On September 16, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the third Express Entry draw for senior managers with Canadian work experience. IRCC issued 250 Invitations to Apply (ITA) in the third draw of the week. In round #444, the cut-off score was 389, 3 points fewer than the previous draw for senior managers. The tie-breaking rule for this round was September 01, 2026, at 23:05:13 UTC. As of September 13, 2026, 226,793 profiles were registered in the E

On September 15, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada held Express Entry draw #443 for Canadian Experience Class candidates. IRCC issued 2,000 invitations to apply, with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 519. The tie-breaking rule was March 26, 2026 at 00:16:39 UTC. This was the second CEC draw in September: on September 1, IRCC also invited 2,000 candidates, but the CRS cut-off was 521. The latest round therefore kept the number of invitations unc

IRCC has released updated application processing data as of July 31, 2026. Since the beginning of the year, the department has finalized 1,832,065 temporary residence applications, including 126,230 study permit applications and 1,530,125 visitor visa applications. Another 394,325 temporary residence applications had not yet been finalized. In permanent residence processing, IRCC reported 255,325 pending economic immigration applications, 165,445 family-class applications and

Canada has ended a temporary public policy that allowed certain permanent residents to sponsor immediate family members who had not been declared or examined when the sponsor originally immigrated to Canada. The policy applied primarily to certain resettled refugees, protected persons and people who had obtained permanent residence as sponsored spouses, partners or dependent children. Under the exemption, eligible sponsors could sponsor a spouse, partner, or dependent child e

On September 14, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held Express Entry draw #442 for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. The Government of Canada issued 576 Invitations to Apply (ITAs), and the round’s cut-off score was 734 points, 37 points higher than in the previous PNP-targeted draw. The tie-breaking rule for this round was August 29, 2026, at 21:39:50 UTC. As of September 13, 226,793 profiles were registered in the Express Entry pool, incl

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

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

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

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,

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

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

A joint study by Statistics Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada released on August 26, 2026, reveals significant disparities in economic well-being across income levels. Based on pooled data from the Survey of Financial Security, recent immigrant families have less wealth than Canadian-born families across all income quartiles, with the gap widening most at higher income levels. While compositional factors such as homeownership rates, pension plan access,

On August 31, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the Express Entry draw #438 for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. The Government of Canada issued 562 Invitations to Apply (ITAs), and the round’s cut-off score was 697 points, 63 points fewer than the previous PNP-targeted draw. It was the lowest CRS for the PNP candidates in 2026 to date. The tie-breaking rule for this round was April 12th, 2026, at 04:32:26 UTC. As of August 30, 226,673

Over the last two weeks, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held new draws under the International Experience Canada (IEC). From August 15 to August 30, Canada invited 1,535 young foreigners to apply for an IEC open work permit. As of August 27, 45,338 candidates have registered in the pool and are awaiting the invitation. In these rounds, there were 3 ITAs for Andorra, 80 ITAs for Australia, 10 ITAs for Belgium, 12 ITAs for Chile, 14 ITAs for Croatia, 45 ITA

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated the financial capacity guidelines for international students applying for a Canadian study permit. Effective September 1, 2026, single applicants must demonstrate $23,448 in available funds for living expenses, excluding tuition and transportation costs. The required amounts scale higher for accompanying family members, reaching $35,888 for a family of three. Applicants must provide clear documentation showing av

On August 18, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted Express Entry draw #436, inviting 1,000 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates to apply for permanent residence. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score remained at 523, seven points more than the previous CEC draw and the highest for the CEC candidates in 2026. In this draw, the tie-breaking rule was applied to profiles submitted before August 17, 2026, at 22:09:00 UTC. The Gov

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released updated application figures showing over 1.5 million temporary residence applications finalized between January 1 and June 30, 2026. The inventory of pending applications for students, foreign workers, and visitors stood at 401,280 files. Processing priorities include expedited two-week study permit processing for PhD students and 14-day work permit streams for up to 5,000 licensed doctors under provincial nominee p

Foreign home care workers in Canada are facing potential employment gaps after Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) clarified that applicants under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots are not eligible for bridging open work permits. The exclusion means applicants cannot rely on a BOWP to keep working while their permanent residence applications are processed and may need to find another way to maintain their temporary status and work authorization as existi