LMIA processing time and fees
Two numbers decide whether an LMIA-backed hire is realistic. This page sets out the LMIA processing time stream by stream as Employment and Social Development Canada publishes it, the $1,000 employer fee, and the part employers most often forget, that the work permit is a second queue after the LMIA is approved.
Key takeaways
LMIA processing time is published monthly by ESDC as an average in business days for each stream, and it varies sharply: the Global Talent Stream and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program run in single-digit business days, while the high-wage and low-wage streams have climbed through 2026 and now sit at 88 and 73 business days. The LMIA fee is $1,000 per position, paid by the employer, non-refundable, and unlawful to recover from the worker. An approved LMIA is only valid for six months, and the LMIA is only the first stage: after approval the worker applies separately to IRCC for the work permit, published at 115 days from inside Canada (canada.ca, September 2026), and per country from outside. Recruitment and advertising must usually be completed before the LMIA is filed, adding weeks at the front. Many roles are LMIA-exempt under the International Mobility Program, which is worth checking before spending anything.
- There is no single LMIA processing time: ESDC publishes a monthly average per stream, in business days.
- The fee is $1,000 per position, employer-paid and non-refundable, and it is unlawful to recover from the worker.
- The Global Talent Stream targets 10 business days; the high-wage and low-wage streams reached 88 and 73 business days in July 2026.
- An approved LMIA is valid for six months, and the work permit is a second queue after it, not part of it.
- Check LMIA exemptions first: many roles never need one.
LMIA processing time by stream, as of September 2026
ESDC does not publish a single LMIA processing time; it publishes a separate monthly average, in business days, for each stream, covering the applications it finished the previous month. For applications completed in July 2026, the most recent full month on ESDC's own processing-times page, that ranged from 8 business days for the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program to 88 business days for the high-wage stream.
The first figure column below is current; the second is the same stream's February 2026 figure, included only so you can see which way each stream is moving. These numbers change every month, so check the live ESDC page before setting a start date.
| Stream | Current: average for files completed July 2026 | Historical: same stream, February 2026 | What drives the timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Talent Stream | 10 business days | Stable all year, within a day or two of the current figure | The eligibility gate is high: a referred unique role or an occupation on the Global Talent Occupations List, plus a Labour Market Benefits Plan |
| Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) | 8 business days | Stable all year, within a day or two of the current figure | A dedicated, high-volume seasonal programme with its own bilateral arrangements and a separate work permit track |
| Agricultural stream | 23 business days | 15 business days | The largest relative increase of any stream this year |
| Permanent resident stream | 86 business days | 260+ business days | Supports a PR application rather than a work permit, and has improved faster than any other stream in 2026 |
| Low-wage stream | 73 business days | 48 business days | Rising volume, plus the regional unemployment-rate exclusion described below |
| High-wage stream | 88 business days | 60 business days | Rising volume; this is currently the slowest of the standard streams |
Two patterns are worth planning around. First, the Global Talent Stream and SAWP have stayed fast and stable all year, month-to-month movement of no more than a day or two, because both run on tight eligibility gates rather than open queues. Second, the high-wage LMIA and low-wage LMIA streams, which carry the bulk of Temporary Foreign Worker Program volume, have both climbed steadily through 2026 even as the LMIA permanent resident stream has fallen sharply. A stream's speed in February is not a reliable guide to its speed now.
Which stream a job lands in is not a choice the employer makes freely. It follows the wage: an offer at or above the median hourly wage for the province or territory is assessed as high-wage, and an offer below it as low-wage, with different recruitment rules, caps and processing realities attached. If you are not sure which side of the line an offer sits on, start with the LMIA wage requirement for the work location before reading anything else on timing.
What an LMIA costs
An LMIA costs the employer $1,000 per position requested, paid to ESDC, non-refundable even if the application is refused or withdrawn, and unlawful to recover from the worker in any form. The worker's own costs come later and separately, at the IRCC work permit stage.
| Cost | Amount | Who pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMIA processing fee | $1,000 per position | Employer | Non-refundable, including if refused or withdrawn; cannot be recovered from the worker |
| Advertising and recruitment | Varies | Employer | Required for most streams before filing; job board and publication costs add up |
| Work permit application | $155 per person | Usually the worker | Paid to IRCC at the second stage |
| Open work permit holder fee | $100 | Where applicable | Only for open work permits, not employer-specific LMIA-backed ones |
| Biometrics | $85 per person, $170 per family | Worker | Where required |
If someone asks the worker to pay the $1,000, walk away
Because that fee is non-refundable even when the application fails, it is worth taking the time to get your LMIA business legitimacy paperwork right before you pay it, since ESDC assesses whether the business itself is genuine as part of the same file. A legitimacy question raised after filing is also one of the quieter ways a file stretches past the published average for its stream.
