Temporary measures under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
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Temporary measures to support rural employers
From April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, employers located in rural areas of participating provinces and territories—specifically those outside of census metropolitan areas (CMAs)—may be eligible for temporary measures for certain low‑wage positions. “Rural” refers to areas outside CMAs, as determined by Statistics Canada.
Eligible employers may:
- retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers if it's above the cap, and/or
- benefit from a 15% cap—instead of the usual 10% cap—on the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions
Retained proportion of low-wage positions
Eligible employers could retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers at a given worksite, even if it exceeds the usual 10% cap. This will be determined by the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions at the time of submitting a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
Increased cap on the proportion of low-wage positions
For eligible employers, the cap on the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions could be increased to 15% of their workforce, instead of 10%.
There are no changes to sector-specific variations and to positions with no caps. For more information, visit Cap on the proportion of low-wage positions.
How these measures are applied
To benefit from these measures, employers must meet all Temporary Foreign Worker Program requirements, including demonstrating efforts to first hire Canadians and permanent residents.
The measures will be applied once an eligible employer has submitted a new LMIA during the effective period of the measures in their province or territory. LMIA applications submitted before the measures come into effect in your province or territory won't be eligible.
Additionally, low-wage positions under the permanent resident dual-intent stream aren't included in these measures.
Provinces and territories
To find out whether any temporary measures apply to rural employers in your area, click on your province or territory.
This section will be updated as more provinces and territories respond to these measures.
Alberta
To be determined by the province/territory
British Columbia
To be determined by the province/territory
Manitoba
To be determined by the province/territory
New Brunswick
To be determined by the province/territory
Newfoundland and Labrador
To be determined by the province/territory
Northwest Territories
To be determined by the province/territory
Nova Scotia
- Measures:
- eligible employers will be able to retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers at a given worksite, above the cap
- eligible employers will benefit from a 15% cap — instead of the usual 10% cap — on the proportion of temporary foreign workers in low-wage positions
- Sector: all sectors
- Implementation date: April 14, 2026
Nunavut
To be determined by the province/territory
Ontario
To be determined by the province/territory
Prince Edward Island
To be determined by the province/territory
Quebec
- Measure: eligible employers will be able to retain their current proportion of low-wage positions filled by temporary foreign workers at a given worksite, above the cap
- Sector: all sectors
- Implementation date: April 1, 2026
Saskatchewan
To be determined by the province/territory
Yukon
To be determined by the province/territory