Canada Scraps Time Limit for Work Permit Applicants Awaiting LMIA Decisions
Canada Scraps Time Limit for Work Permit Applicants Awaiting LMIA Decisions: What Foreign Workers Need to Know in 2026 Canada has introduced an important change to its Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), removing the previous 90-day time limit for certain work permit applications submitted while an employer’s Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is still under review. The change, announced through updated Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) instructions on October 28, 2026, is expected to provide additional flexibility to eligible foreign workers already living and working in Canada. Previously, immigration officers could hold an eligible work permit application for a maximum of 90 days while waiting for the employer’s LMIA decision. If the assessment was not completed within that period, the work permit application could be refused. Under the updated instructions, officers are now directed not to make a decision on the application until the LMIA decision...