Why a file can run past the published LMIA processing time
The published averages describe the whole pool, not any one file. In practice, five specific things push individual applications well past the stream average, and every one of them is something an employer can see coming before filing.
| What delays a file | Why it happens | What we check before filing |
|---|---|---|
| An incomplete application | ESDC will not start the clock on an incomplete file, and won't charge the fee for one either; the processing time only begins once every required document is in and signed | Every document against ESDC's current checklist for the specific stream, not last year's version |
| Thin or undocumented recruitment | Officers are testing whether Canadians and permanent residents had a genuine opportunity; a skeletal record reads as a test that was not real | Contemporaneous notes on every applicant, reasons for non-selection, and that the advertised wage matches the offer |
| The low-wage regional unemployment exclusion | ESDC will not process a low-wage LMIA at all for a work location in a census metropolitan area with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher; the list is updated every three months, next on October 9, 2026 | The current quarterly rate for the work location before filing, not the rate at the time of a prior successful application |
| The cap on low-wage positions | The cap is 10% of the workforce at a given location, rising to 20% in a small number of named sectors; an application that would push a work location above its applicable cap may not be processed at all | The employer's current headcount and existing LMIA-backed workers at that location against the cap formula |
| Requests for further information | A wage question, a business legitimacy query or a missing attachment pauses the file until the employer responds, and the response itself takes time to prepare properly | Building the wage and legitimacy evidence into the original filing so a follow-up request is less likely |
It also helps to understand why the streams move so differently. The Global Talent Stream and SAWP stay fast because eligibility is narrow and each application is assessed largely on its own facts. The high-wage and low-wage streams carry far higher volume, so the queue an application lands in is shared with every other employer filing that month, and a rise in applications received directly pushes the published average up the following month even where nothing about an individual file has changed. That is a genuinely useful thing to know when a file is running behind the published figure: the delay is not necessarily about the application at all.
One more thing employers underestimate is how much the occupation itself shapes the file. The National Occupational Classification code and its TEER category set the prevailing wage benchmark, the advertising expectations and, in some cases, whether the role is capped or excluded outright. A code chosen loosely at the drafting stage is a common reason an officer comes back with questions, and every question costs weeks.
The unemployment-rate exclusion is a hard stop, not a delay
The real end-to-end timeline: LMIA processing time plus the work permit
An approved LMIA is permission for the employer to hire, not permission for the person to work. The worker then makes a separate application to IRCC for the work permit itself, on form IMM 1295 from outside Canada or IMM 5710 from inside it, and that has its own timeline entirely independent of how fast the LMIA came through.
IRCC publishes 115 days for a work permit application made from inside Canada (canada.ca processing times tool, September 2026). From outside Canada the figure is published per country and varies widely by visa office.
Our processing times tracker carries the current published figures for the IRCC stage, which IRCC recalculates monthly.
No competitor covering this topic adds the two clocks together, but that combined figure is the one that actually matters for a start date. Converting each stream's business-day average to calendar days and adding the 115-day inside-Canada work permit stage gives a realistic total, in-Canada, before any travel time or border processing:
| Stream | Stage 1: LMIA at ESDC (calendar days) | Stage 2: work permit at IRCC (calendar days) | Stage 1 plus stage 2, end to end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Talent Stream | 14 calendar days | 115 calendar days | About 4.3 months |
| Agricultural stream | 32 calendar days | 115 calendar days | About 4.9 months |
| Low-wage stream | 102 calendar days | 115 calendar days | About 7.2 months |
| High-wage stream | 123 calendar days | 115 calendar days | About 7.9 months |
The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the permanent resident stream don't fit this table cleanly. SAWP work permits are processed through the seasonal program's own bilateral arrangements rather than the standard 115-day track, so its total runs on a different calendar. The permanent resident stream doesn't lead to a work permit at all; its 86 business days in July 2026 is the whole timeline, because it supports a PR application directly.
