Is this a High-Wage or Low-Wage LMIA?

High-wage vs low-wage LMIA classification explained

Employment and Social Development Canada assesses Temporary Foreign Worker Program applications differently depending on how the offered wage compares with the median hourly wage for the province or territory where the work takes place. A wage at or above the applicable threshold is generally processed under the high-wage stream; a wage below it falls under the low-wage stream.

Why the stream matters

The stream determines much of what an employer has to prepare. High-wage applications normally involve a transition plan explaining how the employer will reduce reliance on temporary foreign workers. Low-wage applications are subject to caps on the proportion of low-wage temporary foreign workers at a work location, along with additional employer obligations and, in some Census Metropolitan Areas, refusal-to-process conditions tied to the local unemployment rate.

The threshold is not the prevailing wage

The stream threshold and the prevailing wage are two different numbers. Even when the offered wage clears the provincial threshold, it must still meet or exceed the prevailing wage for the specific occupation and work location shown on Job Bank. This free checker compares against the stream threshold only.

Thresholds by province and territory

• Alberta: $37.50/hour
• British Columbia: $38.40/hour
• Manitoba: $31.33/hour
• New Brunswick: $31.73/hour
• Newfoundland and Labrador: $33.60/hour
• Nova Scotia: $31.96/hour
• Northwest Territories: $48.00/hour
• Nunavut: $45.00/hour
• Ontario: $36.92/hour
• Prince Edward Island: $31.20/hour
• Quebec: $36.00/hour
• Saskatchewan: $34.62/hour
• Yukon: $45.60/hour

Thresholds change. Confirm current values on the ESDC median hourly wage page before submitting an application. Next step: identify your occupation with the NOC finder or review our methodology.