Temporary measures under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Updates to participating provinces and territories

The How these measures are applied section was updated to include information for the following provinces and territories:

• British Columbia: April 22, 2026
• Alberta: April 17, 2026
• Manitoba: April 14, 2026
• Nunavut: April 14, 2026
• Nova Scotia: April 1, 2026
• Quebec: April 1, 2026

On this page

• Temporary measures to support rural employers
• Retained proportion of low-wage positions
• Increased cap on the proportion of low-wage positions
• How these measures are applied

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.