Short answer: if the work location sits in a census metropolitan area (CMA) with unemployment at 6% or higher and the wage is below the provincial threshold, the LMIA is not processed at all. This is a refusal to process, not a refusal on the merits, and it has applied to applications submitted since September 26, 2024. For applications submitted July 10 – October 8, 2026, Vancouver (6.7%), Toronto (7.3%), Calgary (7.0%) and Edmonton (7.2%) are closed, while Victoria (4.6%), Winnipeg (5.6%), Regina (5.9%) and Halifax (5.9%) remain open.
Exemptions that keep an application eligible
Even in a frozen CMA, these remain eligible for processing:
- Occupations under primary agriculture.
- NAICS 23 construction, NAICS 311 food manufacturing, NAICS 622 hospitals, NAICS 623 nursing and residential care facilities.
- Specific in-home caregiver positions in a private household: NOC 31301, 32101, 44100, 44101.
- Positions in support of permanent residence only — where no work permit application follows.
- Short-duration positions of roughly 120 calendar days or less that are truly temporary or highly mobile. You must upload a written request named "Exemption request" with the application.
High-wage positions are outside this measure entirely. See the 2026 wage thresholds.
How to check whether your work location is in a CMA
- Enter the complete postal code of the work location in the Statistics Canada Census of population geography search.
- Look at the "Census metropolitan area / Census agglomeration" geographic level.
- Not listed → the application remains eligible.
- Census agglomeration → the application remains eligible. The measure targets CMAs only.
- Census metropolitan area → check the rate below. At 6.0% or higher the application is not processed.
Rates in force for applications submitted July 10 – October 8, 2026
The table is updated every three months. The next update is October 9, 2026.
| CMA | Unemployment rate (%) | Low-wage LMIA |
|---|---|---|
| St. John's, NL | 7.3 | Not processed |
| Halifax, NS | 5.9 | Eligible |
| Moncton, NB | 8.1 | Not processed |
| Saint John, NB | 5.9 | Eligible |
| Fredericton, NB | 5.3 | Eligible |
| Saguenay, QC | 3.4 | Eligible |
| Québec, QC | 4.0 | Eligible |
| Sherbrooke, QC | 4.3 | Eligible |
| Trois-Rivières, QC | 5.3 | Eligible |
| Drummondville, QC | 5.7 | Eligible |
| Montréal, QC | 6.8 | Not processed |
| Ottawa-Gatineau, ON/QC | 6.7 | Not processed |
| Kingston, ON | 5.3 | Eligible |
| Belleville - Quinte West, ON | 6.7 | Not processed |
| Peterborough, ON | 7.0 | Not processed |
| Oshawa, ON | 8.5 | Not processed |
| Toronto, ON | 7.3 | Not processed |
| Hamilton, ON | 6.9 | Not processed |
| St. Catharines-Niagara, ON | 5.8 | Eligible |
| Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, ON | 8.1 | Not processed |
| Brantford, ON | 6.2 | Not processed |
| Guelph, ON | 7.4 | Not processed |
| London, ON | 7.8 | Not processed |
| Windsor, ON | 7.9 | Not processed |
| Barrie, ON | 7.9 | Not processed |
| Greater Sudbury, ON | 6.2 | Not processed |
| Thunder Bay, ON | 4.9 | Eligible |
| Winnipeg, MB | 5.6 | Eligible |
| Regina, SK | 5.9 | Eligible |
| Saskatoon, SK | 6.5 | Not processed |
| Lethbridge, AB | 5.4 | Eligible |
| Calgary, AB | 7.0 | Not processed |
| Red Deer, AB | 7.2 | Not processed |
| Edmonton, AB | 7.2 | Not processed |
| Kelowna, BC | 7.5 | Not processed |
| Kamloops, BC | 7.0 | Not processed |
| Chilliwack, BC | 7.9 | Not processed |
| Abbotsford-Mission, BC | 8.0 | Not processed |
| Vancouver, BC | 6.7 | Not processed |
| Victoria, BC | 4.6 | Eligible |
| Nanaimo, BC | 6.5 | Not processed |
Of the 41 CMAs listed, 26 are closed and 15 are open under the table updated July 10, 2026.
Other refusal-to-process grounds that catch the same files
- Above the cap on low-wage proportion. Applications above 10% of the total workforce at a work location are not processed; the cap is 20% for construction (NAICS 23), food manufacturing (311), hospitals (622), nursing and residential care (623) and certain in-home caregiver roles.
- Certain low-wage positions in the Montréal and Laval economic regions, under a separate measure running to December 31, 2026.
- In-home caregiver positions with a live-in requirement (exceptions exist for high medical needs).
- Employers with an LMIA revoked in the past 2 years.
- Employers on the IRCC ineligibility list, and businesses regularly offering services in the sex industry.
When an application is refused processing, the processing fee is not charged and a letter explaining the reason is sent.
FAQ
What happens at exactly 6.0%? The rule is "6% or higher", so 6.0% is not processed.
Could a frozen CMA reopen next quarter? Yes. Rates are recalculated quarterly — Kingston sat at 6.2% for the April–July 2026 window and dropped to 5.3% in the July 10 update. The table that applies is the one in force on the submission date.
Are rural work locations automatically fine? Outside a CMA this measure does not apply, but advertising requirements, proportion caps and employer eligibility still do. Some rural areas in participating provinces and territories have separate temporary measures on the low-wage proportion.
