Four sectors were carved out of the 2024 restrictions. Knowing whether you are one of them changes what is available to you.
The exempt sectors
Primary agriculture. Food processing, including meat processing and fish processing. Construction. Healthcare.
Employers in these sectors were granted relief from parts of the low-wage restrictions introduced in September 2024.
The distinction that catches people
Food processing is exempt. Food service is not.
A meat plant is exempt. A fish processing facility is exempt. A restaurant, café, or quick-service outlet is not.
The two sound related and are treated entirely differently. Restaurant operators regularly assume they are covered, and are not.
What the restrictions are
Low-wage LMIA applications not processed in CMAs with unemployment at 6% or above. Workforce cap cut to 10%. Low-wage permits shortened to one year.
Why the carve-outs exist
The stated reasoning is essential services and sectors where domestic labour supply is structurally insufficient. Agriculture and food processing have long had dedicated streams; construction and healthcare were added under acute shortage pressure.
What is available if you are not exempt
LMIA exemptions sit outside the whole system. Francophone Mobility applies where the worker speaks French and the position is outside Quebec, with no unemployment rule and no workforce cap.
All NOC TEER levels qualify, except primary agriculture in TEER 4 and 5. For restaurant operators specifically, that includes kitchen staff.
FrancoBridge publishes your job to French-speaking candidates in six markets.
Exemption lists change. Verify on canada.ca. This is not immigration advice.