Would You Move To One of These Towns For Canadian Permanent Residence?

Hi there,
 
When people immigrate to Canada, many of them head to Toronto, with Vancouver a close second. Maybe you were one of them?  

Regardless of where you initially moved to in Canada, it’s possible that you’re bumping into some road blocks when it comes to securing your next temporary work permit while you wait for an ITA in Express Entry. You likely know that cut-off scores for receiving an Invitation to Apply through Canada’s Express Entry system are at record highs this year.  

Maybe you’re even struggling to find work – or to find a high-paying employer willing to sponsor you – amid record high unemployment in Canada.  

So, what if we said there are locations in Canada where it’s still possible to get an LMIA even in the low-wage stream because unemployment rates there are low? Or if we told you that there are regions seeing targeted PNP draws at the provincial level? Would you consider moving?  

In 2024, Service Canada began linking low-wage stream LMIA eligibility to local unemployment rates. If unemployment in a region rises above 6%, employers in that region cannot receive a positive LMIA—unless the job falls into a very limited number of exceptions. More here.  

What this means is that you may be able to access an LMIA through the low-wage stream through employers in the regions where unemployment is lower than 6%. This option can give you an additional 12 months to live and work in Canada to gain valuable points for Canadian work experience. See our CRS calculator to see what impact that could have on your CRS score, since not all Canadian work experience is valued equally.

At the moment, these CMAs have unemployment rates below 6% and employers aren’t precluded from applying for an LMIA through the low-wage stream.

Drummondville, QC · Greater Sudbury, ON · Guelph, ON · Kelowna, BC · Lethbridge, AB · Québec City, QC · Red Deer, AB · Regina, SK · Saguenay, QC · Saskatoon, SK · Sherbrooke, QC · Thunder Bay, ON · Trois-Rivières, QC · Victoria, BC · Winnipeg, MB.

There are 14 rural communities in Canada where finding an eligible job offer can put you on a pathway to permanent residence (with a temporary work permit in the meantime!). They are:  

Pictou County, NS · North Bay, ON · Sudbury, ON · Timmins, ON · Sault Ste. Marie, ON · Thunder Bay, ON · Steinbach, MB · Altona/Rhineland, MB · Brandon, MB · Moose Jaw, SK · Claresholm, AB · West Kootenay, BC · North Okanagan–Shuswap, BC · Peace Liard, BC.

There are a further six communities where basic French proficiency offers a pathway to permanent residence in Canada (CLB 5): 

Sudbury, ON · Timmins, ON · Kelowna, BC · Acadian Peninsula, NB · St. Pierre-Jolys, MB.

The key benefit here is that CLB 5 is sufficient to qualify for permanent residence, unlike the Express Entry category-based rounds, which require CLB 7+ to qualify. So, if you’ve started learning French for Express Entry but haven’t hit CLB 7 yet, this program may be a great option for you.  

Historically, Canada’s PNPs have offered regional opportunities for permanent residence. BC, for example, awards additional points for living outside of Metro Vancouver, meanwhile Quebec has completed draws with lower requirements for those outside of Montreal.  

It’s worth noting that these opportunities are a little lower in 2025, given the significant reductions in provincial nomination allocations this year. That being said, Ontario sent out invitations in early June targeting candidates in the Greater Sudbury and Grand Sudbury regions. Meanwhile, PEI has targeted candidates who have lived and worked in PEI for at least one year in multiple rounds this year. So, opportunities are still there for provincial nomination in Canada’s provinces.  Learn more about the latest PNP rounds.

Toronto and Vancouver might be the top picks, but smaller cities and rural regions across Canada are offering real, tangible immigration advantages, like LMIAs in low-wage streams and permanent residence through community-driven programs. 

So, we’re curious... 

Wherever your journey takes you in Canada, we’re here to help you navigate it.

All the best, 

Rebecca and Stephanie

The Moving2Canada Team!