employer must have already filed a complete LMIA, and the LMIA decision must still be pending. When these are true, the worker can stay in Canada, continue working under the terms of the old permit, and wait for the new permit to be approved. The policy therefore protects both the employee, who keeps a legal foothold, and the employer, who does not lose the worker they have hired while waiting for bureaucratic clearance.

In practice, the 30‑day extension reduces the risk of sudden job loss, helps maintain continuity for businesses that rely on foreign talent, and gives the immigration system a clearer, more humane way to handle delayed LMIA outcomes. It is a practical step toward smoother integration of temporary foreign workers into Canada’s labour market.