مجوزهای کاری طولانی‌تر، فرصت‌های شغلی کم‌ درآمد را گسترش می‌دهد

Canada has announced a key change to its Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Workers hired under the low‑wage stream can now receive permits that last up to two years, instead of the previous one‑year limit. The adjustment was made official by Employment and Social Development Canada on November 6, 2026. It applies to any Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) filed after that date. The low‑wage stream covers jobs that pay less than 120 % of the median hourly wage in the province or territory where the work is located. At the time of writing, the threshold is about $36.92 per hour in Ontario and $38.40 in British Columbia.

Under the program, an employer must first obtain a positive or neutral LMIA from ESDC. The LMIA confirms that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available for the position. The length of the LMIA now determines the maximum length of the work permit that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada can issue. If a worker wants to stay longer after the permit expires, the employer must apply for a new LMIA, but the new two‑year ceiling gives both parties more planning flexibility.

The change comes with a caveat. A federal moratorium still blocks low‑wage LMIA processing in certain Census Metropolitan Areas where unemployment is 6 % or higher. The list currently includes 30 CMAs such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax. When a region hits the unemployment threshold, employers can no longer obtain the LMIA needed to extend a worker’s permit, which may cause a loss of status for many. The moratorium does not apply to in‑demand occupations like construction, agriculture, healthcare and early‑childhood education, which remain exempt.

To help workers whose permits are close to expiring, the government allows concurrent processing. If the employer has filed the LMIA with enough lead time, the worker can submit a permit extension while the LMIA decision is still pending. This approach preserves the worker’s status and lets the immigration officer attach the LMIA later, once it is granted. Recent updates have removed the time limit on concurrent processing and extended the grace period from 60 to 90 days, giving applicants a wider window to act.

Overall, the longer permit duration offers low‑wage foreign workers a steadier foothold in Canada and gives employers more time to plan their labour needs. At the same time, the regional moratorium reminds applicants to monitor local unemployment rates and to target exempt occupations when possible. With these rules in place, many workers can now look ahead to a two‑year stay rather than a single year, and they may wonder whether this extended pathway fits their own plans for working in Canada.