Before submitting a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), employers are required to demonstrate that they genuinely attempted to recruit Canadian citizens and permanent residents for the position before turning to a foreign worker. This demonstration takes the form of minimum advertising requirements set by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC): a mandatory Job Bank posting plus at least two additional recruitment methods, for a specified duration that depends on whether the position is high-wage or low-wage. As of April 1, 2026, the minimum advertising duration for low-wage positions was increased from 4 to 8 consecutive weeks. Employers must retain all recruitment records for 6 years from the LMIA decision. Failure to meet advertising requirements is grounds for a negative LMIA.

For current requirements by stream and occupation, refer to the ESDC TFWP page and the specific stream guidance for high-wage and low-wage positions.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), s 203(3)(a) — the LMIA positive decision criteria, including assessment of whether the employer made reasonable efforts to recruit Canadians and permanent residents
• ESDC TFWP: Program requirements for high-wage positions — canada.ca/tfwp-high-wage
• ESDC TFWP: Program requirements for low-wage positions — canada.ca/tfwp-low-wage
• ESDC TFWP: Variations to minimum advertising requirements — canada.ca/tfwp-advertising-variations
• ESDC TFWP: Agricultural stream recruitment and advertisement — canada.ca/tfwp-agriculture-recruitment

High-wage positions — advertising requirements

For LMIA applications in high-wage positions (where the offered wage is at or above the provincial or territorial median wage for the occupation), the advertising requirements are:

1. Job Bank: The position must be advertised on the Government of Canada's Job Bank for a minimum of 4 consecutive weeks within the 3 months immediately before the LMIA application is submitted
2. Two additional recruitment methods: At least 2 additional recruitment methods consistent with the occupation type must be used — these should reach different audiences and be appropriate for the specific occupation (for example, a professional journal or national job board for professional occupations; a trade-specific publication for skilled trades)

Advertising does not need to run concurrently — the Job Bank posting and the two additional methods can be run at different times, provided all fall within the 3-month window before the application.

Low-wage positions — advertising requirements (from April 1, 2026)

For LMIA applications in low-wage positions (where the offered wage is below the provincial or territorial median wage for the occupation), the requirements as of April 1, 2026 are:

1. Job Bank: The position must be advertised on Job Bank for a minimum of 8 consecutive weeks within the 3 months before the application — this represents a doubling of the prior 4-week requirement
2. Two additional recruitment methods: At least 2 additional methods, consistent with the occupation and targeting different underrepresented groups
3. Youth recruitment: Employers must demonstrate specific recruitment efforts to reach and encourage youth to apply — this is an additional requirement for low-wage positions beyond the general underrepresented group requirement

The April 2026 change to 8 weeks reflects increased scrutiny on low-wage temporary foreign worker applications — ESDC has signalled ongoing tightening of requirements in this stream.

Underrepresented groups — additional recruitment targeting

For both high-wage and low-wage positions, the additional recruitment methods should target groups that are underrepresented in the Canadian labour market. ESDC guidance includes:

• Indigenous people
• Vulnerable youth
• Newcomers to Canada
• Persons with disabilities
• Older workers (55+)

Employers should document which groups were targeted and through which channels — a generic "we tried" response is insufficient. For low-wage positions, youth must be explicitly included as a target group.

Acceptable additional recruitment methods

ESDC accepts a range of recruitment methods in addition to Job Bank. The appropriateness of a method depends on the occupation. Examples include:

• National or regional job boards (Indeed, Workopolis, LinkedIn, Monster)
• Industry-specific publications or websites (nursing associations, engineering societies, trades publications)
• Campus recruitment and university/college career centres
• Employment agencies, headhunters, and recruitment firms
• Local and provincial Employment Service Offices
• Participation in job fairs
• Advertising through Indigenous organizations or settlement agencies (which also helps meet the underrepresented groups requirement)

If a method other than Job Bank is used as the primary method (for example, a specialized industry board), a written rationale explaining why Job Bank was not used as the primary posting platform must be included. Job Bank cannot be entirely omitted — it is a mandatory element of the advertising record.

Record keeping — 6 years

Employers are required to keep records of all advertising and recruitment efforts for 6 years from the date of the LMIA decision. Records must be sufficient to demonstrate:

• Where the position was advertised and when
• The duration of each advertisement
• How many applications were received and from whom
• Why Canadian and permanent resident applicants were not selected (reasons for each rejection must be documented)
• Evidence of the advertising materials themselves (copies of job postings, screenshots, confirmation emails)

ESDC has the authority to conduct compliance inspections at any time during the 6-year record-keeping window. Failure to produce records on request can result in compliance consequences including negative LMIA decisions on future applications and potential bans from the TFWP.

Variations and exemptions

In some circumstances, ESDC may approve variations to the minimum advertising requirements — for example, for occupations where Job Bank is not a practical recruitment channel, or where the employer can demonstrate a genuine shortage exists that makes extended advertising futile. The ESDC variations page sets out the circumstances in which a variation may be requested. Variations are not automatic and require justification.

Agricultural streams — different rules

The agricultural stream and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) have separate advertising rules that differ from the high-wage/low-wage framework — including specific requirements for advertising in agricultural job boards and demonstrating domestic recruitment efforts. For agricultural LMIA advertising requirements, refer to the ESDC agricultural recruitment page. Note: the SAWP reinstated an advertising requirement in January 2026 (previously, SAWP was exempt from domestic advertising requirements). For details, see the SAWP page.

LMIA advertising requirements are a compliance obligation, not a formality — ESDC does review the adequacy of recruitment efforts when assessing LMIA applications, and a negative LMIA can be issued if the advertising record is incomplete or unconvincing. The April 2026 doubling of the low-wage advertising duration to 8 weeks reflects increased regulatory scrutiny on this stream. Employers applying for high-wage LMIAs need to ensure their Job Bank posting and at least 2 additional methods are documented, dated, and archived before submitting. For the most current advertising requirements by stream, the list of acceptable additional methods, and the variation request process, refer to the ESDC high-wage requirements and low-wage requirements pages.