Canada work permit delays rise in August; permanent resident stream wait hits 156 days

Canada’s processing time for Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) jumped sharply in August, with employers waiting an average of 156 days for the permanent resident stream, up from 86 days in July.

The latest figures from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), released on September 10, show that processing times increased in most Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) streams.

Permanent resident stream sees biggest rise

The permanent resident stream recorded the biggest increase, with the average wait rising by 70 days in one month. The low-wage stream also saw a notable increase, with processing time going up from 73 days in July to 82 days in August.


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For the high-wage stream, the wait increased from 88 days to 90 days. The agricultural stream rose from 23 days to 25 days. The Global Talent Stream remained unchanged at 10 days. This means it continued to meet ESDC’s 10-day service standard.

The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program was the only stream where processing became faster. Its average wait fell from eight days to six days.

What the LMIA wait times mean

An LMIA is generally needed when a Canadian employer wants to hire a temporary foreign worker through the TFWP.

The assessment checks whether the employer made efforts to find a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the job and whether hiring a foreign worker could affect the Canadian labour market.

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The processing times published by ESDC show the average number of business days needed to assess an application. They do not include the advertising period that employers must complete before applying. Depending on the stream, this can take between 14 days and eight weeks.

Canada is also reducing temporary worker numbers

The increase in LMIA processing times comes as Canada continues to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers it plans to admit.

The government has set a target of 60,000 TFWP admissions in 2026, down from 82,000 in 2025.

In the first half of 2026, 23,190 temporary foreign workers entered Canada. That was 42.1% lower than the number recorded during the same period in 2025.

Low-wage LMIA applications also face restrictions in regions where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher. The federal government updates the list of affected regions every quarter.