- 01
Recruitment and advertising
Most streams require documented recruitment before the LMIA is filed, run for a set window of 14 days to 8 weeks depending on the stream, in the 3 months before submitting. Budget several weeks, and keep the evidence: incomplete recruitment records are a common cause of delay and refusal.
- 02
LMIA assessment at ESDC
The LMIA processing time itself: 10 business days on the Global Talent Stream, 73 business days on the low-wage stream and 88 on the high-wage stream, for files ESDC completed in July 2026. Requests for further information add time on top.
- 03
Work permit application to IRCC
A separate queue with its own published figure: 115 days from inside Canada (canada.ca, September 2026), and a per-country figure from outside, plus biometrics where they are required.
- 04
Arrival and start date
Add travel, any biometrics appointment, and the fact that a border officer issues the permit on entry for applications made from abroad.
How LMIA processing times have moved through 2026
Four streams have moved enough in 2026 to change how you should plan around them: the high-wage stream is up 47% since February, the low-wage stream up 52%, the agricultural stream up 53%, and the permanent resident stream down by more than five months. ESDC republishes the table monthly, and the current figure leads each row below.
| Stream | Current: July 2026 | Historical: June 2026 | Historical: February 2026 | Direction of travel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-wage | 88 business days | 79 business days | 60 business days | Up 47% since February |
| Low-wage | 73 business days | 71 business days | 48 business days | Up 52% since February |
| Agricultural | 23 business days | 22 business days | 15 business days | Up 53% since February, the sharpest relative move of any stream |
| Permanent resident stream | 86 business days | 99 business days | 260+ business days | Down by more than five months since February |
The practical takeaway cuts both ways. High-wage and low-wage employers should budget toward the slower end of the range rather than a figure they saw a few months ago, since both streams have been trending up all year. Anyone relying on the permanent resident stream should do the opposite and check the current figure before assuming a long wait, since that stream has improved dramatically. Either way, the number that matters is the one published for last month, not the one that was true when a colleague went through the process.
How long an approved LMIA stays valid
A positive LMIA issued on an application received on or after 1 May 2024 is valid for up to six months, and it is not renewable or extendable once that window closes. Within it the employer must notify the worker that the LMIA was approved, send them the positive decision letter, and the worker must apply for the work permit at IRCC. If the employer applied without naming a worker, they must also keep trying to recruit Canadians and permanent residents until every position on the LMIA is filled or the LMIA expires.
Miss that window and the LMIA simply lapses. It is not extended or renewed; the employer has to file a new application, pay the $1,000 fee again, and go back into the queue at whatever the current average for that stream happens to be by then. The job itself can start later than six months out, but the work permit application has to be submitted before the expiry date, not the start date. ESDC can also issue an LMIA valid for less than six months where the work is genuinely short, such as emergency or warranty work.
Concurrent processing: an under-used option, with real conditions attached
Before you spend anything, check whether you need one
A large share of Canadian work permits never need an LMIA at all, because they are issued as an LMIA exempt work permit under the International Mobility Program, including intra-company transfers, CUSMA and CETA professionals, Francophone Mobility, spousal open work permits and the post-graduation work permit.
Each of those avoids the $1,000 fee, the advertising requirement and the ESDC queue entirely, which means the LMIA processing time never enters the calculation at all. Where an exemption fits, using it is not a loophole; it is the route Parliament intended for that situation. Where no exemption applies, the LMIA route is legitimate and workable, but it needs planning in months.
What the recruitment requirement actually involves
For most streams the advertising happens before the LMIA is filed, and it is the stage employers most often underestimate. It sits outside the published LMIA processing time entirely, so it is weeks that no ESDC figure will ever show you. ESDC is testing whether Canadians and permanent residents had a genuine opportunity at the role, so both the reach and the record matter.
| Element | What is generally expected | Where employers slip |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | A minimum advertising period before applying, run within a set window | Advertising for a week, or letting the window lapse before filing |
| Reach | The national Job Bank plus additional methods aimed at the right audience | One posting on a single niche site |
| Underrepresented groups | Targeted recruitment aimed at groups underrepresented in the labour market | Skipping this entirely |
| The record | Applications received, interviews held, and a documented reason each Canadian applicant was not hired | No notes, or reasons that read as pretextual |
| The wage advertised | At or above the prevailing wage for the occupation and region | Advertising below the median, which undermines the whole file |
A thin recruitment file is the commonest avoidable refusal
Employer obligations after approval
An approved LMIA is a set of commitments, not just a permission. The employer must pay the wage and provide the conditions set out in the offer, and is subject to inspection for up to six years afterwards. Employers found non-compliant face monetary penalties, being named publicly, and bans from the programme.
