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TL;DR
Canada recorded 6,445 new Temporary Foreign Worker Program arrivals in April 2026, down about 41% from 10,940 in April 2024.
Monthly arrivals reached a year-end low of 2,090 in December 2025 before rising again in early 2026.
Federal restrictions introduced in September 2024 tightened access to the Low-Wage Stream and shortened the maximum employment period.
The figures count new TFWP arrivals rather than every temporary worker or work permit holder in Canada.
Canada recorded 6,445 new arrivals through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in April 2026, about 41% below the April 2024 peak, according to Government of Canada data.
The decline followed restrictions that Ottawa introduced as unemployment rose and pandemic-era labour shortages eased. Employers now face stricter rules when recruiting low-wage workers, while prospective applicants may find fewer TFWP-supported jobs in affected cities.
What the government data tells us
New TFWP arrivals climbed from 6,520 in January 2024 to 10,940 in April. They remained above 10,000 through June before falling to 7,100 in August, shortly before Ottawa announced its main Low-Wage Stream restrictions.
The decline continued after the changes took effect on September 26, 2024. Arrivals fell from 7,960 that September to 4,725 in December. The monthly count reached 7,735 in April 2025, then dropped through the rest of the year to 2,090 in December.
Arrivals fell slightly further to 2,070 in February 2026 before rising to 3,480 in March and 6,445 in April. April’s increases in 2025 and 2026 suggest that seasonal hiring remains part of the monthly pattern despite lower year-over-year totals.
The timing aligns with Ottawa’s restrictions, but the data does not show that federal policy caused every change. Seasonal demand, employer decisions, regional conditions, and the wider economy may also have influenced arrivals.
What changed in September 2024
The TFWP allows employers to hire foreign nationals when qualified Canadian citizens or permanent residents are unavailable. Employers generally need a positive or neutral Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which evaluates how a proposed hire could affect Canada’s labour market.
Under changes announced on August 26, 2024, employers generally became limited to filling 10% of a work location’s workforce through the Low-Wage Stream. That stream applies to jobs that pay less than the median wage set for the province or territory.
Ottawa also began refusing to process certain low-wage LMIA applications in census metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6% or higher. The maximum employment period for workers hired through the stream fell from two years to one year.
The 10% limit continued an earlier rollback. Ottawa had reduced the cap from 30% to 20% before lowering it again in September 2024. The government said Canada’s unemployment rate had reached 6.4% in June 2024, when 1.4 million people were unemployed.
Exceptions do apply to jobs in primary agriculture, food processing, fish processing, construction, and healthcare. And federal refusal-to-process guidance also provides higher thresholds for specified sectors and exemptions for qualifying short-term or highly mobile work.
The numbers might not tell the full story
The monthly figures do not represent all TFWP permit holders living or working in Canada. They measure people newly arriving under the program.
Work permit extensions are excluded because those workers are already in Canada. The data also excludes qualifying TFWP jobs lasting 270 days or less when the work begins and ends within the same calendar year. Those exclusions can cover immediate needs in sectors such as tourism and construction.
The TFWP is also separate from the International Mobility Program (IMP). The IMP covers LMIA-exempt categories, including certain work permits issued under international agreements and intra-company transfers. Combining both programs would produce a broader figure that cannot be compared directly with the TFWP monthly series.
For example, the government reported 58,360 new work permit holders across the categories on its data page from January through April 2026. That total covers more categories than the 6,445 TFWP arrivals recorded in April alone.
Employers must check the cap at each work location before submitting an LMIA application
Wage thresholds, sector exemptions, and local unemployment rules can change whether an application will be processed. Ottawa introduced further measures for eligible rural employers in March 2026.
According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business summary, participating provinces and territories may allow qualifying employers outside census metropolitan areas to use a 15% low-wage cap instead of 10% between April 2026 and March 2027. The rural measure can help an employer apply for additional positions. It does not extend an existing worker’s permit or authorization to remain in Canada.
What this means for you
If you are considering a TFWP-supported job, check the stream and rules before relying on the offer.
Confirm whether the wage places the position in the Low-Wage Stream or under the applicable high-wage threshold.
Check whether the employer operates in an urban area affected by the 6% unemployment rule.
Review the proposed employment period and confirm that the employer has an approved LMIA where one is required.
If you already hold a permit, remember that lower arrival figures do not cancel your authorization. Employers should verify current caps, exemptions, rural eligibility, and provincial requirements through official federal guidance.
