The Government of Canada announced temporary measures allowing rural employers to increase the proportion of low-wage temporary foreign workers they can hire from 10% to 15% of their workforce.

The change is intended to help rural businesses address persistent labour shortages and will apply from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, following a request from a province or territory.

At the same time, sector-specific rules will remain in place: employers in the health care, construction and food processing sectors will continue to be subject to a 20% cap on their low-wage temporary foreign workforce, while seasonal sectors such as fish and seafood processing and tourism will continue to benefit from the existing exemption from the TFW Program cap for seasonal positions.

#canada_immigration #temporary_foreign_workers #tfw_program #rural_employers #labour_shortage #work_permits #esdc #canada_jobs #rural_economy