Canada makes major changes to work permit rules for Indian workers

Significant changes have been made to work permit rules by the government for Indian workers planning to work in Canada. According to a report by Indian Express Gujarati, these changes have been made to the rules for the low-wage stream of Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which will directly benefit Indian workers.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) announced on November 6, 2026, that the maximum duration of the low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) has now been increased from one year to two years. In Canada, if the salary of a job is less than 120% of the average hourly wage of the respective province, it is considered to be in the low-wage category. For example, this limit is $38.40 per hour in British Columbia and $36.92 per hour in Ontario.

To obtain a work permit under the TFWP, a company must obtain a positive or neutral LMIA from the ESDC. The LMIA proves that the company does not have any Canadian citizen or permanent resident available for that job. The IRCC issues work permits based on the validity of this LMIA. Previously, if a worker wanted to extend their work permit, the company had to obtain a new LMIA.

Increasing the duration of the work permit from one year to two years will reduce the hassle of frequent visa renewal processes and paperwork for Indian workers. This change will make the process of obtaining Permanent Resident (PR) status through Express Entry or the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) easier. Additionally, the time limit on the concurrent process while the LMIA is pending has been removed, allowing Indian workers to continue their employment without losing their legal status.

Due to low wages in non-technical jobs in Canada, there were difficulties in obtaining work permits until now, which will be eased by this new measure. These changes will directly benefit Indians currently working in Canada as well as those planning to go there.