Canada's labour market showed minimal employment change in December 2025, adding just 8,200 jobs while the employment rate remained at 60.9%. However, the unemployment rate increased by 0.3 percentage points to 6.8% as more Canadians entered the job search. Employment gains were concentrated among workers aged 55 and older, with a 33,000 increase, while youth employment declined by 27,000. The healthcare and social assistance sectors led job growth, adding 21,000 new positio

Effective January 1, 2026, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has updated eligibility requirements for self-employed physicians applying through the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream. The changes align with recent amendments to the Medicine Act, 1991, and now allow internationally educated physicians holding provisional certificates from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to apply, provided they possess an OHIP billing number. However, postgr

The Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association is raising serious concerns about the state of Canada's immigration framework, which appears to be buckling under systemic pressure. Rick Lamanna, a board director with the organization, points to fundamental issues beyond typical backlogs — namely, the absence of a unified national strategy and policy decisions that seem detached from ground realities. With wait times stretching past a decade in certain programs and recent propos

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued a stern warning to Canadians about a surge in marriage-based immigration fraud. The alert comes as the federal government cuts permanent residency targets by more than 21 percent, dropping from 451,000 approvals in 2024 to 380,000 this year. Officials are urging citizens to exercise caution when considering sponsoring foreign spouses, particularly in cases involving rushed engagements or individuals with multiple

Following a challenging year marked by record-low study permit approvals, Canadian international education enters 2026 with cautious optimism. Experts project the sector will fall short of its 408,000 permit target as visa processing delays and approval rates hovering at 30-34% continue to constrain student mobility. While graduate students gained exemption from caps and CAD$1.7 billion was allocated for global talent recruitment, stakeholders warn that systemic reforms arou

On January 7, 2026, the Office of Immigration of Prince Edward Island  published  a schedule for invitation rounds via the Expression of Interest system for individuals to apply for the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEIPNP). The invitation rounds are scheduled for the following dates: January 15, 2026 February 19, 2026 March 19, 2026 April 16, 2026 May 21, 2026 June 18, 2026 July 16, 2026 August 20, 2026 September 17, 2026 October 15, 2026 November 19, 2026

British Columbia's Skills Immigration registration pool has recorded 11,210 total registrations as of January 6, 2026, according to the latest provincial data . The distribution shows a concentration of interest across all scoring tiers, with the 100-109 range leading with 2,161 registrants, followed closely by the 90-99 bracket at 2,048. The pool's composition reveals sustained demand for skilled worker pathways, as scores ranging from 60 to 149 demonstrate consistent regist

On January 7, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)  held  the second-largest Express Entry draw for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. IRCC issued 8,000 Invitations to Apply (ITA) in this draw. In round #390, the cut-off score was 511 points, four points fewer than it was in the previous CEC-targeted draw. The tie-breaking rule for this round was June 10, 2025, at 15:59:25 UTC. So far in 2026, Canada has issued 8,574 invitations through two E

Three co-owners of Marina Dosa and Tandoori Grill in Calgary were sentenced to 90-day weekend jail terms this week after being convicted of defrauding temporary foreign workers from India. Manikandan Kasinathan, Chandramohan Marjak, and Mary Roche were found guilty of fraud over $5,000 for illegally collecting $44,000 from three immigrant employees under false pretenses. Justice Sandra Mah ordered the offenders to repay the stolen funds and serve 18 months probation. The wor

As Canada prepares for its next national census in May 2026, Statistics Canada has announced a massive hiring initiative to fill approximately 32,000 positions across the country. These roles are open to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and individuals with valid work permits, providing a unique temporary employment opportunity for newcomers and residents alike. Census workers will play a critical role in gathering the demographic, social, and economic data that direct

Canada's tourism industry posted solid gains in the third quarter of 2025, with tourism GDP climbing 0.9% despite ongoing trade tensions with the United States. The sector outpaced the broader economy, which grew just 0.5% during the same period. Accommodation and transportation industries led the expansion, while domestic tourism spending reached $20.8 billion. International visitor spending rebounded after a sharp decline in Q2, though many Canadians shifted their travel p

On January 5, 2026, Saskatchewan announced an urgent change to the first application intake window for sectors subject to the 2026 caps. The opening date for these sectors has been moved to January 13, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., replacing the previously scheduled date of January 6. This update affects candidates in the Trucking, Retail Trade, and Accommodation and Food Services sectors, which now share a limited portion of the total SINP allocation. For 2026, the intake windows are

Canada faces a mounting challenge as nearly one million work permits have expired by late 2025, with close to another million set to lapse throughout 2026. This could result in roughly two million individuals without legal status by mid-2026, with South Asian nationals comprising approximately half of this figure. The situation has intensified due to recent policy shifts that have narrowed pathways to permanent residency, particularly affecting international students and tem

On January 5, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the Express Entry draw #389. In the first draw of 2026, the Government of Canada issued 574 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. This round’s cut-off score was 711 points, 20 points fewer than the previous PNP-targeted draw. The tie-breaking rule for this round was October 06, 2025, at 01:54:31 UTC. As of January 4, 2026, 236,554 profiles were registered in the

Statistics Canada's latest census data reveals the country's remarkable linguistic landscape, tracking language knowledge across immigrant populations from various periods. While English and French remain Canada's official languages, the data highlights significant growth in other major languages spoken at home. Mandarin leads among Chinese languages with 987,300 speakers, followed by Cantonese at 724,925. Punjabi speakers number 942,165, while Hindi reaches 761,425. Tagalog

New quarterly demographic data from Statistics Canada reveals a notable shift in Canada's temporary resident landscape. By the fourth quarter of 2025, the country saw approximately 477,000 study permit holders, marking a substantial decrease from earlier in the year. Work permit holders numbered around 1.48 million during the same period. Meanwhile, asylum claimants and protected persons reached roughly 505,000, reflecting year-over-year growth in this category. The figures

Statistics Canada's latest quarterly data show that Canada admitted 102,867 immigrants in the third quarter of 2025, maintaining steady immigration levels compared with previous quarters. However, the period also saw a significant increase in emigration, with 41,203 Canadians leaving the country—nearly double the Q2 2025 figure. Meanwhile, 21,147 former emigrants returned home during the same period. Net emigration reached 20,056, reflecting growing outward migration pattern

Ontario is introducing new labour mobility and free-trade rules starting January 1, 2026. These reforms will make it easier for certified professionals from other Canadian provinces to start working in Ontario without delays. More than 300 regulated occupations will benefit, helping employers fill critical shortages faster. The changes also support health-care staffing by simplifying recognition for out-of-province professionals. Under these new rules, certified professional

The Canadian restaurant sector is bracing for serious challenges as federal immigration restrictions threaten to worsen an already critical staffing crisis. With Ottawa slashing temporary resident admissions by 43 percent for 2026, industry leaders warn this could add another 50,000 vacant positions to the nearly 150,000 openings expected by 2027. Restaurant operators, many of whom are immigrants themselves, say the cuts not only make it harder to recruit reliable staff but

On December 31, 2025, Manitoba held the invitation round #261 under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). The province invited 421 candidates under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba stream. The draw invited 353 candidates under the occupation-specific selection and 68 candidates under the Skilled Worker pathway. In this round, 118 invitations were extended to candidates with a valid Express Entry profile number and a job seeker validation code. In 2025, the MPNP invit