Recent amendments to Canada’s LMIA regulations are now in effect

Canada has enacted three significant changes to its Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) rules, effective September 26, 2024. These modifications aim to address rising unemployment and potential misuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program. The new measures include suspending LMIAs in areas with high unemployment rates, reducing the cap on foreign workers from 20% to 10% of a company’s workforce, and limiting employment duration for low-wage stream workers to one year. Following earlier anti-fraud measures introduced in August, these changes seek to balance labour needs with opportunities for Canadian workers in a shifting economic landscape.