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ESDC Posts May LMIA Processing Times: Most Streams Slow, PR Stream Drops 26 Days

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has released updated processing times for the Labour Market Impact Assessment, showing that most LMIA streams slowed in May 2026 while one moved sharply in the opposite direction.

The figures, published on June 9, cover applications processed in May and are compared with April. All times are measured in business days.

The Global Talent Stream rose to 10 business days, up two days from April. That figure puts the stream exactly at its 10-business-day service standard. The Agricultural stream came in at 22 business days, one day longer than the previous month, while the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) reached 11 business days, also up one day.

Among the higher-volume streams, the High-wage stream held at 64 business days, unchanged from April. The Low-wage stream rose to 61 business days, an increase of three days.

The exception was the Permanent Residence stream, which covers LMIAs that support a permanent residence application. That figure fell to 114 business days from the April level, a drop of 26 days. It was the only stream to improve in May and recorded the largest single month-over-month change in either direction. Every other stream either rose or held steady.

An LMIA is a document issued by ESDC that most Canadian employers must obtain before hiring a temporary foreign worker. A positive assessment confirms that there is a need for the worker and that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available to fill the role. The worker then uses the approved LMIA to apply for a work permit. According to the immigration department, processing time depends on the stream, whether the application is complete, and the volume of applications in the system.

The published numbers capture only the assessment stage. They do not include the time an employer must spend meeting the minimum advertising and recruitment requirement, which ranges from 14 days to eight weeks depending on the stream and must be completed in the three months before an application is submitted. As a result, the real-world timeline for securing an LMIA runs longer than the posted processing figure suggests.

ESDC updates the processing-time estimates on a regular basis, and the numbers can shift from month to month as application volumes and program demand change. Employers and workers weighing which stream applies to a given hire are generally advised to check the current figures before filing, since a complete application is processed faster than one that requires follow-up.

A small portion of this article — research support, fact-cross-checking, and copy-editing — was assisted by AI tooling. Editorial decisions, source verification, and final sign-off remain with our team. We cite primary sources from canada.ca for every factual claim.

Last reviewed: June 26, 2026

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