The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals to fill urgent labour gaps when no qualified Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available.
If your business is facing a skills shortage and you’ve exhausted your domestic recruitment efforts, the TFWP may be your solution.
The TFWP is jointly administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). It governs a range of streams that bring skilled and semi-skilled workers into Canada temporarily when the domestic labour market cannot fill a position.
The program is employer-driven: to hire a foreign worker under the TFWP, a Canadian company must typically obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) before the worker can apply for a work permit.
Employers who want to hire without an LMIA may be eligible through the International Mobility Program (IMP), which processes LMIA-exempt applications.
The TFWP is undergoing significant changes. Employers should factor the following into their hiring timelines:
Reduced admissions targets: Canada has cut TFWP admissions to 60,000 for 2026, a 27% reduction from the 82,000 target in 2025. Employers in competitive or high-volume sectors should expect tighter scrutiny of LMIA applications.
Low-wage LMIA restrictions: ESDC will not process low-wage LMIA applications in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. Regional eligibility is reassessed quarterly. As of April 1, 2026, low-wage LMIA applicants must also advertise the position for a minimum of eight consecutive weeks in the three months before submitting their application.
Rural employer flexibilities: Starting April 1, 2026, eligible rural employers may increase the proportion of low-wage temporary foreign workers in their total workforce from 10% to 15%.
LMIA processing times are rising: Despite reduced admissions, LMIA wait times have increased across most streams. Plan accordingly — for standard streams, submit your LMIA application at least five to six months before your intended hire date.
Pathway to permanent residence: IRCC is fast-tracking permanent residence for up to 33,000 temporary foreign workers in 2026 and 2027. If you have valued workers already in Canada, now may be the time to explore permanent pathways.
Contact Canadim to learn more →
An LMIA is a document issued by ESDC that assesses the potential impact of hiring a foreign worker on the Canadian labour market.
Once an employer receives a positive LMIA, they provide it to the foreign worker along with a signed employment contract. The worker then applies to IRCC for their work permit.
Learn more about the LMIA process, requirements, and timelines →
The IMP allows Canadian employers to hire temporary foreign workers without an LMIA. LMIA exemptions are available where the hire provides:
While the IMP has also seen admissions reductions in 2026 (from 285,750 in 2025 to 170,000), it remains a faster and more cost-effective alternative to LMIA-based hiring for eligible positions, with total timelines of roughly six to ten weeks and a government fee of $230 per position (versus $1,000 for an LMIA).
International Mobility Program (IMP)
*LMIA-exemptTemporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
*LMIA-required
LMIA required ❌ Not required ✅ Required (most streams)
Work permit type Open or employer-specific Employer-specific (closed) only
Eligibility basis Broader economic, cultural, or reciprocal benefit to Canada Demonstrated domestic labour shortage
Employer fee $230 CAD per position $1,000 CAD per position
Advertising required ❌ Not required ✅ Generally required
Typical timeline 6 – 10 weeks 5 – 6+ months
LMIA processing (May 2026) N/A High-wage: ~64 business days
Low-wage: ~58 business days
Global Talent Stream: ~8 business days
2026 admissions target 170,000 60,000 (↓ 27% from 2025)
Key streams / uses CUSMA/USMCA professionals
Intra-company transfers
Significant benefit
Reciprocal youth exchange
Post-graduation work permitsGlobal Talent Stream
High-wage workers
Low-wage workers
Seasonal agricultural (SAWP)
In-home caregivers
Best for Speed, LMIA-exempt roles, free trade agreement hires, reciprocal arrangements Filling documented labour shortages when no LMIA exemption exists
Best for: Technology companies and innovative firms hiring highly skilled workers in in-demand occupations.
The Global Talent Stream (GTS) is one of the most attractive TFWP options for employers who qualify. Instead of a traditional LMIA, the GTS uses a Labour Market Benefits Plan (LMBP), a forward-looking document focused on how the hire benefits Canada (jobs created, training invested, skills transferred). Crucially, it does not require you to advertise the position.
As of May 2026, the GTS is processing within ESDC’s 10-business-day service standard at approximately eight business days, significantly faster than any other TFWP stream.
To qualify, your company must either have a referral from a designated Service Canada partner or be hiring for a position on the Global Talent Occupations List.
Ask Canadim if your company qualifies for the Global Talent Stream →
Best for: Employers hiring for skilled roles at or above the provincial/territorial median wage.
If the position you need to fill is paid at or above the median hourly wage for the province or territory, you must apply under the high-wage stream. The employer must obtain an LMIA demonstrating that no Canadian or permanent resident was available for the role.
Key details:
Best for: Employers facing acute, short-term labour shortages in regions with low unemployment.
If the position pays below the provincial or territorial median hourly wage, it falls under the low-wage stream. This stream has faced the most significant restrictions in recent years:
Employers hiring under this stream must also meet additional workplace standards to protect the rights and safety of foreign workers.
