LMIA Processing Time BC (September 2026): High-Wage, Low-Wage, GTS

LMIA Processing Time BC (September 2026): High-Wage, Low-Wage, GTS

As of ESDC's September 2026 update, the average high-wage LMIA processing time is 98 business days and the average low-wage time is 82 business days. ESDC publishes Canada-wide averages by stream, with no separate British Columbia figure.

Current ESDC processing times

These are the average business days ESDC published for LMIAs processed in September 2026. Recorded here on October 13, 2026.

Source: Labour Market Impact Assessment application processing times.

Monthly record on this site

Values in business days.

This is the first monthly snapshot. The history table grows each month as new ESDC figures are recorded.

Which stream a BC job falls in

ESDC puts a position in the high-wage or low-wage stream by comparing the offered wage to the provincial hourly wage threshold. That threshold is the provincial median hourly wage plus 20%.

For British Columbia, for lmias received as of july 17, 2026, the threshold is $38.40 per hour:

• Offered wage at or above $38.40: high-wage stream.
• Offered wage below $38.40: low-wage stream.

Offering a higher wage only to reach the high-wage stream is not enough on its own. ESDC still expects the wage to line up with what Canadians and permanent residents earn for the same job and location.

Global Talent Stream, agricultural, Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, and permanent resident support applications follow their own ESDC stream rules. They are not chosen by this high-wage or low-wage threshold.

Low-wage LMIAs in high-unemployment CMAs

ESDC still refuses to process many low-wage LMIA applications when the work location is in a census metropolitan area (CMA) with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. The rate table is updated every quarter. For applications submitted from October 9, 2026, to January 7, 2027:

Vancouver is on the current refusal list. Some occupations and sectors are exempt (for example primary agriculture, certain construction, food manufacturing, hospital and residential care roles, and listed in-home caregiver NOCs). Check ESDC's refusal page for the full exemption list before you file.

What slows an LMIA down

Only factors ESDC itself states on the processing-times page:

• ESDC starts the clock only after a complete application is submitted in LMIA Online (required documents, signatures, and the fee when it applies). Incomplete applications are not processed.
• Posted times are averages for applications processed last month. ESDC says the figures can change a lot from month to month based on application volume.
• Mandatory advertising before you file (14 days to 8 weeks in the 3 months before submission, depending on the stream) is not included in the posted processing times.
• ESDC tells employers to apply as soon as possible, and up to 6 months before the expected job start date.

If yours is past the posted time

The posted number is an average, not a guarantee. When a file is past that average, ESDC's own instructions point to these steps:

1. Check the application status in the LMIA Online employer dashboard.
2. Open the application inbox for any Service Canada letters or requests (decision letters appear there after an email notice).
3. If you still need help, contact the Employer Contact Centre at 1-800-367-5693 (Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern).

Employer with an LMIA past the posted time, or a worker waiting on one? Send us the stream and the date you applied. A licensed immigration lawyer can tell you what to do next.

Sources

• ESDC: Labour Market Impact Assessment application processing times
• ESDC: Hire a temporary foreign worker in a high-wage or low-wage position (wage thresholds)
• ESDC: Refusal to process an LMIA application (CMA unemployment rates)
• ESDC: Temporary Foreign Worker Program (LMIA)
• ESDC: Global Talent Stream
• ESDC: Viewing the decision letter in the LMIA Online Portal
• ESDC: Contact the Employer Contact Centre