2026 Canadian Work Permit Landscape: LMIA Wage Thresholds, Quebec LMIA Moratorium, PGWP Field-of-Study Rules, and SOWP Restrictions

Executive Summary

Canada’s 2026 work permit landscape is shaped by three major policy areas: (1) how LMIA applications are categorized as high-wage versus low-wage, (2) a continuing moratorium on processing many low-wage LMIAs in parts of Quebec, and (3) new, more restrictive rules for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) and Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWPs) tied to field of study and degree level. Employers and applicants must navigate provincial median-wage thresholds, Quebec-specific refusals to process, and PGWP/SOWP eligibility filters that depend heavily on whether a program is degree-level or a college/non-degree program.

High-Wage vs Low-Wage LMIA Thresholds in 2026

How high-wage vs low-wage is defined

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) classifies LMIA applications as high-wage or low-wage based on the provincial or territorial median hourly wage where the job is located. Positions paying at or above the applicable median hourly wage are treated as high-wage, while those below that median are treated as low-wage. This classification drives different program requirements, processing conditions, and, in 2026, exposure to regional refusals to process in areas with higher unemployment.

2026 median-wage thresholds (focus on Quebec)

ESDC publishes a table of median hourly wages by province and territory and explicitly links those values to LMIA applications received before and after June 27, 2025. For Quebec, the table shows a median hourly wage of 32 CAD for LMIAs received before June 27, 2025 and 34 CAD for LMIAs received as of June 27, 2025, which remains the operative threshold into 2026 unless updated. As a result, in 2026 a position in Quebec is generally treated as high-wage if the offered rate is 34 CAD per hour or higher and low-wage if it is below 34 CAD per hour.

Although Quebec-specific private practice summaries sometimes reference slightly different “prevailing” or historical median wage figures (for example, 27 CAD in earlier 2024 tables), these older numbers have been superseded by the updated federal ESDC table for applications received from June 27, 2025 onward. Employers should therefore rely on the latest ESDC median-wage table rather than earlier provincial wage charts when determining whether their 2026 LMIA is high-wage or low-wage.

Interaction with federal low-wage refusals to process

In addition to defining the high-wage versus low-wage stream, the provincial median wage now interacts with a federal refusal-to-process regime for low-wage LMIAs in certain high-unemployment census metropolitan areas (CMAs). As of late 2024, ESDC refuses to process low-wage LMIA applications where both the wage is below the provincial/territorial wage threshold and the work location is in a CMA with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher. This regime continues to apply in 2026 and particularly affects employers in metropolitan regions whose unemployment rate fluctuates around or above the 6% mark.

LMIA Moratorium in Montreal and Quebec in 2026

Federal refusal-to-process rules for low-wage LMIAs

As part of broader Temporary Foreign Worker Program reforms, the federal government introduced a country-wide refusal-to-process rule targeting low-wage LMIAs in CMAs with unemployment at or above 6%. Under this rule, if the offered wage is below the provincial median and the job is located in such a CMA, ESDC will not process the LMIA application, subject to certain occupational exemptions. This federal freeze list is updated quarterly; by April 10, 2026, 30 CMAs across Canada were affected, including Montreal.

Quebec’s specific moratorium for Montreal and Laval

In addition to the federal freeze list, Quebec has imposed its own moratorium covering low-wage LMIAs in the administrative regions of Montréal and Laval. ESDC’s official “Facilitated LMIA process – Quebec” page confirms that until December 31, 2026, certain LMIA applications submitted for low-wage positions in the economic regions of Montréal and Laval will not be processed. This provincial moratorium applies even when Montreal’s unemployment rate dips below 6%, and federal and provincial guidance emphasizes that the Quebec suspension continues independently of the federal 6%-unemployment test.

Specialist immigration updates in early 2026 describe this as a continuing Montreal/Laval low-wage LMIA moratorium that effectively blocks low-wage LMIA processing in these regions until the end of 2026, while leaving high-wage LMIA applications and LMIA-exempt work permit categories under the International Mobility Program (IMP) unaffected. In practical terms, a Montreal or Laval employer can still pursue a high-wage LMIA or an LMIA-exempt route, but cannot rely on the standard low-wage LMIA stream until at least January 1, 2027, barring further extensions or policy changes.

PGWP Field-of-Study Rules in 2026

Background: introduction of field-of-study requirement

Beginning in 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced a field-of-study requirement for many Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) applicants in non-degree programs. Under this regime, international students in programs other than a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree must complete a program in an eligible field of study, identified by its Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code and linked to occupations facing long-term labour shortages in Canada. This requirement applies primarily to students who applied for their study permit on or after November 1, 2024.

Freeze of the PGWP field-of-study list for 2026

IRCC maintains a detailed “Field of study requirement” page listing eligible CIP codes. The same page explicitly states that there is a “PGWP field of study list freeze for 2026,” under which IRCC will not add or remove fields of study during 2026. A June 25, 2025 policy notice indicates that, following earlier changes, there are now 920 fields of study eligible for PGWP purposes, reflecting IRCC’s alignment of fields of study with Express Entry occupational priorities.

