Quebec extends freeze on low-wage TFWP work permits

Quebec employers and foreign nationals in the regions of Montreal and Laval will continue to be unable to apply for or renew work permits under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

The province's immigration authority has extended the moratorium on low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) until December 31, 2026.

A positive or neutral LMIA is required to apply for a work permit under the TFWP.

This suspension applies to LMIA applications for all jobs in the Montreal and Laval regions that pay below the salary threshold for low-wage positions in Quebec, which is $34.62/hour, as of the time of writing.

Certain sectors and workers are exempt from this processing freeze.

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm

The suspension also covers

LMIA applications under Quebec’s facilitated process*, and
LMIA applications to renew work permits for temporary foreign workers already working in Montreal and Laval.

*The facilitated LMIA process is a simplified LMIA application procedure for specialized, in-demand professions in the province of Quebec. It enables employers in the province to apply for an LMIA without having to show proof of recruitment efforts—which is generally a prerequisite to receive approval from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for a positive or neutral LMIA.

The moratorium on low-wage LMIAs was originally put in place in August of 2024, at which time it had been set to last until November 30, 2025.

What regions are impacted by the LMIA freeze?

The administrative regions impacted correspond to the following municipalities:

Baie-D'Urfé.
Beaconsfield.
Côte-Saint-Luc.
Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
Dorval.
Hampstead.
Kirkland.
The city of Laval.
Dorval Island.
Montreal.
East Montreal.
Montreal West.
Mount Royal.
Pointe-Claire.
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue.
Senneville.
Westmount.

Exempt workers and sectors

The following general exemptions can apply to any workers in any sector:

Jobs outside the Montreal and Laval administrative regions
Jobs offering an hourly wage at or above the federal high-wage threshold
Temporary selection (TSS) requests tied to an already approved LMIA
LMIA applications submitted before September 3, 2024

Select professions in the following industries are also exempt from the LMIA processing freeze:

Agriculture
Construction
Food Processing
Education
Health and Social Services
Home Healthcare Providers (for medical needs and certain childcare cases)

For a full list of exempt occupations, visit Quebec's dedicated webpages.

Broader LMIA processing freezes across Canada

Quebec's decision to suspend processing of LMIAs tied to the low-wage stream of the TFWP is mirrored by broader measures taken by Canada's federal government to curb use of the TFWP in metropolitan areas across the country with an unemployment rate at or above 6%.

Notably, while Quebec has extended the processing moratorium to December 31, 2026, other regions of Canada have only confirmed areas impacted by the processing freeze up until January 6, 2026. ESDC updates the list of metropolitan areas impacted by the processing freeze every quarter, based on each area's unemployment rate.

Currently, low-wage LMIA applications can notbe used to support work permits in 32 metropolitan areas across Canada.

The measure, which was first announced on 26 August 2024, was undertaken as part of a suite of initiatives to lower Canada's temporary resident (worker and student) population to manageable levels, in the face of general affordability and housing pressures.

Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm