What did IRCC change for work permit extensions during Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) waits?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada removed the 90 calendar day limit for holding certain in Canada work permit extension applications while an employer Labour Market Impact Assessment is still pending. Officers now hold eligible concurrent applications until Employment and Social Development Canada decides the LMIA, and where required until a Quebec Acceptance Certificate is available, instead of finalizing or refusing after 90 days.

The update applies to concurrent processing: foreign workers already in Canada who are extending work permits while their employers await an LMIA decision. IRCC also clarified how officers should handle LMIA decisions and when an expired LMIA can be reused. Eligibility requirements for concurrent processing remain largely unchanged.

On August 21, 2026, IRCC had extended the concurrent processing holding period from 60 days to 90 days. The latest change is the second adjustment to concurrent processing rules in just over two months, linked to LMIA processing times that often exceed the old deadline.

Who can use concurrent processing while an LMIA is pending?

Concurrent processing remains for in Canada applicants who show their work permit expires in two weeks or less, whose prospective employer submitted a complete LMIA application sufficiently early given published processing times, and where ESDC has not yet decided the LMIA.

Approval still requires a positive LMIA. A negative LMIA leads to refusal of the work permit application. The LMIA requirement and concurrent eligibility conditions are unchanged. Employers must still submit LMIA applications early and workers must meet concurrent processing rules.

Workers who qualify for maintained status may remain in Canada and continue working under the conditions of their previous work permit while IRCC processes an extension, even if processing takes longer than 90 days. Previously, if the LMIA decision was not available within 90 days, the work permit application could be refused, which for those on maintained status would also end authorization to continue working under the prior permit.

What do LMIA processing times mean if you are extending a work permit?

In September 2026, average processing time for high wage LMIAs was 98 business days, approximately 137 calendar days. Average processing times for the low wage stream and permanent resident stream were also over the 90 day threshold.

For you as an applicant, that means the old 90 day holding limit often expired before ESDC finished the LMIA, which could lead to refusal even when the delay was outside your or your employer’s control. IRCC will now wait for an LMIA decision but does not wait indefinitely for a positive LMIA, only for a decision.

The change aims to reduce refusals driven by LMIA delays and to give eligible foreign workers more flexibility when employers wait for LMIA decisions.

What happens next after you submit a concurrent extension?

IRCC officers are to apply the updated LMIA review instructions by holding eligible concurrent applications until ESDC issues an LMIA decision and a CAQ is available where required, then approve or refuse based on whether the LMIA is positive.

Removing the fixed 90 day holding limit aligns concurrent work permit processing with LMIA timelines that often exceed 90 days, while keeping concurrent eligibility and the need for a positive LMIA for approval.