Figures on this page come from Employment and Social Development Canada's published Temporary Foreign Worker Program pages and CIC News reporting on recent policy updates, current as of August 2026. Caps, wage thresholds and regional lists change quarterly or by policy update; always verify against the official ESDC and IRCC pages before filing.
- August 18, 2026: multi-site employers can now calculate the low-wage workforce cap per work location instead of company-wide
- A qualifying location under 10 employees can host 1 low-wage worker under the 10% cap, or 2 under the 20% cap
- Regina's unemployment rate fell to 5.9% on July 10, 2026, lifting its low-wage LMIA processing freeze
- Saskatoon's unemployment rate rose to 6.5% the same date, adding it to the freeze
- 26 census metropolitan areas remain frozen from low-wage LMIA processing through October 9, 2026
- Saskatchewan's low-wage wage threshold is $34.62 an hour for LMIAs received as of July 17, 2026
- Saskatchewan has not opted into the temporary rural 15% low-wage cap; its status is "to be determined" as of July 27, 2026
What changed for multi-site low-wage employers on August 18, 2026?
Employment and Social Development Canada updated its Temporary Foreign Worker Program pages on August 18, 2026 to let employers with several small work locations calculate their low-wage workforce cap location by location, rather than across the whole company. Under the program's standard rule, an employer can hire low-wage temporary foreign workers up to 10% of its workforce, or 20% in a handful of in-demand sectors: construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care facilities, and certain in-home caregiver positions.
Employers whose total workforce falls under 10 people have long been allowed to skip the percentage math and use a simpler flat allowance instead, but that shortcut previously applied only where the employer's entire national workforce was under 10 people. The August update extends it to any individual work location with fewer than 10 employees, even where the employer's combined workforce across all its locations is much larger. For a Saskatchewan business running several small outlets, rural gas stations, small restaurants, or a handful of retail sites, that is the difference between qualifying and not.
How does the per-location cap work now?
At a qualifying location with fewer than 10 employees, an employer can now hire up to one low-wage temporary foreign worker where the standard 10% cap applies, or up to two where the location falls under one of the 20% in-demand sectors. Part-time staff, meaning anyone averaging fewer than 30 hours a week, count as half an employee when the workforce is totalled for this purpose.
None of this changes the underlying requirement that a positive or neutral Labour Market Impact Assessment, or LMIA, is still needed before a foreign worker can be issued a work permit under the program. The cap sets how many low-wage positions an employer can support; the LMIA is the separate approval needed for each one.
Why did Regina's LMIA freeze lift while Saskatoon's tightened?
Separately from the workforce cap, the federal government only processes low-wage LMIA applications in census metropolitan areas where the unemployment rate sits below 6%. Statistics Canada data is reviewed quarterly and the list of frozen regions is updated accordingly. For the period running July 10 to October 9, 2026, 26 census metropolitan areas across the country remain closed to low-wage LMIA processing, with the next update due October 10, 2026.
Saskatchewan sits on both sides of that line right now. Regina's unemployment rate moved from 6.4% to 5.9% in the latest data, dropping it below the threshold and lifting the processing freeze there as of July 10, 2026. Saskatoon moved the opposite direction, from 5.5% to 6.5%, and was added to the frozen list in the same update. An employer filing for a Regina position can currently have a low-wage LMIA processed; an employer filing for a Saskatoon position generally cannot, at least until the next quarterly review.
The freeze does not apply everywhere regardless of a region's unemployment rate. Positions in primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care, and certain in-home caregiver roles stay exempt, as do positions of 120 calendar days or less that meet the program's short-duration criteria. For more on how LMIA timelines have moved through 2026, see our earlier look at LMIA processing times.
Is Saskatchewan part of the rural 15% cap measure?
In March 2026, the federal government announced a separate temporary measure letting rural employers, meaning those located outside a census metropolitan area, raise their low-wage cap from 10% to 15% of their workforce. The measure runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 and applies only in provinces and territories that choose to opt in; health care, construction and food processing employers stay capped at 20% either way.
As of the federal government's July 27, 2026 update, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia and Quebec had opted in, while Alberta, Nunavut and Ontario had declined. Saskatchewan's status was listed as "to be determined by the province," the same as Prince Edward Island and Yukon. A rural Saskatchewan employer today still works under the standard 10% or 20% cap described above, not the enhanced 15% rate available in participating provinces.
What is the current low-wage wage threshold in Saskatchewan?
Whether a position counts as low-wage or high-wage for TFWP purposes turns on a wage threshold set at the applicable provincial median hourly wage plus 20%. For Saskatchewan, that threshold rose to $34.62 an hour for LMIA applications received on or after July 17, 2026, up from $33.60. An offered wage below that figure places the position in the low-wage stream, subject to the workforce caps described above; a wage at or above it falls into the high-wage stream instead.
What should Saskatchewan employers do now?
The rules moved twice in a matter of weeks in 2026, and they moved in different directions depending on where and how an employer operates. A few practical takeaways for Saskatchewan employers considering the low-wage stream:
- Multi-site operators should check whether individual locations, not just the company as a whole, now qualify for the simpler per-location cap introduced on August 18, 2026.
- Regina employers can currently proceed with low-wage LMIA applications; Saskatoon employers should plan around the freeze or confirm whether their position falls into one of the exempt categories.
- Rural employers should not assume the enhanced 15% cap applies in Saskatchewan until the province's participation status changes from "to be determined."
- Every employer should confirm the current wage threshold before filing, since it decides which stream a position falls into and the paperwork that comes with it.
Given how often these figures move, a work permit and LMIA review before filing is worth the time it takes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the low-wage workforce cap under the TFWP?
It limits how many low-wage temporary foreign workers an employer can hire relative to its workforce, generally 10%, or 20% in construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care, and certain in-home caregiver roles. Since August 18, 2026, employers with individual work locations under 10 employees can calculate this cap location by location rather than company-wide, allowing up to one worker under the 10% cap or two under the 20% cap at a qualifying location.
Can I get a low-wage LMIA processed in Saskatoon right now?
Generally not, unless the position falls into an exempt category such as primary agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, hospitals, nursing and residential care, certain in-home caregiver roles, or a short-duration position of 120 days or less. Saskatoon's unemployment rate rose above 6% in the data covering July 10 to October 9, 2026, placing it on the federal government's list of regions where low-wage LMIA processing is currently frozen. Regina, by contrast, dropped below 6% in the same update and is not frozen.
Does Saskatchewan have the enhanced 15% rural low-wage cap?
Not currently. The temporary measure, in effect nationally from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, only applies in provinces and territories that opt in. As of the federal government's July 27, 2026 update, Saskatchewan's participation was listed as "to be determined," so rural Saskatchewan employers remain under the standard 10% or 20% cap.
Sources: Temporary Foreign Worker Program updates as reported by CIC News (August 20, 2026 and July 10, 2026); Employment and Social Development Canada, program requirements for low-wage positions, temporary measures for rural employers and median hourly wage by province. This article provides general information, not legal advice.