This communiqué provides an update regarding the recently announced measures to help rural employers address workforce challenges while maintaining strong safeguards to ensure Canadians and permanent residents continue to be prioritized to fill available jobs.

Additional information will be sent as provinces and territories decide to opt-in to these measures.

Summary of Measures to Support Rural Employers

In participating provinces and territories, the Government of Canada will allow eligible rural employers to:

To confirm if your location is in a rural area that qualifies for the measure, please enter your full postal code at the following website: Census of Population. If no Census Metropolitan Area appears, then your work location is considered eligible for the rural measure.

For more information on how the measures apply, please consult the Temporary measures to support rural employers webpage.

Measures that apply by province and territory

These measures will apply to the provinces and territories as described below.

Please find information on previously announced provinces and territories here. 

To learn more about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

You are encouraged to share this communication throughout your respective networks, and with any colleagues or peers who may need to be aware of this information. If you have questions on the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Employment and Social Development Canada (EDSC)

This communiqué provides an update regarding the recently announced measures to help rural employers address workforce challenges while maintaining strong safeguards to ensure Canadians and permanent residents continue to be prioritized to fill available jobs.

Additional information will be sent as provinces and territories decide to opt-in to these measures.

Summary of Measures to Support Rural Employers

In participating provinces and territories, the Government of Canada will allow eligible rural employers to:

• Retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers if above the 10% cap; or,
• Benefit from a 15% cap—instead of the current 10% cap—on the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions.

To confirm if your location is in a rural area that qualifies for the measure, please enter your full postal code at the following website: Census of Population. If no Census Metropolitan Area appears, then your work location is considered eligible for the rural measure.

For more information on how the measures apply, please consult the Temporary measures to support rural employers webpage.

Measures that apply by province and territory

These measures will apply to the provinces and territories as described below. They will be available for Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) submitted up until March 31, 2027.

• Manitoba
  • Measure(s):
    • Retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers, if above the 10% cap; and
    • Benefit from a 15% cap—instead of the current 10% cap—on the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions.

  • Sector(s): All sectors.
  • Effective date: For LMIA applications submitted on or after April 14, 2026.

• Nunavut
  • The Government of Nunavut will not participate in these measures.

Please find information on previously announced provinces and territories here.

 If you have any questions about the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

You are encouraged to share this communication throughout your respective networks, and with any colleagues or peers who may need to be aware of this information. If you have questions on the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Employment and Social Development Canada (EDSC)

The purpose of this communiqué is to provide information on updated unemployment rate data by census metropolitan area (CMA).

Unemployment rate data by CMA (seasonal unadjusted) is used as part of a measure introduced in September 2024 for the processing of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW Program).

Since September 26, 2024, and until further notice, LMIA applications are not processed if all the conditions below are met:

• The wage offered for the position(s) requested is below the provincial or territorial wage threshold (low-wage positions); and
• The work location is in a CMA; and
• The unemployment rate of the CMA where the work is located is 6% or higher on the TFW Program quarterly table at the time the LMIA application is submitted.

On April 10, 2026, the table of unemployment rates by CMA was updated on the TFW Program website.

As usual, the table is automatically updated on a quarterly basis in accordance with Statistics Canada’s publication dates. Upcoming updates are scheduled for July, October, and January.

As a reminder, certain low-wage positions are exempt from this refusal to process measure. More information can be found on the TFW Program website under Refusal to process a Labour Market Impact Assessment application.

 If you have any questions about the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

You are encouraged to share this communication throughout your respective networks, and with any colleagues or peers who may need to be aware of this information. If you have questions on the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Employment and Social Development Canada (EDSC)

This communiqué provides an update regarding the recently announced measures to help rural employers address workforce challenges while maintaining strong safeguards to ensure Canadians and permanent residents continue to be prioritized to fill available jobs.

Additional information will be sent as provinces and territories decide to opt-in to these measures.

Summary of Measures to Support Rural Employers

In participating provinces and territories, the Government of Canada will allow eligible rural employers to:

• Retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers if above the 10% cap; or,
• Benefit from a 15% cap—instead of the current 10% cap—on the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions.

For the purpose of these measures, rural is defined as locations outside of Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs). This definition will apply consistently across all P/Ts and for all measures. The definition of a CMA is determined by Statistics Canada.

To confirm if your location is in a rural area that qualifies for the measure, please enter your full postal code at the following website: Census of Population. If no Census Metropolitan Area appears, then your work location is considered eligible for the rural measure.