Practically, that means keeping payroll records that match the offer, not quietly changing the role or the hours, and not recovering the $1,000 fee from the worker in any form. If business needs change after approval, get advice before changing the terms rather than after.
How to check your LMIA or work permit status
The employer checks the LMIA through their own account on ESDC's LMIA Online Portal, and the worker checks the work permit through their IRCC online account: two stages, two systems, two different logins, which is what trips people up. ESDC does not offer a public real-time tracker the way IRCC does, so an employer whose file has sat without an update for longer than the current published average for its stream contacts the Employer Contact Centre directly instead.
Neither system sends a proactive alert when nothing has changed, so build a simple check-in habit rather than assuming silence means a problem. Note the application number, the date filed, and the current published average for that stream or line the day the application goes in, and check again only once that average has actually elapsed. Checking daily rarely produces new information and mostly adds stress.
For the work permit stage, once the worker has applied, they check status through their IRCC online account using the application number from their acknowledgement of receipt, or, for a representative acting on their behalf, through the representative portal. Our processing times tracker links to IRCC's own live tool for the current published figure by line and country. A request for further documents in either system pauses the file rather than losing it; the practical response is to reply promptly and completely, not to resubmit.
How Wild Mountain Immigration helps employers
We work with employers across Alberta and the rest of Canada on whether a role genuinely needs an LMIA, which stream fits, and what the recruitment file has to show before it is filed. We also advise workers who have been offered an LMIA-backed role and want to understand what they are signing up to, including whether the arrangement looks compliant. Everything is handled online, so where you are based makes no difference to how we work with you.
Nobody can promise an LMIA processing time or an approval; ESDC and IRCC set the queues and their published standards move every month. What we can do is make sure the application is complete and the recruitment properly evidenced the day it goes in, which is the one part of this that is genuinely within an employer's control.
Frequently asked questions
What is the LMIA processing time in 2026?
There is no single number. ESDC publishes an average LMIA processing time in business days for each stream every month, covering the applications it finished the month before. For files completed in July 2026 the published figures were 10 business days for the Global Talent Stream, 8 for the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program, 23 for the agricultural stream, 73 for the low-wage stream, 86 for the permanent resident stream and 88 for the high-wage stream. Those figures move monthly, so check the current ESDC table before you plan a start date around them.
How long does the work permit take after a positive LMIA?
The LMIA and the work permit are two separate clocks. ESDC finished Global Talent Stream files in 10 business days in July 2026, against 88 business days for the high-wage stream and 73 for the low-wage stream. Once the LMIA is positive the worker applies for the work permit, and IRCC publishes 115 days for an application made from inside Canada (canada.ca, September 2026), with a per-country figure from outside. Budget several months end to end for a standard file, and check IRCC's current country figure before promising a start date.
How long does an LMIA take to process?
It depends entirely on the stream, and Employment and Social Development Canada publishes a monthly average for each one rather than a single number. The Global Talent Stream is the fastest, at 10 business days for files completed in July 2026, while the high-wage stream ran to 88 business days and the low-wage stream to 73 over the same month. Those averages describe complete, straightforward applications; a file with thin recruitment evidence or a wage question can run well past the stream average. ESDC republishes the table every month, so check the current figures before planning a start date around them.
Which LMIA stream has the fastest processing time?
The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Global Talent Stream, at 8 and 10 business days respectively for applications completed in July 2026. Both stay fast because eligibility is narrow and the volume is controlled, not because the assessment is lighter. The agricultural stream sits next at 23 business days. The high-wage and low-wage streams, which carry the bulk of Temporary Foreign Worker Program volume, are the slowest at 88 and 73 business days.
How much does an LMIA cost?
The processing fee is $1,000 per position requested, paid by the employer, and it is non-refundable even if the application is refused or withdrawn. Employers cannot lawfully recover that fee from the worker. There are limited exemptions, including applications supporting permanent residence only, and for certain caregiver situations in low-income households. The employer may also face real costs for advertising and recruitment, which for most streams must be completed before applying.
Can the worker pay the LMIA fee?
