Foreign Worker Arrivals Hit Two
TFWP Arrivals Drop to Lowest Point in Nearly Two Years
So you know how Canada has been tightening up its temporary resident programs? The numbers are really starting to show it now, especially for foreign workers.
The government just released data showing that only 2,615 new workers arrived through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in November 2025. That’s the lowest monthly total we’ve seen since the immigration department started tracking these numbers back in December 2023. The data came out on January 20, 2026.
What’s Behind the Drop?
The government has been pretty clear about wanting fewer temporary residents overall. Their latest Immigration Levels Plan cut the TFWP target for 2026 down to 60,000 admissions. That’s a 27% decrease from the previous target of 82,000 for this year.
But the biggest factor driving these lower numbers is actually a freeze the government put in place. Since September 2024, they’ve stopped processing Labour Market Impact Assessments for the low-wage stream of the TFWP in any region where unemployment hits 6% or higher.
Understanding LMIAs
Let me explain what an LMIA actually is, because it’s pretty crucial to this whole thing. When an employer wants to hire a foreign worker through the TFWP, they need to get an LMIA from Employment and Social Development Canada first.
It’s basically a document proving that hiring a foreign national won’t negatively impact job availability for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Without a positive or neutral LMIA, workers can’t apply for or renew their TFWP work permits.
Which Cities Are Affected?
The government updates the list of high-unemployment regions every quarter. The most recent list came out on January 8, 2026, and it includes 24 regions currently under the moratorium.
Some pretty major cities made the list, including Toronto, Calgary, and Ottawa. The good news is that seven major cities actually came off the list in this latest update. Vancouver, Halifax, and Winnipeg are no longer subject to the freeze.
How the TFWP Differs from Other Programs
You might be wondering why this matters so much if Canada has other work permit programs. The TFWP is actually pretty unique because it’s the most flexible employer-driven program out there.
Employers can hire foreign nationals for basically any occupation and from any country, as long as the worker meets general admission requirements and they have that LMIA. It’s really Canada’s flagship program for employer-driven work permits.
The International Mobility Program is the other major work permit stream, but it has much more restrictive requirements. The IMP only covers foreign nationals in specific situations, like international student graduates or executives being transferred to Canadian branches of multinational corporations.
Political Pressure and Criticism
These cuts didn’t happen in a vacuum. The TFWP has been facing serious criticism for several years now from various corners. The Conservative Party of Canada even called for completely abolishing the program last September.
That same month, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that more changes were coming. He said the goal was achieving a focused approach that targets specific strategic sectors and needs in specific regions. We’re still waiting on the details though. Nothing further has been released yet.
The Bigger Picture on Temporary Residents
All of this fits into the government’s much broader plan to reduce temporary resident numbers across the board. They want to get the total number of temporary residents down to less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.
And it’s not just foreign workers feeling the impact. The latest Immigration Levels Plan also slashed the 2026 target for international student admissions to 155,000. That’s down from the previous year’s notional target of 305,900 for 2026.
So yeah, if you’ve been noticing fewer temporary foreign workers around or hearing employers complain about labor shortages, now you know why. The government has really pumped the brakes on these programs.
