According to Glass Canada, federal work permit and labour market assessment processing delays are pushing temporary foreign workers out of legal status and leaving employers without trained staff. For Canadian glazing and glass manufacturing employers already contending with skilled-labour shortages, the coordination gap described in the report adds another layer of hiring risk.
How the two 90-day clocks collide
The problem starts with the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which an employer must obtain to certify that no Canadian citizen or permanent resident is available for a job. Delays in LMIA processing often occur because of backlogs. According to the Glass Canada article, a temporary worker whose permit is expiring typically triggers two separate 90-day processing windows: one for the employer’s LMIA renewal at Service Canada, and one for the worker’s work permit renewal at IRCC.
In theory, both timelines should finish at about the same time. In practice, Service Canada backlogs regularly push LMIA processing past 90 days, and IRCC does not wait. When no LMIA approval has been matched to a file by the time the IRCC window closes, IRCC rejects the renewal and orders the worker to stop working immediately, even though the employer’s application is still pending.
A worker’s case shows the human cost
The Glass Canada report details the case of a temporary foreign worker identified by the pseudonym Sofia. Her employer’s LMIA renewal was filed on time with complete documentation, but the assessment was still pending when IRCC reached its 90-day mark. An immigration lawyer sent Sofia a message on Aug. 31, 2026: “Stop working immediately.” Her refusal letter said, “No LMIA approval has been matched to file. The 90 day mark has passed.”
Sofia had done nothing wrong, and neither had her employer. The only problem was the two federal agencies not communicating with each other. About a week after the refusal letter, the labour market assessment was approved. But the employer still had to file another LMIA application and pay $1,500 in fees, and Sofia could not work until the new paperwork was approved. She lost income, lost legal status, and the collapse of any pathway to permanent residency she had been building.
Employers lose trained staff mid-season
Glass Canada reported that Glenn Cormier, owner of Bowen Island Pub on the British Columbia coast, had 12 foreign workers when the coordination failed. A couple of his employees cannot work, and one was forced to return to the Philippines to restart the process, losing months of income and thousands of dollars. Cormier said, “It’s Service Canada that handles the LMIA… IRCC handles work permits… these two arms of government don’t talk to each other,” adding that if IRCC finds the labour market assessment hasn’t been processed, “they just reject you and send you back to the beginning.” Cormier warned MP Patrick Weiler about this scenario in June 2025, 14 months before the first worker’s refusal letter arrived.
Rupinder Sidhu, who operates Saffron Restaurant in Sechelt, B.C., lost three foreign employees because of the same timing problem. With 55 people on her payroll, she had to close her dining room and shut down a school lunch program. The article notes she has been to Ottawa twice, met with federal officials and sent documented letters to the prime minister and her MP four times.
For temporary workers whose assessment hasn’t been approved, the choice is stark: leave Canada and restart the entire application process from abroad, or stay without legal work authorization. They lose income either way, and rural employers lose trained staff mid-season.
Legal and systemic mismatch
Immigration lawyer Cassandra Fultz told Glass Canada that the coordination gap is systemic. She said, “Service Canada and IRCC don’t have an automatic data-sharing mechanism,” and explained that the two agencies process applications independently, and when backlogs at one department exceed the statutory window at the other, workers are trapped in a gap neither agency designed or monitors.
Immigration consultant Andrea Baskin pointed to another mismatch: “three calendar months is not the same as 90 business days.” Fultz added that workers and employers follow every rule, file on time, complete the paperwork and pay the fees, yet the system fails them and there is no escalation path, emergency mechanism or override.
Agencies respond, but questions remain
New Canadian Media asked Service Canada and IRCC why renewals are refused while an assessment is pending, why workers are told to stop working, what the average LMIA processing time is, and how many workers have been affected in the last 12 months. Service Canada did not answer questions about refusals, stop-work orders, coordination mechanisms or affected worker counts. IRCC said it cannot isolate refusals caused solely by LMIA delays.
IRCC acknowledged the impact of the delay, stating it “continues to work closely with Employment and Social Development Canada (another name for Service Canada) to improve coordination.” Service Canada told New Canadian Media the “Temporary Foreign Worker Program works with IRCC to ensure that the processing of LMIAs does not impact the legal status of foreign nationals.” Neither agency acknowledged the systemic failure these cases reveal, according to Glass Canada. B.C.’s labour ministry did not provide comment, citing restrictions due to the ongoing provincial election campaign.
What it means for Canadian glazing employers
The cases in the Glass Canada report are drawn from B.C. hospitality, but the federal timelines and coordination gaps apply to any employer using temporary foreign workers, including glazing contractors and glass manufacturers. For a sector already competing for skilled installers and fabricators, a worker’s sudden stop-work order or departure can leave projects understaffed and delay production.
Under IRCC rules, workers who apply for renewal before their current status expires should be authorized to continue working under maintained status. But if the LMIA has not cleared Service Canada within 90 days, IRCC rejects the application. That means a worker can be following the rules perfectly and working legally until the deadline passes, then suddenly lose the right to work.
The article does not say when or whether the federal agencies plan to synchronize the two clocks. IRCC said it continues to work with Service Canada to improve coordination, but did not describe a mechanism or address restoring status for affected workers.