Starting November 8, 2024, the wage threshold used to determine the high- and low-wage stream of an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment) will be increased by 20%.
Requirements of the Low-Wage Stream
As a result, Quebec employers wishing to offer a position to a TFW (Temporary Foreign Worker) at a salary of less than $32.96/hour will have to comply with the requirements of the low-wage stream.
If one of your employees is a foreign national with a work permit expiring in the next 9 months, we invite you to contact us to assess the impact of this measure on the work permit renewal process.
Reminder of the Tightening Measures
As a reminder, following the tightening measures announced earlier this year, significant changes in the low-wage stream have been made. An LMIA application under this stream involves, as of today, the following:
- Refusal from the government to process application for jobs located in Census Metropolitan Areas where the unemployment rate is 6% or higher.
- Only 10% of employees can be low-wage TFWs, regardless of location (a 20% cap could apply in some sectors of exception).
- Employers required to complete minimum recruitment efforts in line with government requirements will have to complete at least 3 approved recruitment methods, with 2 of them targeting underrepresented groups.
- The obligation to pay the costs and organize the round-trip transportation for TFWs to reach their work location in Canada at the beginning of their work period, and to return to their home country at the end of their work period.
- The obligation to provide adequate housing or ensure that suitable and affordable housing is available to the TFW.
- Maximum employment duration under an approved LMIA is now limited to 1 year.
These changes apply to all occupations eligible to the Quebec’s facilitated process.
Find out more about the new measures here.
