Articles and news
Counting your days for citizenship: the rules that catch people out.
A citizenship grant needs 1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before you sign. This post explains how departure and return days count, the half-day credit for time before permanent residence, time during a refugee claim, the tax-filing and passport questions, and why a buffer matters.
Read the articlePR card renewal: when to apply and what to prepare.
A PR card can be renewed once it has less than nine months left. This post covers the online application, the photo and document list, the 730-day residency check, urgent processing and the travel document you need if the card expires abroad.
Read the articleGCMS notes: how to see what the officer wrote.
You can request your IRCC file, including the officer's GCMS notes, under the Privacy Act (free, open to foreign nationals anywhere) or the Access to Information Act ($5, requester in Canada). IRCC's legislated response time is 30 days, which can be extended.
Read the articleSpousal sponsorship: proving the relationship is genuine.
What IRCC means by spouse, common-law partner and conjugal partner, what relationship evidence the checklist asks for, and how the bad-faith test in section 4 of the Regulations works.
Read the articleMaintained status: what you can do while IRCC decides.
Maintained status keeps a visitor, student or worker in status while an extension filed before expiry is processed. It ends if you leave Canada, and a refusal starts a 90-day window to apply for restoration.
Read the articlePost-graduation work permit in 2026: field of study and language rules.
PGWP applicants still face the language and field-of-study rules introduced in November 2024, and IRCC says it will not add or remove any eligible field of study in 2026.
Read the articleBiometrics for Iranian applicants: where and when.
IRCC lists no visa application centre in Iran. Who must give biometrics, the exemptions, the 10-year rule for temporary residence, the 30-day deadline after the instruction letter, and nearby VACs.
Read the articlePolice certificates and civil documents from Iran: what IRCC asks for.
IRCC's instructions for Iran: the certificate of no criminal record, how to request it from inside Iran, from Canada and from other countries, how recent it must be, and how to have it translated.
Read the articleExpress Entry profile mistakes that cause refusals.
The profile errors that most often undo an Express Entry application: occupation codes, work hours, expired language results or ECAs, undeclared family members, work evidence, late updates and misrepresentation.
Read the articleVisitor visa refused: reading the refusal and choosing the next step.
A visitor visa refusal points to a specific requirement in IRPR s.179. How to read it, and when to reapply, request your file notes or seek judicial review within the 15- or 60-day Federal Court deadline.
Read the articleSuper visa or the Parents and Grandparents Program: which one fits.
The Parents and Grandparents Program has been paused for new applicants since July 15, 2026, while the super visa remains available with new income rules in force since March 31, 2026.
Read the articleProof of funds for Express Entry: what IRCC accepts.
Who has to show settlement funds in Express Entry, the amounts IRCC posted on July 7, 2025 and still shows in October 2026, what money counts and what does not, and what the bank letter must include.
Read the articleOntario's 2026 OINP redesign: the new Workforce Priority stream.
Eight former OINP streams closed on June 25, 2026 and were replaced by the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, whose EOI portal opened August 4. No new-stream invitation round had been published by September 10.
Read the articleImmigration news
Dated updates on Express Entry and provincial draws, IRCC policy changes, Ontario announcements and IRB notices, each checked against the official source.
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