LMIA Wait Times Rose in October 2026 — High-Wage Cases Now Top 100 Days

Employers hiring through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program are waiting longer for their Labour Market Impact Assessments. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) published its October 2026 processing times on November 12, 2026, and the averages moved up in nearly every stream. The figures are monthly averages measured in business days, and they do not include the mandatory job-advertising period that comes first — anywhere from 14 days to eight weeks, depending on the stream. Actual timelines can also vary with the completeness of the supporting documents and the size of the application inventory.

October compared with September

Here is how each stream moved from September to October 2026, in average business days:

• Global Talent Stream: 9 days in October, the same as September — unchanged.
• Agricultural Stream: 20 days, down from 22 — the only stream that got faster.
• Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program: 11 days, up from 7.
• High-wage Stream: 102 days, up from 98.
• Low-wage Stream: 86 days, up from 82.
• Permanent Resident Stream: 94 days, up from 79 — the largest jump, at 15 days.

The biggest moves in October

Two milestones stand out. High-wage processing passed 100 days for the first time in 2026, reaching 102 days. And the Permanent Resident Stream recorded the sharpest rise of any stream, climbing 15 days in a single month — more than two weeks — to 94 days. Even so, at 94 days it is now 8 days faster than the high-wage stream, after holding the longest wait of any stream from January through June 2026. Low-wage processing also hit a 2026 high at 86 days, ending a one-month plateau and sitting 76% above its January level. Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program times moved above the Global Talent Stream for the first time since May. On the brighter side, the Agricultural Stream fell for a second month in a row to its lowest level since March, and the Global Talent Stream held at 9 days — below its 10-day service standard for a second consecutive month.

Why the wait matters

Before an employer can hire a temporary foreign worker through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, it must obtain a positive LMIA from ESDC, confirming that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident was available for the job and that hiring a foreign worker will not harm Canada’s labour market. The employer must first meet stream-specific requirements, including job-advertising durations and recruitment methods. Once the LMIA is issued, the employer must give the worker a copy of the decision letter and the LMIA number. The worker needs those — along with a job offer letter and a contract — to apply for a work permit. ESDC’s assessment includes a recommended employment duration, but Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sets the work permit’s expiry date. An LMIA is valid for a maximum of six months, so the worker must apply for the work permit before it expires. Job Bank, Canada’s official employment site, had over 6,200 vacancies listed by employers with approved LMIAs or awaiting LMIA decisions at the time of writing. IRCC’s concurrent processing provisions also let qualifying in-Canada applicants apply for a work permit before the LMIA is approved, subject to conditions about their existing permit’s expiry and the timing of the employer’s LMIA application.

The wider slowdown

The longer waits sit inside a broader pullback. The federal government set a 2026 target of 60,000 admissions under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, down 22,000 from the previous year’s target of 82,000. From January 1 to August 31, 2026, the program recorded 29,485 admissions — down 31.6% year over year and 56.5% compared with the same period in 2024 — reaching 49.1% of the 2026 target and leaving 30,515 admissions still needed. The 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, released November 5, lowers the program’s target to 50,000 in 2027, with notional targets at the same level for 2028 and 2029. The LMIA-exempt International Mobility Program has fallen too: its 2026 target is 170,000, down from 285,750 in 2025, and it stays at that level in 2027. From January through August 2026 it recorded 100,615 admissions, down 9.1% year over year and 56.8% versus the same period in 2024. Combined, the two programs admitted 130,100 workers in those eight months, or 56.6% of the combined 2026 target of 230,000; the total worker target falls to 220,000 in 2027. The reductions fit the federal aim of bringing the share of temporary residents in Canada below 5% by the end of 2027, a commitment the new plan repeats. The plan also introduces a time-limited measure to grant permanent residence to up to 200,000 people already in Canada, including up to 100,000 workers eligible for Express Entry or the Provincial Nominee Program, or awaiting decisions under select programs now closed to new applications.

What employers and workers should do

With waits rising, timing matters more than ever. Employers should budget for the advertising period on top of the processing time, and file early — especially in the high-wage and Permanent Resident streams, where waits now run past three months. One restriction still applies separately: low-wage LMIAs are not processed in census metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6% or higher, except for certain exempt occupations — a list that expanded to include early childhood educators on November 6 — and the federal government updates the list of affected areas quarterly, next on January 8, 2027. At NewSteps Immigration, we can help employers and workers plan around these timelines, check whether a role qualifies, and file in a way that protects the worker’s status while the LMIA is pending.

Disclaimer: General information only, published by NewSteps Immigration. We accept no liability, as this information may be incorrect or change without notice. Please refer to IRCC for the final, official information.