New LMIA rules double advertising period and require employers to target youth

Employers must now advertise for longer and must try to recruit youth before they can hire a foreign worker through the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

As of April 1, 2026, employers applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) must advertise positions for a minimum of eight consecutive weeks — double the previous four-week requirement.

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Starting on this date, employers must also demonstrate that they made efforts to recruit youth before hiring a foreign national through the TFWP.

The new requirements from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) add to the advertising obligations employers must complete before applying for an LMIA under the low-wage stream.

Advertising period doubles from four weeks to eight

Previously, employers were required to advertise LMIA-based positions for a minimum of four consecutive weeks within the three months before submitting their LMIA application. As of April 1, that minimum has doubled to eight consecutive weeks.

The advertisement must still occur within the three months before the LMIA application is submitted.

At least one of the three required recruitment activities must also remain ongoing until ESDC issues a positive or negative LMIA decision.

For employers, the longer advertising window means more lead time is needed before an LMIA application can be filed. Employers who are planning to hire through the low-wage stream must now factor this extended timeline into their recruitment planning.

Further details on new LMIA requirements

Under the updated minimum recruitment requirements for low-wage LMIA applications, employers must now also demonstrate recruitment efforts to reach and encourage youth to apply for the job.

According to ESDC, this is to ensure that youth "were provided with every opportunity to obtain employment."

This is separate from the existing requirement to target underrepresented groups — including vulnerable youth — through two additional recruitment methods.

While ESDC does not have a formally published definition for the "youth", the department's "Youth Employment and Skills Strategy" targets individuals aged between 15 and 30.

The new rule makes youth outreach its own category of recruitment activity that employers must fulfill.

To meet this requirement, employers can take steps such as

Posting on Job Bank's youth section and youth-specific job boards;
Working with schools or colleges;
Participating in youth employment programs; and
Using other platforms popular with youth.

How ESDC will assess youth outreach

Alongside the new requirement, ESDC has also added "targeted outreach to youth" as an acceptable method of recruitment. The government lists five specific activities that can count toward this:

Youth-focused job advertisements: Post job vacancies on youth-oriented platforms, such as Job Bank's youth section, provincial or territorial youth employment programs, and post-secondary career centers. Job ads should clearly encourage youth to apply.
Collaboration with educational institutions: Partner with high schools, colleges, and universities to reach students and recent graduates through co-op placements, internships, career fairs, or on-campus recruitment.
Participation in recognized youth employment programs: Take part in government-supported programs, such as Canada Summer Jobs or equivalent regional programs, that connect employers with youth.
Community and non-profit engagement: Promote job vacancies through local community centers, youth organizations and employment support agencies that work with young job seekers.
Digital and social media outreach: Advertise job opportunities on platforms popular with youth to reach a wider pool of potential candidates.

Employers should keep in mind that ESDC requires them to keep records of all recruitment and advertising efforts for a minimum of six years. They must also provide results from the recruitment efforts they undertook to fill the position.

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Context on the TFWP and youth employment

The TFWP — through which LMIA-based work permits are processed — requires employers to demonstrate that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available to fill a position before hiring a foreign worker.

The new youth recruitment requirement further builds on this principle by making sure young Canadians specifically aren't overlooked in the hiring process.

Youth unemployment in Canada has been a growing concern.

Statistics Canada reported in October 2025 that the unemployment rate for Canadians aged 15 to 24 reached 14.7% in September 2025 — the highest for that month since 2010, outside the pandemic.

For teenagers aged 15 to 19, the rate was even steeper at 20.8%.

The TFWP has also become a political flashpoint.

In September 2025, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre called for the program's permanent abolition, arguing that it suppresses wages and shuts young Canadians out of entry-level jobs.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has, partly in response, signaled reform for the program. In an address to the Liberal caucus in Edmonton in September 2025, Carney said the TFWP "must have a focused approach that targets specific, strategic sectors, and needs in specific regions." No further details on the planned changes have been released.

At the same time, the federal government recently expanded the program for rural employers. As of April 1, 2026, employers in rural areas can hire up to 15% of their workforce through low-wage TFWP positions — up from 10% — subject to approval by their province or territory. The temporary measure runs until March 31, 2027.

Employer groups, meanwhile, continue to push for the program's continuation. Industry leaders in sectors like agriculture, construction, and trucking have argued that the TFWP remains necessary to address labour shortages that can't be filled domestically, particularly in regions with low unemployment.

The new requirements, in effect from April 1, 2026, are part of a broader set of measures ESDC has introduced over the past two years to tighten the TFWP.

These include:

A moratorium on low-wage LMIA processing in census metropolitan areas with unemployment rates of 6% or higher;
The introduction of the mandatory Direct Apply feature on Job Bank; and
Reductions to the cap on low-wage TFWs employers can hire at a single work location.

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