News & practical guidance
Policy changes quickly. We translate important updates into clear, useful information for applicants, families and employers.
Every material update answers
When a change matters, the article explains its practical effect and the related program guide is updated too.
Express Entry round 441 invited 3,500 candidates in the Healthcare and Social Services Occupations category, with a minimum CRS score of 475.
Read articleIRCC's September update shows an estimated 33-month processing time for a citizenship certificate, with about 136,000 people waiting for a decision.
Read articleExpress Entry round 440 issued 229 invitations in the physicians-with-Canadian-work-experience category, with a minimum CRS score of 198.
Read articleNew IRCC instructions explain which refugee-status documents Groups of Five and Community Sponsors must include, which documents are generally invalid, and who is exempt.
Read articleFollowing the United Kingdom's accession to the CPTPP on September 1, eligible UK citizens can use defined business-visitor, investor, intra-company transfer and professional provisions in Canada.
Read articleDesignated employers can submit complete community-recommendation applications from September 2 to September 7; the community expects to issue about 75 recommendations, subject to allocation and assessment.
Read articleCandidates selected for NSNP assessment on or after September 1 must pay $1,000 for a worker stream or $2,000 for an entrepreneur stream; submitting an EOI remains free.
Read articleIRCC invited 562 Provincial Nominee Program candidates on August 31 at CRS 697, followed by 2,000 Canadian Experience Class candidates on September 1 at CRS 521.
Read articleIRCC has updated its protected-person PR instructions to explain when an in-Canada protected person and accompanying family members in Canada are exempt from a second immigration medical examination.
Read articleStudy-permit applications filed on or after September 1, 2026 must show higher first-year living funds outside Quebec, starting at $23,448 for one person before tuition and transportation.
Read articleIRCC will stop accepting new applications under the two temporary Hong Kong permanent residence streams after August 31, 2026, while continuing to process applications received on or before that date.
Read articleIRCC has consolidated its humanitarian and compassionate instructions and clarified intake restrictions, the applicant's evidence burden, global assessment, child-focused analysis and referral procedures.
Read articleSuper Visa files processed on or after March 31, 2026 are assessed under new income instructions that can use either a full-income tax-year test or a 75% host-income test supplemented by a parent or grandparent.
Read articleAtlantic Immigration Program workers may renew an employer-specific permit while permanent residence is pending, with updated rules for endorsement validity, employer changes and proof that the PR application was submitted.
Read articleAlberta says qualifying practice-ready physicians and French-speaking candidates may be nominated through existing AAIP pathways without using the province's regular allocation, and has begun reporting those nominations separately.
Read articleTwo temporary public policies now provide fee-exempt status, study-permit and open-work-permit options for certain eligible Palestinians in Canada, while allowing some earlier-policy work-permit holders to renew with standard fees.
Read articleIRCC has extended the concurrent-processing grace period from 60 to 90 days for a narrow group of in-Canada work-permit extension applicants whose LMIA—and Québec CAQ, when required—is still pending.
Read articlePrince Edward Island is seeking feedback on draft rules that would require most employers hiring foreign nationals to register, disclose recruitment and job details, and face administrative penalties for violations.
Read articleIRCC invited 1,000 Canadian Experience Class candidates at CRS 523 on August 18, followed by 5,000 French-language candidates at CRS 382 on August 19.
Read articleSaskatchewan says an individual and company face charges for allegedly charging a foreign worker for employment and exploiting a foreign national’s trust, fear or lack of knowledge. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Read articleIRCC issued 442 invitations in Express Entry round #435 for Provincial Nominee Program candidates. The CRS cut-off was 760, and the tie-breaking rule was August 7, 2026 at 18:01:56 UTC.
Read articleOntario has changed the rules for Ontario Works and ODSP, excluding people without legal status and people whose only authorization to remain in Canada is temporary, including study-permit and work-permit holders. Separate rules may still apply to refugee claimants, protected persons and certain permanent-residence applicants.
Read articleA Moose Jaw employer was fined and ordered to repay $12,000 after pleading guilty to charging a foreign worker for employment—an important reminder that workers cannot be made to pay for a job or for support tied to an immigration pathway.
Read articleIRCC’s August 13 update removes the instruction that a C20 applicant must already work for the organization abroad, while preserving the need for a genuine Canadian job offer and persuasive evidence of reciprocal employment opportunities for Canadians or permanent residents.
Read articleThe August 11 update creates a central family-work-permit instruction page and adds guidance on free-trade-agreement spouses, self-employed workers, permanent-residence transitions, renewals and refusals.
Read articleThe August 10 update reorganizes the officer instructions for open work permits under R207 and clarifies the four in-Canada permanent-residence groups covered by administrative code A70.
Read articleThe Manitoba-only policy is for certain workers previously screened into the MPNP expression-of-interest pool who received a provincial support letter by December 31, 2025 and remain employed in Manitoba.
Read articleA strong plan starts with eligibility, timing, evidence, risk and realistic alternatives—not simply the name of a program.
Read articleOntario opened the employer-led registration process for the new Workforce Priority stream on August 4. Employers submit the qualifying job offer first, and the candidate then has 30 calendar days to register the related expression of interest.
Read articleThe July 31 benefit grids moved several services into basic coverage, changing the out-of-pocket cost for eligible IFHP beneficiaries.
Read articleEligibility and documentation issues can affect a post-graduation work permit even when a student successfully completed a Canadian program.
Read articleBritish Columbia issued 569 Skills Immigration invitations on July 16 through two high-economic-impact selection methods.
Read articleIRCC paused new PGP intake on July 15, 2026, while continuing to process applications already in the system.
Read articleUntil March 31, 2027, only certain Iranian nationals in Canada with a valid work permit issued on or before February 28, 2025 may use the revised measure to request one extension.
Read articleOfficial-source archive
This archive tracks changes with practical impact from the start of the year. Purely technical or editorial changes with no applicant impact are not treated as separate news.
Sources checked every day: