(CANADA) Canada’s concurrent processing exception lets some in‑Canada workers apply to renew a Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) work permit before their employer receives an LMIA decision. If your current permit expires in two weeks or less, filing early can preserve your ability to keep working while IRCC finishes the work permit file and ESDC finishes the LMIA. This is not an LMIA waiver, and it does not help people outside Canada or people without valid status.

Concurrent processing: what the exception changes—and what it doesn’t

Under the standard TFWP route, the employer applies to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for a positive or neutral LMIA, then the worker applies to IRCC for the work permit. The concurrent processing exception keeps that split, but it lets IRCC accept the work permit application while the LMIA is still pending at ESDC.

The exception is designed for renewals when timing is tight and LMIA processing delays would otherwise force a worker to stop working. It does not change the substantive order of approvals: the LMIA remains an ESDC decision that IRCC will later require evidence of.

Eligibility logic: the expiring permit trigger and maintained status

You qualify only when your current work authorization is about to run out and your employer has already submitted the LMIA application with enough lead time for this special filing window. In practice, IRCC expects three links: you’re in Canada with status, the employer has an LMIA in process, and your request matches the job.

That means your evidence needs identifiers that tie everything together, such as the employer legal name, worksite, job title, wage, and any LMIA file number or submission confirmation. If you apply before your permit expires, you usually move onto maintained status, which lets you stay in Canada and keep working under the same conditions while IRCC decides.

Before you file, build a simple package that answers IRCC’s timing and identity questions.

• Proof of your current status and work authorization, including your existing work permit and passport biographic page.
• A job offer or contract that matches the LMIA details your employer filed with ESDC.
• Evidence the LMIA was submitted, such as a submission receipt, confirmation email, or other proof your employer can share without breaching privacy rules.

After you apply: the 60-day clock to prove the LMIA result

IRCC gives you 60 days to submit proof that the employer’s LMIA reached a positive or neutral stage, or other confirmation that meets IRCC’s request. Submitting proof usually means uploading the document through your online account or using the IRCC webform if the request tells you to do so.

Common mistakes include sending payroll records instead of the LMIA decision, uploading an LMIA for a different location, or missing that the employer changed the job title after filing. If you miss the 60-day window, IRCC can refuse the work permit, which can end work authorization and put your status at risk.

Why the default rule is still “LMIA first” under the TFWP

Most TFWP work permits still require a positive or neutral LMIA before you apply. ESDC uses the LMIA to test whether hiring a foreign worker will hurt the Canadian labour market and whether the employer tried to recruit Canadians or permanent residents.

That policy goal does not change just because IRCC lets you file early. When explaining the exception at work, use careful language: you are filing a work permit while an LMIA is pending, not applying “without an LMIA.”

January 2026 realities: low-wage limits and regional blocks

Even if a worker meets the exception rules, the employer still needs an LMIA that can be processed. As of January 2026, ESDC applies a moratorium that blocks low-wage LMIA processing in regions with 6% or higher unemployment, unless the job falls into an exempt occupation.

For employers in affected regions, that can mean the LMIA never reaches the positive or neutral stage you must later send to IRCC. High-wage stream LMIAs remain available anywhere, but the offered wage must beat the Job Bank prevailing rate for the NOC and the work location.

Workers should ask for the exact wage figure used, the NOC code chosen, and the region selected, because those details shape both the LMIA outcome and your work permit conditions.

When an LMIA isn’t needed: checking the International Mobility Program (IMP)

Some workers are in LMIA-exempt categories under the IMP, which is separate from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) even when the job and employer look similar. Common IMP examples include intra-company transfers, reciprocal agreements, and some entrepreneur situations, each with its own rules and evidence.

For IMP hires, employers usually submit an offer of employment through the Employer Portal and meet compliance duties tied to that offer. They also pay a $230 employer compliance fee unless an exemption applies, so budgeting and timing still matter.

VisaVerge.com reports that many renewal problems start when employers assume an IMP exemption applies, then learn late that they actually need an LMIA-backed TFWP route. Because exemptions are category-specific, confirm the correct program before you file, and keep screenshots or notes of the rule you relied on for your records.

A workable timeline from two weeks before expiry to decision

Most in-Canada workers use this exception in a narrow window, so it helps to think in stages with clear handoffs between employer, worker, ESDC, and IRCC. Stage 1, before expiry: the employer files the LMIA, and you prepare your extension application using the in-Canada work permit form IMM 5710, filed online through IRCC’s official form page.

Stage 2, at filing: you submit the work permit application with proof of the pending LMIA and a job offer that matches, then you keep copies of everything you uploaded. Stage 3, after expiry: if your permit expires while IRCC processes the extension, maintained status lets you keep working for that employer under the same conditions while you remain in Canada.

Stage 4, within the follow-up window: you respond to IRCC’s request by submitting the positive or neutral LMIA proof within 60 days, using the method IRCC specifies in writing always. Stage 5, decision: IRCC issues a new work permit or refuses, and your next step depends on whether you still have status and work authorization.