On February 12, 2026, Manitoba held the invitation round #264 under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). The province invited 29 skilled workers under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba and Skilled Workers Overseas streams as part of a strategic recruitment initiative. In this round, six invitations were extended to candidates with a valid Express Entry profile number and a job seeker validation code. This year, the MPNP invited 131 candidates, and 22 of them receive

Nova Scotia’s Pictou County has announced the launch of the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP), with employer designation applications opening on February 17, 2026. As one of only 14 selected communities in Canada, Pictou County will use this permanent residency pathway to fill critical roles in healthcare, trades, and technology across municipalities like New Glasgow and Stellarton. The program aims to align regional labour needs with international talent, offering a

New Brunswick will raise its minimum wage to $15.90 per hour starting April 1, marking a 25-cent increase from the current $15.65 rate. Labour Minister Alyson Townsend emphasized that maintaining a competitive minimum wage supports provincial productivity and economic growth across all wage levels. The adjustment reflects the province's 1.7 per cent consumer price index growth in 2025, with rates automatically indexed and rounded to the nearest five cents. Currently, just fi

On February 11, 2026, New Brunswick issued 196 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates in the Skilled Worker Stream under the NBPNP, specifically targeting the NB Graduates and NB Experience pathways. This draw focused on essential Healthcare occupations for candidates who submitted their EOI by the February 10, 2026, cut-off date. The Skilled Worker Stream is designed for foreign nationals with the skills, education, and work experience needed to contribute to the provinc

On February 11, 2026, the Government of British Columbia held the second Skills Immigration invitation draw under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) and issued invitations to apply to 460 skilled candidates with the potential to create high economic impact in the province. The selection criteria targeted two distinct groups: 195 candidates in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 positions earning a minimum wage of $62 per hour while working full-time with their suppor

On February 10, 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. Global Talent Stream - 11 business days (+1 day) Agricultural stream – 19 business days (+4 days) Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program - 16 business days (+6 days) Permanent Residence

On February 10, 2026, British Columbia held two draws under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP). The BCPNP issued 13 invitations to candidates in the Base Category of the Entrepreneur Stream, which is designed for experienced businessmen seeking to establish a new business or acquire an existing one in British Columbia. The lowest score of this round was 121 points. In addition, the province invited up to five candidates in the Entrepreneur Immigration -

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced the continuation of a streamlined process for International Experience Canada (IEC) participants. Those currently in Canada with valid IEC work permits can now request examination and document issuance domestically when submitting subsequent applications. The extension, effective February 10, 2026, will remain operational indefinitely, offering greater convenience for young professionals, working holiday parti

Over the last two weeks, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held new draws under the International Experience Canada (IEC). From January 24 to February 6, Canada invited 14,982 young foreigners to apply for an IEC open work permit. As of February 6, 31,632 candidates have registered in the pool and are awaiting the invitation. In these rounds, there were 2 ITAs for Andorra, 1,029 ITAs for Australia, 82 ITAs for Austria, 159 ITAs for Belgium, 525 ITAs for Ch

Alberta added 41,800 full-time jobs last month, cementing its position as Canada's leader in employment growth despite global economic headwinds affecting other provinces. Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Joseph Schow highlighted the province's 3.4 per cent increase in employment over the past year, significantly outpacing the national average of 0.6 per cent. The province's economic diversification efforts, combined with competitive tax rates and a skilled w

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) continues its regular invitation rounds for candidates registered in its Skills Immigration stream. As of February 8, 2026, the registration pool contains 10,988 candidates across various score ranges. The distribution shows significant concentration in the mid-tier brackets, with 2,134 registrations in the 100-109 range and 1,979 in the 90-99 category. Higher-scoring candidates remain competitive, as 41 registrations

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program will temporarily close its application portal from February 13 to February 18, 2026, as part of a major modernization effort. During this period, applicants with in-progress Expression of Interest submissions must complete them by February 13 at 4:00 PM, or they will be automatically cancelled. The program is also consolidating its streams from 10 to 4, aiming to provide greater clarity and a more streamlined application experience. Importantl

Manitoba has updated sector eligibility requirements for its Temporary Resident Retention Pilot, effective February 4, 2026. The changes reflect shifting labour market priorities across the province. Hospitality and Food Services positions are no longer included under the program, while several skilled trades occupations have been added to meet current workforce demands. The modifications aim to better support industries experiencing critical labour shortages and ensure the

Canada's Express Entry pool is showing signs of reduced competition at the top tier for the second consecutive month. Between January 4 and February 2, over 6,200 profiles with CRS scores above 501 exited the system, marking a significant 29% decrease in the 501-600 range alone. While the overall pool expanded by 2,366 candidates, the reduction in high-scoring applicants suggests improving prospects for mid-range candidates seeking permanent residence invitations. Immigratio

On February 5, 2026, Alberta released the results of the recent Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) immigration draws. On January 26 and January 27, the province invited 63 and 43 candidates under the Dedicated Health Care Pathway – Express Entry and non-Express Entry streams, respectively. Additionally, on January 29, Alberta invited 148 candidates under the Alberta Express Entry Stream – Accelerated Tech Pathway, while the February 2 draw invited 915 candidates u

Canada's healthcare crisis is hitting a critical point , with new data revealing that 50% of Canadians either lack a family doctor or face significant barriers accessing one, up from 40% a decade ago. This deteriorating situation poses particular challenges for immigrants and newcomers, who already navigate complex settlement processes and now encounter a strained medical system ill-equipped to meet growing demand. Despite healthcare spending nearly doubling to $399 billion s

The North Bay & Area Rural Community Immigration Pilot has announced significant updates to its 2026 Priority Occupation List, including the addition of a sixth priority sector focused on natural and applied sciences. Following consultation with over 170 designated employers and analysis of regional labour market data, the program has refined its occupations list to better address workforce needs across healthcare, construction, manufacturing, and newly added technology fiel

On February 4, 2026, the Government of British Columbia held the first Skills Immigration invitation draws under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) and issued invitations to apply to 429 skilled candidates with the potential to create high economic impact in the province. The selection criteria targeted two distinct groups: 206 candidates in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 positions earning a minimum wage of $70 per hour while working full-time with their suppor

On February 3, 2026, New Brunswick published the results of its recent draws using an expression of interest system to streamline immigration applications for the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP). On February 2, 2026, the province conducted two draws and issued a total of 326 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to qualified candidates. The new draws were conducted under the New Brunswick Express Entry Stream – Employment in New Brunswick (166 ITAs) and NB Strategic

Canada's Immigration Minister Lena Diab has made it clear that universities facing financial strain from reduced international student enrollment must look to provincial governments for support. The minister noted that international student numbers fell from over one million in early 2024 to approximately 700,000 by November 2025. The Federal Government scaled back the program after concerns that post-pandemic immigration levels were overwhelming healthcare, housing, and oth