Canadian Immigration & Client Planning
Work Permits, Refusal Reviews and Planning Ahead
This week: low-wage LMIA restrictions, employer responsibilities, Federal Court decisions, visitor-visa preparation and upcoming application deadlines.
Low-wage LMIA restrictions: check the location first
ESDC’s latest table places 30 of 41 listed census metropolitan areas (CMAs) at or above 6% unemployment. Certain low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications in these areas will not be processed unless an exemption applies.
Check the metropolitan area
Newly affected: Halifax, Fredericton, Kingston, St. Catharines-Niagara, Regina and Lethbridge. Below the threshold again: Kamloops and Chilliwack.
Review the wage and location
Specified exemptions cover primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care, and certain caregivers. Other requirements still apply. This is not a ban on every LMIA or work permit.
Confirm the submission period
The rates apply to submissions from October 9, 2026, through January 7, 2027. The next update is January 8. The rule depends on the offered wage, workplace location and rate in effect at submission.
Who is the employer behind an LMIA application?
Service Canada assesses the actual employment relationship: who hires, pays wages, directs and supervises the work, sets duties, signs the employment agreement and has dismissal authority.
Identify the genuine employer
An intermediary or recruitment arrangement does not remove the need to identify the genuine employer. Employers must not recover LMIA processing or recruitment fees from the worker.
Align the supporting records
Check consistency between the applicant entity, employment agreement, payroll and supervision arrangements.
Fraud concerns require a meaningful opportunity to respond
These decisions do not guarantee approval. They illustrate why credibility allegations must be distinguished from a finding that evidence is insufficient.
Kaur v. Canada
Kaur v. Canada, 2026 FC 1216: the Court set aside a misrepresentation inadmissibility decision. The fairness letter called a property valuation report fraudulent without explaining the underlying concern about similarities to reports in other applications.
Rattol v. Canada
Rattol v. Canada, 2026 FC 1217: spousal open work permit and child study permit refusals were set aside and returned to a different officer. The officer’s speculation that the bank balance had been inflated questioned credibility; the applicants had not been given a chance to respond.
Present a clear, consistent temporary-visit plan
IRCC requires applicants to demonstrate sufficient funds, ties supporting return and an intention to leave Canada at the end of the visit, alongside other eligibility and admissibility requirements. Funds needed depend on the length of stay and accommodation arrangements.
Make the visit plan coherent
Prepare a coherent itinerary and evidence of employment, family circumstances and funding. Explain prior refusals and material inconsistencies accurately.
Review the complete file
Review the complete application as one consistent account of the proposed visit; no single bank balance guarantees approval.
Plan around published targets, not predictions
The 2027 and 2028 targets remain subject to confirmation or adjustment. Commentary about possible increases or future Express Entry cut-offs should not be treated as an announced eligibility change.
Permanent resident admissions
The existing 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets this annual target.
New worker and student arrivals
The published 2027 figure does not cover visitors or in-Canada permit extensions.
Asylum portal changes begin November 3
IRCC confirms changes to asylum applications in its Portal from November 3, 2026. Claims started but not submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 2 will require answers to new questions and review of previous ones; personal information will be retained.
Check unfinished claims
Submit by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time to use the existing portal questions, after reviewing the claim for completeness and accuracy.
New questions take effect
Claims submitted by that deadline do not require new information unless IRCC requests it. This is a portal-process change, not an automatic grant of protection.
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