Over the past month, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held new draws under the International Experience Canada (IEC). From April 25 to May 22, Canada invited 6,223 young foreigners to apply for an IEC open work permit. As of May 22, 31,606 candidates have registered in the pool and are awaiting the invitation. In these rounds, there were 1 ITA for Andorra, 1,071 ITAs for Australia, 5 ITAs for Austria, 60 ITAs for Belgium, 49 ITAs for Chile, 14 ITAs for Cost

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released new data on its application inventory. The department made 112,600 permanent residence decisions between January and March of 2026. Canada also welcomed 83,000 new permanent residents and 285,500 new citizens from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. For temporary residents, officials finalized 106,800 study permit applications and extensions and processed 467,500 work permit applications and extensions during the

The Canadian Government has reported a major decline in temporary resident arrivals. Total arrivals for new students and temporary workers dropped by 75 percent between January and March of 2026 compared to the same period in 2024. This decrease follows federal caps on international study permits and stricter hiring limits for temporary foreign workers. Additionally, immigration officials are prioritizing temporary residents already in the country for permanent residency. Ove

On May 15, 2026, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) updated the processing times for the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under various streams. Based on statistics from all processing centres, the average LMIA processing time has increased for all streams except the Permanent Residence Stream and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program. Global Talent Stream - 8 business days (+1 day) Agricultural stream – 21 business days (+5 days) Seasonal A

On May 12, 2026, the federal and Nova Scotia governments announced new workforce support measures that could also benefit many newcomers and immigrant workers employed in industries affected by tariffs and global market shifts. Support will be delivered through provincial programs and will focus on retraining, reskilling, and upskilling initiatives to help workers remain employed or transition into new roles. The measures may include training opportunities for unemployed work

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently updated its instructions regarding the restoration of temporary resident status to provide greater flexibility for foreign nationals. Under the revised policy, applicants can now apply to restore their temporary resident status independently, without the obligation to restore the specific work or study authorizations they previously held. This means individuals who no longer qualify for or require their former autho

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly announced $6 billion Team Canada Strong program signals a significant federal commitment to the skilled trades, creating a development that prospective immigrants should monitor closely. While the initial framework focuses on domestic recruitment, the goal of adding 100,000 Red Seal workers highlights a critical labour shortage that has traditionally driven skilled immigrants into the country. As Canada aims to fill 1.4 million trade positio

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program has announced that Employer Position Assessments (EPA), replacing the former Job Approval Form, will open for submissions on May 4. Intake follows a strict schedule based on industry: the Transportation and Retail Trade sectors open at 8:30 AM CST, followed by Accommodation and Food Services at 12:30 PM CST. Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and employers are urged to have their documentation fully prepa

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated its policy regarding continued work authorization under section R186(u) for applicants awaiting a decision on their work permit renewals. The revised instructions clarify that the interim proof of work letter provided to applicants is now valid for 365 days. Importantly, if an application remains in progress beyond the date specified in the letter, workers may continue their employment until a final decision is r

Over the last two weeks, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held new draws under the International Experience Canada (IEC). From April 11 to April 24, Canada invited 4,447 young foreigners to apply for an IEC open work permit. As of April 24, 28,471 candidates have registered in the pool and are awaiting the invitation. In these rounds, there were 530 ITAs for Australia, 8 ITAs for Austria, 60 ITAs for Belgium, 60 ITAs for Chile, 14 ITAs for Costa Rica, 8 ITA

Recent data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals a sharp downward trend in temporary resident arrivals, with a 72% decrease in new student and worker permits issued in early 2026 compared to the same period in 2024. This decline follows several federal measures, including an annual cap on international student study permits and a 10% limit on low-wage temporary foreign worker hiring. While the total number of permit holders currently in Canada rema

Over the last two weeks, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held new draws under the International Experience Canada (IEC). From March 28 to April 10, Canada invited 9,407 young foreigners to apply for an IEC open work permit. As of April 10, 27,651 candidates have registered in the pool and are awaiting the invitation. In these rounds, there were 1,019 ITAs for Australia, 8 ITAs for Austria, 99 ITAs for Belgium, 45 ITAs for Chile, 12 ITAs for Costa Rica, 5

On April 9, 2026, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) updated the processing times for the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under various streams. Based on statistics from all processing centres, the average LMIA processing time has decreased for all streams except the Agricultural and Low-wage streams, which had a very slight increase. Global Talent Stream - 7 business days (-5 days) Agricultural stream – 16 business days (+1 day) Seasonal Agr

A Scottish-born midwife accredited through the University of British Columbia’s bridging program says she is leaving Canada after Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) denied her work-permit application a second time. Heather Gilchrist, a native English speaker, was initially refused for not uploading an English test, saying the application did not clearly request it. After submitting the results, her file was reconsidered but rejected again because officials w

New data released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows a significant decline in temporary resident arrivals for January 2026. Canada welcomed 7,040 new international students and 11,850 temporary workers, marking a 28% overall decrease compared to January 2025. These figures reflect the government's commitment to reducing Canada's temporary population to below 5% through measures such as annual caps on study permits, stricter work-permit eligibility,

The Federal Government announced a temporary measure that allows eligible skilled workers in Quebec to extend their employer-specific work permits for up to 12 months. This gives Quebec additional time to process applications for the Quebec Selection Certificate, which is required before applying for permanent residence. The measure targets workers who received invitations to submit a Demande de Selection Permanente under Quebec's Skilled Worker Selection Program. Applicatio

Over the last week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held new draws under the International Experience Canada (IEC). From March 7 to March 13, Canada invited 3,496 young foreigners to apply for an IEC open work permit. As of March 13, 28,448 candidates have registered in the pool and are awaiting the invitation. In these rounds, there were 196 ITAs for Australia, 4 ITAs for Austria, 25 ITAs for Belgium, 4 ITAs for Chile, 2 ITAs for Costa Rica, 5 ITAs for

The Government of Canada announced temporary measures allowing rural employers to increase the proportion of low-wage temporary foreign workers they can hire from 10% to 15% of their workforce. The change is intended to help rural businesses address persistent labour shortages and will apply from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, following a request from a province or territory. At the same time, sector-specific rules will remain in place: employers in the health care,

The Government of Canada has announced the extension of temporary special measures under the Employment Insurance Work-Sharing program to help employers facing economic slowdowns avoid layoffs and retain their workforce. The flexibilities will now remain in place until March 31, 2027, giving businesses more time to stabilize while employees continue working reduced hours and receive partial Employment Insurance support for lost income. Since the program’s expansion, more tha

The Ontario Government announced a major workforce development program, backed by $228.8 million in federal funding over three years. The Canada-Ontario Workforce Tariff Response will help approximately 27,000 workers across the province retrain and upgrade their skills in response to US tariffs affecting key industries like steel, lumber, and automotive manufacturing. Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development David Piccini emphasized the government's