Municipal leaders from the Peace River region to Vancouver Island’s west coast are pressuring the British Columbia government to opt into a new federal measure that allows rural employers to increase the proportion of low-wage Temporary Foreign Workers from 10 % to 15 % of their workforce. The temporary policy, announced by Ottawa earlier this month, mirrors a program Nova Scotia and Quebec adopted on April 14. On April 17 the Union of B.C. Municipalities issued an open letter saying local businesses risk closure without faster access to migrant labour. B.C.’s Ministry of Labour responded that the TFWP “is not a long-term solution” to labour shortages and emphasized investment in domestic skills training. Still, chambers of commerce in Dawson Creek, Port Hardy and Revelstoke argue that seasonal industries such as tourism, silviculture and seafood processing cannot fill jobs locally despite aggressive recruiting.
![Rural B.C. towns urge province to back federal pilot raising low-wage TFW cap to 15 %]()
For companies and foreign nationals trying to understand and act on these shifting immigration pathways, VisaHQ offers practical assistance. Through its Canadian platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/), the service provides step-by-step online tools, document checking and courier support for work-permit and visa applications, helping employers meet LMIA requirements quickly and enabling workers to secure status without delays.
If Victoria signs on, eligible employers outside Census Metropolitan Areas would be able to request an LMIA supporting up to 15 % of their headcount in low-wage occupations until at least spring 2027. The federal pilot also simplifies advertising requirements and permits a dual-intent LMIA so that workers can transition to permanent residence under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). For HR managers the prospect is significant. Companies that relied on International Experience Canada (IEC) permits—which are capped by nationality and limited to two years—could switch to LMIAs that yield three-year closed work permits and pave the way to permanent residence. However, businesses must still show they have tried to hire Canadians first and must commit to transportation and housing standards. Immigration lawyers recommend starting LMIA paperwork now; Nova Scotia’s first approvals were issued within six days thanks to a dedicated IRCC processing team. B.C. employers, by contrast, currently face an 11-week LMIA queue. Whether the province will join the pilot, and on what geographic terms, is expected to be decided at the next Council of Federation labour-market meeting in early May.
For companies and foreign nationals trying to understand and act on these shifting immigration pathways, VisaHQ offers practical assistance. Through its Canadian platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/), the service provides step-by-step online tools, document checking and courier support for work-permit and visa applications, helping employers meet LMIA requirements quickly and enabling workers to secure status without delays.
If Victoria signs on, eligible employers outside Census Metropolitan Areas would be able to request an LMIA supporting up to 15 % of their headcount in low-wage occupations until at least spring 2027. The federal pilot also simplifies advertising requirements and permits a dual-intent LMIA so that workers can transition to permanent residence under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). For HR managers the prospect is significant. Companies that relied on International Experience Canada (IEC) permits—which are capped by nationality and limited to two years—could switch to LMIAs that yield three-year closed work permits and pave the way to permanent residence. However, businesses must still show they have tried to hire Canadians first and must commit to transportation and housing standards. Immigration lawyers recommend starting LMIA paperwork now; Nova Scotia’s first approvals were issued within six days thanks to a dedicated IRCC processing team. B.C. employers, by contrast, currently face an 11-week LMIA queue. Whether the province will join the pilot, and on what geographic terms, is expected to be decided at the next Council of Federation labour-market meeting in early May.