No. The $1,000 processing fee is the employer's cost and cannot be passed to the foreign worker, directly or indirectly. Recovering it from the employee, whether through a deduction, a repayment arrangement or a lower wage, is a compliance breach and can lead to penalties and a ban from the program. If an employer or a recruiter asks a worker to pay for an LMIA, that is a serious warning sign about the arrangement as a whole.
How can an employer reduce LMIA processing time?
Only one lever is genuinely within the employer's control, and it is filing a complete application. ESDC does not start the clock on an incomplete file, so a missing attachment or an unsigned form costs weeks before assessment even begins. Documenting recruitment as it happens, advertising at or above the prevailing wage for the occupation and region, and building the wage and business legitimacy evidence into the original submission all reduce the odds of a request for further information, which is the other common source of delay. Choosing the right stream matters too, since eligibility for the Global Talent Stream changes the timeline entirely.
How long does the work permit take after the LMIA is approved?
The LMIA is only the first half. Once it is approved, the worker applies to IRCC for the work permit itself, and that is a separate queue with its own timeline that varies by country of application. IRCC publishes 115 days for a work permit application made from inside Canada (canada.ca processing times tool, September 2026); from outside Canada the figure is published per country. So a realistic total is the ESDC time plus the IRCC time, which is why LMIA-backed hiring should be planned in months rather than weeks.
Is the Global Talent Stream really two weeks?
The Global Talent Stream carries a service standard of 10 business days for eligible applications, which is dramatically faster than the standard streams, and IRCC has historically paired it with expedited work permit processing. The catch is eligibility: the role must fit either a referred unique-and-specialised position or an occupation on the Global Talent Occupations List, and the employer must commit to a Labour Market Benefits Plan. Where a role qualifies, it is the fastest LMIA route by a wide margin.
Does a faster LMIA make the work permit faster?
Not by itself, though the Global Talent Stream has historically been associated with expedited work permit processing for eligible applicants. In general the two stages are independent: a quick LMIA approval simply means the worker reaches the IRCC queue sooner. Employers planning a start date should add both stages together, plus time for recruitment and advertising before the LMIA is even filed.
Why do published LMIA processing times differ from what employers actually experience?
Service standards are targets measured against applications that are complete and straightforward. Real files are often neither. Incomplete recruitment evidence, questions about the wage against the prevailing rate, a request for further documents, or an inspection can all add weeks. The published standard is a planning figure, not a promise, and the single biggest thing an employer controls is whether the application is complete and the recruitment properly documented when it is filed.
How long is an approved LMIA valid for?
Positive LMIA decisions issued on applications received as of May 1, 2024 are valid for up to six months. Within that window the employer must notify the worker, send the decision letter, and the worker must apply for the work permit at IRCC before the expiry date, not before the job's start date. Miss the window and the LMIA lapses; there is no extension, only a new application and a new $1,000 fee. ESDC can issue a shorter validity period for genuinely short-term work, such as emergency or warranty jobs.
Can a worker apply for a work permit before the LMIA is approved?
Sometimes, through what IRCC calls concurrent processing. It applies only to a worker already inside Canada whose current work permit expires within two weeks, where the employer's LMIA application was submitted with genuinely sufficient lead time and no decision on it has yet issued. IRCC then holds the work permit application, for up to 90 days from submission as of August 2026, while the LMIA is finalised. It does not apply to applications made from outside Canada, and IRCC treats an LMIA filed at the last minute purely to trigger this option as an exceptional case rather than a routine one.
How do I check the status of my LMIA or work permit application?
The two stages are checked in different places. The LMIA itself is tracked through the employer's account on ESDC's LMIA Online Portal, or by contacting the Employer Contact Centre if a file has run past the current published average for its stream. Once the worker has applied for the work permit, they check its status through their own IRCC online account using the application number from their acknowledgement of receipt.
Do I need an LMIA at all?
Often not. A large share of Canadian work permits are LMIA-exempt under the International Mobility Program, including intra-company transfers, CUSMA and CETA professionals, Francophone Mobility, spousal open work permits and post-graduation work permits. Because an LMIA costs $1,000, requires advertising and takes months, checking whether an exemption applies is always worth doing first. That question is usually the most valuable half-hour in the whole process.
Not sure whether you need an LMIA?
Before you commit $1,000 and several months, get a licensed RCIC to check whether the role is LMIA-exempt and which stream actually fits.