Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)’s latest processing time update for Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) shows significant movement.
While LMIA wait times increased for nearly all streams under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), the permanent resident (PR) stream saw a nearly one-month improvement.
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ESDC, the federal department responsible for assessing LMIA applications, issued its May 2026 processing time update on June 9, 2026.
How have LMIA processing times changed?
The time required to process an LMIA application depends on several factors, including the stream selected, whether the application is complete, and current processing volumes.
The table below provides a comparison of ESDC’s most recent LMIA processing times for May against the previously reported April figures.
The immigration department notes that its published LMIA processing times do not factor in the period required to meet the minimum advertising requirements for a position, which is 14 days to eight weeks (stream-dependent), in the three months prior to LMIA submission.
| TFWP stream/program | April 2026 | May 2026 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global talent stream | 8 days | 10 days | +2 days |
| Agricultural stream | 21 days | 22 days | +1 day |
| Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program | 10 days | 11 days | +1 day |
| High-wage stream | 64 days | 64 days | — |
| Low-wage stream | 58 days | 61 days | +3 days |
| Permanent resident stream | 140 days | 114 days | -26 days |
The only TFWP stream to see a reduction in LMIA wait time was the PR stream, which continues to improve significantly month-over-month.
With the exception of the high-wage stream—intended for the hiring of workers with a wage that is at least 20% higher than the provincial or territorial threshold—LMIA wait times have increased slightly across all other TFWP streams.
The most notable increase was for the low-wage stream, for which the government only processes LMIAs in regions where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher. The list of ineligible regions is updated on a quarterly basis, with the next update to take place on July 10. The current list is here.
Wait times for the Global Talent Stream, which facilitates faster LMIA and work permit processing, now sit exactly at the immigration department’s 10-day service standard for this stream.
What is the significance of an LMIA?
Before a foreign national can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for a work permit under the TFWP, the hiring employer must secure a neutral or positive labour market test from ESDC. This assessment helps confirm two key points:
- That the employer could not find a suitable Canadian citizen or PR for the role; and
- That hiring a foreign worker is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the Canadian labour market.
Once the LMIA is issued, the employer provides the foreign national with the LMIA decision letter and an offer of employment, which must be included in the work permit application submitted to IRCC.
The length of time the foreign national may work in Canada depends on the validity of the LMIA-backed work permit. This permitted work period is separate from the LMIA itself period and is based on the work duration recommended by ESDC during the LMIA process.
IRCC’s concurrent processing measures may allow some applicants to submit their work permit application while the employer is still waiting for an LMIA decision.
The Canada Job Bank can also be used to search for LMIA-supported roles, from employers that have already received an LMIA or have submitted an LMIA application. At the time of this writing, the platform has nearly 5,400 available job postings.
In certain cases, an individual may be able to apply for a work permit without their employer having to obtain an LMIA. LMIA-exempt work permits are issued under the International Mobility Program (IMP).
About Canada’s temporary foreign worker admissions
This year, the government intends to admit 60,000 temporary foreign workers to Canada through the TFWP—82,000 fewer than its 2025 admissions target.
Canada admitted 14,655 workers under the TFWP between January and April 2026, a 25.6% decrease from the same period in 2025 and a 53.6% decrease in 2024.
This decrease reflects the government’s broader push to limit the temporary resident population to less than 5% of Canada’s total population by 2027.
A decline in TFWP work permit issuance may also reduce the number of LMIA applications employers submit, potentially helping to shorten processing times.
The IMP has also seen a major reduction in planned admissions, falling from 285,750 in 2025 to 170,000 in 2026. Between January and April 2026, Canada admitted 15.3% fewer workers compared with the same period in 2025, and 69.4% fewer in 2024.
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