These measures can be implemented within two weeks of a positive confirmation from a province or territory. They will be available for Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) submitted up until March 31, 2027.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program webpages will be updated in the coming days with additional details on these temporary measures, as provinces and territories confirm participation.

There are no changes to existing sector-specific variations and positions with no caps. For more information on existing measures, please consult the cap on the proportion of low-wage positions.

Measures that apply by province and territory

These measures will apply to the provinces and territories as described below.

• Quebec
  • Measure(s): Retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers, if above the 10% cap.
  • Sector(s): All sectors.
  • Effective date: For LMIA applications submitted on or after April 1, 2026.

• Nova Scotia
  • Measure(s):
    • Retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers, if above the 10% cap; and
    • Benefit from a 15% cap—instead of the current 10% cap—on the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions.

  • Sector(s): All sectors.
  • Effective date: For LMIA applications submitted on or after April 14, 2026.

Responses from other provinces and territories have not yet been confirmed.

To learn more about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, visit Canada.ca (note: the website will be updated shortly) or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

You are encouraged to share this communication throughout your respective networks, and with any colleagues or peers who may need to be aware of this information. If you have questions on the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Employment and Social Development Canada (EDSC)

This communiqué outlines new recruitment requirements for low‑wage positions under the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program and provides key reminders on existing recruitment and advertising requirements for both the Low‑wage Stream and the High‑wage Stream.

Separate guidance will be issued for agricultural stakeholders to address recruitment and advertising requirements specific to the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) and the Agricultural Stream, where distinct rules apply.

New Recruitment Requirements for Low‑Wage Positions (Effective April 1, 2026)

To continue protecting the Canadian labour market and reinforce the priority hiring of Canadians and permanent residents, the TFW Program is introducing two new recruitment requirements for low‑wage positions.

These requirements apply to Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications received on or after April 1, 2026.

Employers must:

1. Advertise the position for at least 8 consecutive weeks

   • Advertising must take place within the 3 months prior to submitting an LMIA application.

   • The full advertising period must be completed before the LMIA is submitted.

2. Demonstrate targeted recruitment efforts to reach youth (ages 15–30)

   • Employers must show that reasonable efforts were made to encourage youth to apply and be hired before seeking a temporary foreign worker. This can include posting on Job Bank (youth section) and youth job boards, working with schools or colleges, participating in youth employment programs, or using other platforms commonly used by youth.

   • These youth‑focused efforts are in addition to, and do not replace, existing recruitment requirements.

General Recruitment Requirements – Key Reminders

Before hiring a temporary foreign worker, employers must make reasonable efforts to hire or train Canadians and permanent residents.

For positions in the High-wage Stream or Low-wage Stream, employers must conduct at least 3 recruitment activities to select qualified Canadians and permanent residents.

Employers must review and consider all applications received from Canadians and permanent residents, regardless of whether they are submitted through Job Bank or other recruitment methods used for the position.

Employers are required to retain recruitment and advertising records for a minimum of 6 years and may be requested by Service Canada as part of LMIA assessments or compliance activities. In Quebec, eligible employers for the traitement simplifié must keep recruitment and advertising records even if they are not required to submit these documents at the time of submission.

All required advertising must be completed within the 3-month period before submitting an LMIA, with at least one recruitment activity ongoing until a positive or negative LMIA decision is issued.

The job offer should be consistent with the reasonable workforce needs of the business, and the content in the advertisement should be in line with the position being sought through the TFW Program.

Employers in Quebec, wishing to hire temporary foreign workers must also consult the MIFI website for provincial requirements.

Please note that there are variations to the requirements on recruitment and advertisement, particularly for primary agriculture positions using the streams for high-wage or low-wage positions.

Mandatory Use of Job Bank: Job Match and Direct Apply

When using Job Bank, employers must ensure that both Job Match (except for primary agriculture positions) and Direct Apply features are enabled and used.

Within the Job Bank employer account:

• Canadian citizens/permanent residents are identified by a red maple leaf
• Temporary residents are identified by a character icon

The TFW Program monitors activity on Job Bank to ensure that requirements are met. Disabling Job Match or Direct Apply or failing to consider qualified Canadian or permanent resident applicants, may result in a negative LMIA decision.

Additional information

You may consult the TFW Program website for more information on variations to the minimum recruitment and advertising requirements, including primary agriculture positions using the streams for high-wage and/or low-wage positions.

To learn more about the TFW Program, visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

You are encouraged to share this communication throughout your respective networks, and with any colleagues or peers who may need to be aware of this information. If you have questions on the TFW Program, please visit Canada.ca or reach out to the Employer Contact Centre.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Employment and Social Development Canada (EDSC)