Newly below threshold
Kamloops, BC
3.6%
Previous quarter: 7.0%
low wage lmia unemployment rate update october 2026
Low-Wage LMIA Unemployment Rate Update
Service Canada has released new CMA unemployment rates affecting the processing of certain low-wage LMIA applications. Here are the locations below the 6% threshold and the important points employers should know.
Big change for British Columbia
Kamloops and Chilliwack are newly below 6%
The CMA unemployment-rate restriction no longer blocks otherwise qualifying low-wage LMIA applications in these two locations during this period.
Below 6% for this period
CMAs not restricted by the unemployment-rate rule
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Kamloops
3.6%
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Chilliwack
5.6%
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Victoria
5.8%
QUEBEC
Saguenay
3.7%
QUEBEC
Québec City
4.3%
QUEBEC
Sherbrooke
4.2%
QUEBEC
Trois-Rivières
5.7%
QUEBEC
Drummondville
3.8%
ONTARIO
Thunder Bay
4.6%
NEW BRUNSWICK
Saint John
5.5%
MANITOBA
Winnipeg
5.9%
Employer checklist
What employers should confirm
1
Confirm the location
Use the exact work-location postal code to determine whether it falls inside a CMA.
2
Check wage and stream
Confirm the current provincial or territorial wage threshold and the correct LMIA stream.
3
Meet every requirement
The workforce cap, recruitment, business-legitimacy and all other program conditions still apply.
What about locations outside a CMA?
If the work location is outside a Census Metropolitan Area—including many smaller cities, towns and rural communities—this specific 6% CMA unemployment-rate restriction does not apply. All other LMIA requirements must still be met.
Important: Being below 6% only means the CMA is not restricted by this specific refusal-to-process measure. It does not guarantee that an LMIA application will be accepted or approved.
View official Canada.ca table
Visit us in British Columbia
Our Locations
Meet our team in Surrey or Kamloops. Choose the office most convenient for you.
Surrey Office
