Key Takeaways
Canada updated prevailing wages on 3 December 2024. Employees holding a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-based work permit must review their wages.
Insights from Envoy Global’s Canada Immigration Team
Employers should review temporary foreign workers’ wages annually. This ensures that wages reflect increases to prevailing (median) wage rates for their given occupation and region of work.
This requirement ensures employers continue to pay LMIA-based work permit holders the prevailing wage level throughout their employment period. Employers must also increase wages according to any changes the National Job Bank reflects.
To check the prevailing wage, employers can visit https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis. The National Occupational Classification (“NOC”) code for the worker’s position and the employment location reflected on their LMIA approval will be required.
After entering this on the website, the link leads to the summary page, which includes a tab for wages. The tab displays the prevailing (median) wage for the specific NOC code occupation. Employers must meet or exceed this wage hourly in the location. Wages typically update in the fall, so review wages annually toward the end of each year.
This information was prepared in collaboration with Jim Yang, Senior Immigration Manager and Daphne Wong, Team Lead of Envoy Global’s Canadian team. Content in this publication is for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such.
For additional information on the issues discussed, consult an attorney at Corporate Immigration Partners, P.C., or another qualified professional of your choosing. On non-U.S. immigration issues, consult your Envoy representative, or another qualified representative of your choosing.
