The Government of the Northwest Territories has secured an additional 103 nominee spots from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), raising its 2026 total allocation to 300. This increase restores the territorial program to its previous 2024 and 2025 capacity following ongoing government advocacy. To accommodate the additional allocations, territorial officials added a new Expression of Interest draw for August 26, 2026, with an application submission deadline of August 24. The...

On August 6, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the 9th Express Entry draw of the year for French-language proficiency candidates. In round #433, IRCC issued 5,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to francophone candidates. The cut-off score of this draw was 391 points – 8 points fewer than the last draw, and it was the lowest for the category in 2026. The tie-breaking rule for this round was March 18, 2026, at 23:32:40 UTC. This year, Canada has issued 113,123 ITAs...

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has introduced the Manitoba Workforce Transition Bridge Temporary Public Policy, allowing Manitoba to continue issuing provincial nominations for eligible workers until December 31, 2027. The measure is expected to benefit up to 2,700 foreign workers who previously received work permit support letters under the 2024 or 2025 temporary public policies and are still awaiting provincial nomination. To qualify, applicants must currently hold or...

An evaluation report published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) found that the federal Self-Employed Persons Program is no longer fit for purpose. Designed as a permanent residence pathway for world-class athletes and cultural talent, the program has been hindered by vague eligibility criteria, high refusal rates averaging 69%, and a processing backlog exceeding ten years. Application intake was paused in April 2024 and extended indefinitely in December 2025. IRCC is...

On August 7, 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 Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Permanent Residence Stream. Global Talent Stream - 10 business days (+1 day) Agricultural stream – 23 business days (+1 day) Seasonal Agricultural...

On August 6, 2026, British Columbia held new invitation rounds under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP), targeting five priority occupation categories. The province invited 183 early childhood educators; 124 candidates in all priority health care occupations; up to five candidates working in the education sector; 187 candidates in all priority construction occupations; and six candidates in priority veterinary care occupations. The veterinary draw was open to all priority...

On August 5, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted Express Entry draw #432, inviting 3,000 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates to apply for permanent residence. This was the second draw of the week, following the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) round, and the 13th CEC-specific draw of 2026, bringing the total number of ITAs issued through CEC draws this year to 48,250. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score remained at 516, unchanged from...

The Government of Ontario has officially opened the Expression of Interest portal for the new Ontario Workforce Priority stream. Replacing eight former nomination pathways, the new stream allows eligible foreign workers with an Ontario job offer and self-employed physicians to register for provincial nomination. The stream features three distinct pathways covering TEER 0–3 occupations, TEER 4–5 roles, and self-employed physicians billing through OHIP. Uninvited profiles submitted under...

On August 7, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the first round of invitations in the Express Entry system for newcomers with work experience in transport occupations. Express Entry draw #434 was the fourth consecutive draw of the week, and 300 Invitations to Apply (ITA) were issued to skilled workers with work experience in the transport sector. The cut-off score was 470 points. The tie-breaking rule for this round was October 11, 2025, at 14:55:49 UTC. Throughout...

Nova Scotia will introduce non-refundable application fees for the Nova Scotia Nominee Program starting September 1, 2026. The new structure sets a $1,000 fee for worker streams, including Skilled Worker, Nova Scotia Graduate, and Nova Scotia: Express Entry, while the Entrepreneur stream fee will be $2,000. Submitting an Expression of Interest remains free, and fees only apply once a candidate is selected from the EOI pool for assessment. Candidates selected on or after September 1 must pay...

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) released the latest candidate breakdown for the Skills Immigration registration pool as of August 4, 2026. A total of 8,306 active profiles are currently registered in the system. Candidates with scores between 100 and 109 form the largest group with 1,651 registrations, while the 90 to 99 range follows closely with 1,468 profiles. Only 48 applicants possess scores of 140 or higher, showing that top-tier scores remain rare. These figures...

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, the Government...