University degree graduates (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD)

IRCC and expert summaries consistently state that degree-level graduates—those who complete a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree at a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution (DLI)—are exempt from the field-of-study requirement. For these degree-holding graduates, any field of study can support a PGWP, provided all other PGWP criteria are satisfied. However, degree graduates who apply for a PGWP under the new rules must now demonstrate language proficiency at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or NCLC level 7 in all four language skills.

College and other non-degree graduates

By contrast, college diplomas, certificates, post-graduate certificates, associate degrees, and other non-degree university programs are subject to IRCC’s field-of-study requirement. For these programs, a PGWP is granted only if the graduate’s program has a CIP code that appears on the IRCC PGWP-eligible field-of-study list and the applicant meets the minimum language requirement of CLB/NCLC 5, unless they are in a non-degree university program that carries the higher CLB 7 threshold.

IRCC and related guidance indicate that eligible non-degree fields tend to cluster in labour-shortage sectors, including STEM disciplines, healthcare, skilled trades, transportation, agriculture and agri-food, and selected business and social services programs. Students in non-degree programs outside these priority fields—such as many general arts, hospitality, or purely academic upgrading programs—may find that their CIP codes do not appear on the 2026 list and therefore do not lead to a PGWP, even if their institution is otherwise PGWP-eligible.

Transitional considerations and Quebec context

The field-of-study requirement applies primarily to students who applied for their study permit on or after November 1, 2024, with earlier applicants often being assessed under pre-reform PGWP rules. Many colleges and universities now publish their own lists indicating which of their programs currently align with IRCC-designated CIP codes. These federal PGWP rules apply nation-wide, including in Quebec, although Quebec adds its own layers of study-permit and work-authorization requirements (such as the CAQ for most international students).

Spousal Open Work Permit (SOWP) Restrictions in 2026

Overview of the 2025 SOWP reforms for students

In January 2025, IRCC implemented significant restrictions on family open work permits (often referred to as SOWPs when issued to spouses of students) as part of broader efforts to reduce temporary resident numbers. Effective January 21, 2025, open work permits for family members of international students were restricted to the spouses or common-law partners of students enrolled in specific higher-level or professional programs.

Under the new rules, only spouses or common-law partners of international students who are actively enrolled full-time at a designated learning institution in one of three categories remain broadly eligible for a SOWP:

• Master’s programs of at least 16 months in duration.
• Doctoral (PhD or equivalent) programs.
• Certain professional degrees identified by IRCC (for example, medicine, law, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, and some other regulated professions).

Applications for family open work permits received before January 21, 2025 continue to be assessed under the old rules, and open work permits already issued under those rules remain valid until their stated expiry but will not be renewed under the pre-2025 criteria.

Degree-level restrictions as of 2026

By late 2025, practitioner commentary emphasized that, in effect, SOWP eligibility for spouses of international students in 2025–2026 is now concentrated at the master’s, doctoral, and specific professional-degree level. Spouses of students in short college diplomas or certificates, post-graduate certificates, and most undergraduate bachelor’s programs are no longer eligible for a SOWP, unless the bachelor’s happens to be one of the selected professional degrees explicitly recognized by IRCC.

As of early 2026, there has been no indication that IRCC intends to broaden SOWP eligibility back to spouses of general undergraduate or college-level students. Most commentary suggests that couples who prioritize an accompanying spouse’s ability to work should focus on master’s programs of sufficient duration, doctoral programs, or clearly listed professional degrees when planning study pathways in Canada.

Interaction with PGWP and other work-permit categories

The SOWP restrictions discussed above apply to spouses of international students and operate independently of PGWP eligibility, although both sets of rules now push students toward higher-level and labour-market-aligned programs. Spouses of graduates who later hold a PGWP may be eligible for an open work permit under separate rules tied to the PGWP holder’s occupation skill level (TEER 0 or 1 roles), distinct from the student-level SOWP program. Similarly, spouses of foreign workers in certain TEER 0, 1, and selected TEER 2–3 occupations continue to have their own family open work permit framework.

Key Takeaways for 2026 Planning

• For LMIA purposes, Quebec’s median hourly wage of 34 CAD (for LMIAs received as of June 27, 2025) remains the key cut-off between high-wage and low-wage positions in 2026.
• A provincial moratorium means low-wage LMIAs in Montreal and Laval are generally not processed until December 31, 2026, independent of the federal 6% unemployment threshold.
• PGWP eligibility in 2026 distinguishes sharply between degree-level graduates (no field-of-study limit, CLB/NCLC 7) and non-degree graduates (frozen 2026 field-of-study list, CLB/NCLC 5 or 7).
• SOWP eligibility as of 2026 is effectively restricted to spouses of students in master’s programs of at least 16 months, doctoral programs, and a narrow set of professional degrees.