The second week of Quebec's provincial election campaign closed with intense political debates centred on immigration, French language protection, and recent employment drops. Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon faced sharp criticism from rivals after attributing school overcrowding and the decline of French to immigration levels, citing data that included Quebec-born children of immigrants. Quebec solidaire spokesperson Ruba Ghazal accused him of scapegoating imm

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has introduced a temporary public policy allowing foreign nationals with valid work permits to pursue short-term studies of six months or less without a study permit, including those who received a subsequent work permit while already in Canada. The ability to study for up to six months without a study permit already exists under section 188(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, but the program must no

Following the official entry into force of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) between Canada and the United Kingdom on September 1, 2026, eligible British citizens can now access LMIA-exempt work permits in Canada. Under exemption code T52, UK professionals with pre-arranged Canadian employment in qualified fields can obtain work permits without Canadian employers completing a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The updated a

Garnett Genuis, Conservative Shadow Minister for Employment, has called for an immediate recall of Parliament following Statistics Canada’s August Labour Force Survey, which showed a decline of 42,000 jobs. Genuis criticized the federal government's economic policies, highlighting that full-time employment fell by nearly 35,900 positions and youth employment decreased by 19,000, bringing youth unemployment to 12.9%. He warned that current economic figures do not yet reflect r

The Government of Quebec has updated its guidance for people recognized as refugees or persons in need of protection who are living in the province. After a positive decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) or approval of a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment by IRCC, applicants should submit an application for permanent selection to Quebec and an application for permanent residence to the federal government at the same time. A Quebec permanent selection applic

Surging immigration security screening volumes have caused significant backlogs, leaving thousands of citizenship and permanent residence applicants facing multi-year delays. According to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), screening requests rose from 356,200 in 2019 to a peak of 538,100 in 2024, then eased to 438,600 after federal intake reductions. The Canada Border Services Agency currently manages tens of thousands of active files. At the same time, the Im

Saskatchewan created 2,600 jobs in August 2026, contrasting sharply with a broader national decline of nearly 42,000 positions across Canada. The provincial unemployment rate reached 6.0%, the third-lowest among Canadian provinces and below the national average. Private sector growth led the provincial gains, adding 18,200 jobs compared to August 2025, a 4.9% year-over-year increase. Major sector improvements included construction adding 6,100 jobs, manufacturing adding 4,900

On September 4, 2026, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador held the 13th round of selection through the Enhanced Expression of Interest (EOI) system, issuing 97 invitations under the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP). This draw is the second NLPNP-only draw of the year. Last year, Newfoundland and Labrador invited 3,376 applicants under the NLPNP and AIP. To date, the province has invited 2,556 candidates in 2026, including 394 AIP candidates

On September 4, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the third occupation-specific Express Entry draw of the year for candidates working in healthcare and social services occupations. In round #441, IRCC issued 3,500 Invitations to Apply (ITA), and the cut-off score was 475 points (the same as it was in the last draw for this category). The tie-breaking rule for this round was May 26, 2026, at 00:26:14 UTC. As of August 30, 2026, 226,673 profiles wer

A new report from Royal Bank of Canada warns that Canada's immigration system has lost its edge following recent population shocks and policy volatility. The report emphasizes that while immigration remains essential to combat population aging and shrinking workforce participation, public sentiment has turned negative due to systemic pressures. RBC argues that targeted sub-categories within Express Entry are undermining the merit-based points system by allowing lower-scoring

On September 3, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the third Express Entry draw for Physicians with Canadian Work Experience. IRCC issued 229 Invitations to Apply (ITA) in this draw. In round #440, the cut-off score was only 198 points, 25 fewer than in the previous round for this category, held on June 24. So far in 2026, the Government of Canada has issued 122,656 invitations under 52 Express Entry draws. #express_entry, #ircc, #ita, #physicians,

The Ontario Government is allocating nearly $3.9 million across four training initiatives through the sixth round of its Skills Development Fund (SDF) Training Stream to prepare more than 310 women for skilled trades careers. Announced by Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini, the funding prioritizes survivors of gender-based violence and individuals facing employment barriers by providing hands-on training, mentorship, and job placeme

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) has updated its Skills Immigration registration pool statistics, reporting a total of 8,013 active candidates as of September 1, 2026. According to the latest program update released on September 2, 2026, candidates scoring between 100 and 109 form the largest single group in the pool with 1,559 registrations, followed closely by 1,444 candidates in the 90 to 99 score range. Only eight candidates hold scores of 150 or h

The Manitoba Government is allocating $630,000 to community organizations through its From the Ground Up program to strengthen job skills, mentorship, and wellness initiatives for local youth. Municipal and Northern Relations Minister Glen Simard announced the new funding, which targets barriers to employment and community participation. A portion of the grant goes directly to organizations like Development Assistance International, which works directly with newcomer youth ad

Students who need proof of Canadian citizenship for education purposes may request expedited processing of their citizenship certificate application. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) lists attending a school, college, or university as one of the circumstances that may qualify for urgent processing. Following the implementation of Bill C-3 on December 15, 2025, which expanded citizenship by descent beyond the first-generation limit, processing times for proo

The C.D. Howe Institute’s immigration targets council is urging the Federal Government to implement further reductions to Canada’s temporary resident population and establish better data collection on departures. Parisa Mahboubi, chair of the council, cautioned that the government lacks accurate tracking of whether temporary residents leave after their permits expire, leaving policymakers to rely on assumptions. Although new international student and temporary worker arrivals

On September 1, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted Express Entry draw #439, inviting 2,000 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates to apply for permanent residence. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score remained at 521, two points fewer than the previous CEC draw. In this round, the tie-breaking rule was applied to profiles submitted before August 18, 2026, at 03:24:13 UTC. The Government of Canada has now issued 122,427 Invi

IRCC continues to hold Express Entry rounds roughly every two weeks across general, program-specific (including PNP), and category-based invitation types; the live rounds table and current CRS cut-offs are JavaScript-rendered on IRCC's site and could not be pulled into this digest for a specific figure this run without risking an unconfirmed number — please check the rounds page directly for the latest cut-off before advising clients. (Source: IRCC) Processing times continue

Ontario's OINP has completed its program redesign: as of the June 26, 2026 amendment to O. Reg. 422/17, the former eight-stream Expression of Interest system is closed to new entries, replaced by the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream, which covers job offers across all NOC TEER categories plus a pathway for self-employed physicians. Files still in the legacy streams should be reviewed for transition impact. (Source: Ontario) Alberta's AAIP updated its Rural Entrepreneur,

On August 24, 2026, IRCC issued a new temporary public policy for foreign nationals of Palestine who arrive in Canada as temporary residents on or before September 30, 2027. The policy takes effect August 1, 2026 and expires December 30, 2027, and lets eligible arrivals apply from within Canada for fee-exempt study permits, open work permits, and temporary resident permits, and move between temporary resident streams. (Source: IRCC) A companion temporary public policy, also d