Employers can now apply for low-wage LMIAs to hire early childhood educators in any city, even where the 6% unemployment freeze applies.
Early childhood educators have been added to the list of jobs exempt from the low-wage LMIA freeze. Effective November 6, 2026, employers can apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire them under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), regardless of their area's unemployment rate. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) announced the change in a news release the same day, as reported by CIC News.
Until now, employers could not get a low-wage LMIA processed for most roles in any census metropolitan area (CMA) with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. A job is "low-wage" if it pays less than 120% of the provincial or territorial median wage. That freeze covers 30 CMAs until January 7, 2027, including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Fredericton and Ottawa-Gatineau. Our October update has the full list.
Early childhood educators were caught by that freeze. They are now the latest role carved out.
| Exempt sector or role | Status |
|---|
| Primary agriculture | Exempt |
| Construction | Exempt |
| Food manufacturing | Exempt |
| Hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities | Exempt |
| In-home caregivers for private households | Exempt |
| Early childhood educators | Exempt from November 6, 2026 |
If you are an early childhood educator with a job offer in a frozen city: your employer can now apply for a low-wage LMIA. Before this change they could not. Ask your employer to confirm they are filing under the exemption, and keep your offer letter and job description to hand.
If you are an employer or a childcare centre: you no longer need to wait for the quarterly list refresh on January 8, 2027. Check the LMIA work permit guide for the application steps.
If you work in another low-wage role: nothing changes for you. The freeze still applies to non-exempt jobs in the 30 listed cities.
A related change on October 28 also removed the 90-day limit on parallel work permit applications for in-Canada workers with close-to-expiry permits. See the October explainer.
Tip
An LMIA approval is not a work permit. After your employer receives a positive or neutral LMIA, you still need to apply for the permit itself, so build that processing time into your start date.
This article is based on CIC News's report of the ESDC announcement. We did not read the ESDC news release itself. CIC News's headline refers to "high-unemployment areas", while the body says the exemption applies regardless of area unemployment rate. We have followed the body text. Check the ESDC release before filing, and watch for the next quarterly list on January 8, 2027.
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration advice. Always verify information with official IRCC sources and consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or licensed immigration lawyer for advice specific to your situation.