- Canada added six new metropolitan areas to its list of regions blocking low-wage foreign worker applications from October 9, 2026
- Halifax, Fredericton, Kingston, St. Catharines-Niagara, Regina, and Lethbridge joined the restricted zones as unemployment rates crossed the 6% threshold
- Kenyan workers already holding valid work permits in the affected areas remain unaffected, but new applicants face a closed pathway
Canada has added six more metropolitan areas to the list of cities where low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment applications will no longer be processed, bringing the total number of blocked Census Metropolitan Areas to 30 out of 41 nationwide.
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The new restrictions took effect on October 9, 2026, and will run until January 7, 2027. The cities now joining the restricted list are Halifax in Nova Scotia, Fredericton in New Brunswick, Kingston and St. Catharines-Niagara in Ontario, Regina in Saskatchewan, and Lethbridge in Alberta.
How the Restrictions Work
Under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), Employment and Social Development Canada will decline to process a low-wage LMIA application when three conditions are met:
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- The offered wage falls below the applicable provincial or territorial hourly threshold
- The work site is located within a Census Metropolitan Area
- That CMA's unemployment rate stands at 6% or higher
The rule has been in force since September 26, 2024, and applies exclusively to the low-wage stream.
High-wage LMIA applications continue to be assessed in all 41 CMAs regardless of local unemployment figures.
Each of the six newly restricted cities recorded a rise in unemployment that pushed it to or above the 6% mark.
Kingston and Fredericton posted the sharpest climbs, each rising by roughly a full percentage point quarter-on-quarter.
Lethbridge sits precisely at the 6.0% threshold, which is sufficient to trigger the refusal-to-process measure.
Two British Columbia cities moved in the opposite direction. Kamloops dropped 3.4 percentage points to 3.6% in the largest single-quarter decline recorded across the entire national table, while Chilliwack fell 2.3 percentage points to 5.6%.
Both cities have consequently reopened for low-wage LMIA processing.
What the Change Means for Kenyan Workers
Kenyan nationals already working in any of the six newly restricted cities under valid LMIA-backed work permits are not affected by the update.
Their existing authorisations remain in place, and they may continue working under the conditions attached to those permits.
The restrictions apply only to new low-wage LMIA applications submitted from October 9 onward.
Kenyan workers hoping to obtain a fresh permit or extension through the low-wage stream in these areas will find that pathway closed unless their occupation qualifies under a standing exemption.
Exemptions currently cover primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, specified in-home caregiver roles, positions supporting permanent residence only, and certain temporary or highly mobile roles lasting no more than 120 calendar days.
With 30 CMAs now blocked, only 11 remain below the 6% unemployment threshold nationally.
he shift represents a net gain of four restricted areas compared to the previous quarter, when 26 CMAs were off-limits.
Ontario and the Prairie provinces account for the bulk of the newly restricted zones.
The next quarterly review is scheduled for January 7, 2027, when unemployment figures will be reassessed and the list of restricted CMAs updated accordingly.
Source: TUKO.co.ke