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Manitoba invests $630,000 to expand youth leadership and newcomer employment programs
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
5 days ago


Provincial Nominee Programs
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,
Sep 1


IRCC Notices & Public Policy
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
Sep 1


Quebec invited around 800 candidates under four Arrima streams
On August 28, 2026, the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Francisation et Integration (MIFI) published the results of the 87th invitation round in Quebec’s online system Arrima, which were conducted on August 27, 2026. MIFI invited 87 candidates under Stream 1 (Highly qualified and specialized skills), around 580 candidates under Stream 2 (Intermediate and manual skills), 109 candidates under Stream 3 (Regulated professions), and 21 candidates under Stream 4 (Exceptional talent
Aug 31


Canada sees drop in refugee intake as board clears backlogs
New refugee protection claims in Canada dropped significantly by mid-2026, falling to 2,652 cases in July after reaching over 11,000 during the same period last year. Higher processing capacity at the Refugee Protection Division helped lower the overall pending inventory to 268,058 claims, driven by a surge of 13,034 finalized cases in June alone. In contrast, pending refugee appeals continued a steady upward trend, climbing close to 6,000 open files. The latest official numb
Aug 18


IRCC invited provincial nominees under Express Entry
On August 17, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the Express Entry draw #435 for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. The Government of Canada issued 442 Invitations to Apply (ITAs), and the round’s cut-off score was 760 points, 8 points fewer than the previous PNP-targeted draw. The tie-breaking rule for this round was August 07, 2026, at 18:01:56 UTC. As of August 16, there were 226,859 profiles registered in the Express Entry pool. This
Aug 18


Ontario ended social assistance access for temporary residents and undocumented individuals
The Ontario Government has updated regulations for Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program to restrict financial support to legal Canadian residents. Effective immediately, the amended rules under the Ontario Works Act and the Ontario Disability Support Program Act exclude individuals residing in Canada without legal status. Temporary residents, including international students, temporary workers, and tourists, are also ineligible for these social assistance
Aug 17


Alberta clarified eligibility guidance for entrepreneur immigration streams
The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) updated its guidance for the Rural Entrepreneur, Graduate Entrepreneur, and Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur streams on August 12, 2026. The new details clarify how program officers assess the existing economic establishment requirement during the application and monitoring phases. Official eligibility criteria remain unchanged. Applicants with files currently under review will have a chance to provide extra information if concern
Aug 13


New Brunswick secures $10 million in federal funding for foreign credential recognition
The Government of New Brunswick has secured nearly $10 million in federal funding through the Foreign Credential Recognition Program to help internationally trained professionals integrate into the provincial workforce. Distributed across WorkingNB, post-secondary relations, and Skilled Trades NB, the funding targets critical shortages in health care, engineering, skilled trades, and education. Planned initiatives include wage subsidies for 100 internationally educated nurses
Aug 13


CBSA to replace Remote Area Border Crossing Program with telephone reporting system
On August 10, 2026, the Canada Border Services Agency announced that the Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Program will close on December 1, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen border integrity. Travellers entering Canada through affected remote areas of northern Ontario or from the Northwest Angle into southern Manitoba will instead be required to report at a port of entry or designated telephone reporting site. All active RABC permits have been automatically extended un
Aug 11


IRCC conducted a new Express Entry draw for provincial nominees
On August 4, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the Express Entry draw #431 for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. The Government of Canada issued 507 Invitations to Apply (ITAs), and the round’s cut-off score was 768 points, 24 points more than the previous PNP-targeted draw. The tie-breaking rule for this round was May 15, 2026, at 15:58:19 UTC. As of August 3, there were 229,100 profiles registered in the Express Entry pool. This year,
Aug 5


Quebec conducted new Arrima draws under four streams
On July 30, 2026, the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Francisation et Integration (MIFI) published the results of the 86th invitation round in Quebec’s online system Arrima, which were conducted on July 30, 2026. MIFI invited 105 candidates under Stream 1 (Highly qualified and specialized skills), 296 candidates under Stream 2 (Intermediate and manual skills), 110 candidates under Stream 3 (Regulated professions), and 12 candidates under Stream 4 (Exceptional talent). So far,
Jul 31


Saskatchewan reserves 750 SINP immigration nominations for local graduates
Saskatchewan has allocated at least 750 provincial immigration nominations in 2026 for graduates of local designated learning institutions who secure job offers in key economic sectors. Under updated Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) guidance, eligibility relies on the employer’s operational sector rather than the applicant’s specific field of study. Qualifying industries include healthcare, agriculture, technology, skilled trades, energy, mining, and manufacturin
Jul 31


Yukon introduces streamlined licensing pathway for internationally trained family physicians
The Government of Yukon has issued a General Declaration of Need to streamline licensing for internationally trained family physicians. Under the new Limited A pathway, qualified doctors from the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia can receive a licence from the Yukon Medical Council without undergoing additional practice assessments or supervision. Issued under the Medical Profession Act, this initiative reduces administrative barriers for foreign-trained p
Jul 27


CBSA removes 10,607 inadmissible individuals from Canada in the first half of 2026
On July 24, 2026, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) published updated enforcement statistics showing that 10,607 inadmissible individuals were removed from Canada between January 1 and June 30, 2026. Quebec recorded the highest number of enforced removals at 5,467, followed by the Greater Toronto Area with 2,674, the Pacific Region with 906, and the Prairie Region with 839. Most removals involved immigration non-compliance: 8,551 cases concerned refugee claimants and 1
Jul 27


Immigrants with disabilities show distinct employment patterns based on education and gender, study shows
A new Statistics Canada study highlights significant differences in employment rates between immigrants with disabilities and Canadian-born persons with disabilities from 2022 to 2024. The findings show that immigrant men with disabilities achieved a higher overall employment rate than their Canadian-born counterparts, driven primarily by higher participation among those without a high school diploma. Conversely, immigrant women with disabilities faced a lower employment rate
Jul 24


The minimum score for the new Express Entry draw for Francophone candidates dropped below 400 points
On July 22, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the 8th Express Entry draw of the year for French-language proficiency candidates. In round #429, IRCC issued 5,000 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to francophone candidates. The cut-off score of this draw was 399 points – 21 points fewer than the last draw. The tie-breaking rule for this round was November 19, 2025, at 21:21:56 UTC. So far this year, Canada has issued 104,612 ITAs across 41 Express Entry d
Jul 24


Canada updated the median wage thresholds for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has updated the provincial and territorial hourly wage thresholds for hiring temporary foreign workers, effective July 17, 2026. The wage offered for a position determines whether an employer must apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under the high-wage or low-wage stream. For applications received on or after July 17, 2026, the threshold increases to $36.92 in Ontario, $37.50 in Alberta, and $38.40 in British Colu
Jul 21


Canada invited 511 PNP candidates in the Express Entry draw #427
On July 20, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the Express Entry draw #427 for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. The Government of Canada issued 511 Invitations to Apply (ITAs), and the round’s cut-off score was 744 points, 36 points more than the previous PNP-targeted draw. The tie-breaking rule for this round was May 26, 2026, at 18:11:36 UTC. As of July 19, there were 231,533 profiles registered in the Express Entry pool. This year, t
Jul 21


Atlantic Canadians link regional immigration growth to key local infrastructure needs
A recent Abacus Data poll reveals how Atlantic Canadians view regional growth and public policy under the Federal Government. While 17% of respondents identify immigration as a top national issue, the broader regional consensus links population growth directly to local infrastructure capacity. Atlantic Canadians generally support economic expansion but want future growth to align with improvements in housing affordability, healthcare access, and the overall cost of living. Th
Jul 16
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