Best for: Farms, nurseries, and greenhouses requiring seasonal or year-round labour.
Employers in primary agriculture can hire through two pathways:
SAWP brings workers from Mexico and Caribbean countries under bilateral government agreements for seasonal work. Applications submitted early in the season (January or February for spring arrivals) process most smoothly. SAWP processing currently sits at 10 business days.
The Agricultural Stream is open to workers from any country and is suited for non-seasonal positions. Processing typically runs eight to twelve weeks.
To qualify for either stream, production must fall within Canada’s national commodity list and the position must correspond to one of the following NOC codes: 80020, 80021, 82030, 82031, 84120, 85100, 85101, or 85103.
National commodity list
Apiary products Mink
Bovine Mushrooms
Dairy Nursery-grown trees (including Christmas trees, greenhouses/nurseries)
Duck Pedigreed canola seed
Flowers Poultry
Fruits, vegetables (including canning/processing of these products if grown on the farm) Sheep
Grains, oil seeds and seed corn Sod
Horse Swine
Maple syrup Tobacco
Best for: Families needing full-time, live-in care for children, seniors, or individuals with disabilities.
Families can hire a foreign national as an in-home caregiver through the TFWP, provided the position meets the requirements for one of the following NOC codes:
Families must demonstrate that a dependent family member requires in-home care and that they have the financial capacity to pay the caregiver’s wages.
Families hiring in-home caregivers for seniors and people living with disabilities are exempt from the $1,000 LMIA application fee. Families hiring caregivers for children are also exempt if their gross annual household income is under $150,000 CAD.
Best for: Post-secondary institutions facing short-term shortages of qualified candidates.
Hiring foreign academics strengthens Canada’s research capacity and international academic competitiveness.
In many cases, foreign nationals hired in research positions at post-secondary institutions qualify for LMIA exemptions, work permit exemptions, or both. Those who don’t qualify must follow standard TFWP procedures.
Quebec retains significant autonomy over its immigration processes. Employers in Quebec should be aware of the following:
Language of submission: All LMIA applications in Quebec must be submitted in French, except for in-home caregiver positions. ESDC can work with employers experiencing difficulty with this requirement.
Dual approval: LMIA applications in Quebec must be submitted to both Service Canada (federal) and the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) for provincial approval.
LMIA exemptions: MIFI may exempt a foreign worker from the LMIA requirement if they hold a valid work permit, a Quebec Certificate of Selection (CSQ), reside in Quebec, and have applied for permanent residence under the Quebec Skilled Worker class.
Facilitated LMIA: Quebec employers may apply through a facilitated LMIA process that removes the standard requirement to prove recruitment efforts were exhausted.
Employers who hire under the TFWP are subject to compliance inspections by ESDC. Non-compliance can result in fines, bans from the program, and reputational consequences.
In the 2024–2025 period alone, total penalties for non-compliant employers reached $4.88 million, and 36 employers were banned from the program entirely.
All temporary foreign workers have the same workplace rights as Canadian citizens and permanent residents under federal, provincial, and territorial employment standards, including minimum wage protections, health and safety rights, and the right to organize.
If you believe a temporary foreign worker is being abused or exploited, you can report it confidentially to ESDC.
Proactively disclosing compliance concerns to ESDC before an inspection is initiated can significantly reduce your exposure to penalties.
Canada is actively encouraging employers to consider permanent immigration pathways for valued workers. IRCC is fast-tracking permanent residence for up to 33,000 temporary foreign workers in 2026 and 2027, prioritizing those in rural communities and in-demand sectors.
Pathways worth exploring alongside or after a work permit include:
Retaining your best workers through permanent residence saves you the cost of the LMIA cycle and builds long-term workforce stability.
Not necessarily. If the position qualifies under the International Mobility Program — for example, under an intra-company transfer, a free trade agreement like CUSMA, or a reciprocal employment arrangement — you can hire without an LMIA. Contact Canadim to determine which stream applies to your situation.
An LMIA is typically valid for 18 months from the date of issue. The foreign worker must apply for their work permit before the LMIA expires.
In many cases, yes. IRCC’s concurrent processing measures allow some foreign nationals to submit a work permit application while the employer’s LMIA is still pending at ESDC. Ask your Canadim consultant whether your case qualifies.
A refused LMIA does not prevent you from reapplying, but you should understand the reason for refusal before doing so. Common reasons include insufficient evidence of recruitment, a wage offer below the regional median, or incomplete documentation. Canadim can review your file and advise on your next steps.
Your LMIA application must be submitted in French (with limited exceptions). However, ESDC will work with employers facing language barriers. For legal and strategic support, speak with Canadim’s Quebec immigration team.
Navigating the Temporary Foreign Worker Program takes time, expertise, and careful documentation. A poorly prepared LMIA can cost you months of delays and, in a tighter 2026 market, the talent you were counting on.
Canadim works directly with Canadian employers to assess their hiring needs, identify the right program stream, and prepare complete, compliant applications from day one.
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