Ottawa Immigration Services

03/25/2025

Starting on March 25, 2025, job offer points, including those from LMIA-backed offers, will not be counted towards your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. This change means that while a valid job offer remains essential for eligibility under programs like the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and select provincial nominee streams, it won’t give you extra CRS points anymore.

To stay eligible for these programs, make sure your Express Entry profile is up to date with all required job offer details (such as start date, employer name/address, LMIA number, and NOC code). Make sure to make any necessary changes to your strategy and stay informed of any further updates! From IRCC

03/05/2025

Express Entry: Category-based selection 2025

2025 categories for Express Entry, which include a new education category to align the selection of federal economic immigrants with Canada’s long-term labour shortages.

For 2025, the focus of the federal economic class draws will be to invite candidates with experience working in Canada (Canadian Experience Class) to apply for permanent residence.

Additionally, to meet Francophone immigration targets and meet the acute needs in health, trades and education, IRCC will conduct category-based invitation rounds in the following categories:

-strong French language skills, or
work experience in the following fields:
-health care and social services, such as family physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists and chiropractors;
trades, such as carpenters, plumbers and contractors;
-education, such as teachers, child care educators and instructors of persons with disabilities.

If you are eligible for any of the categories, please make sure your Express Entry profile is up-to-date to ensure you have the best possible chance to be invited to apply for permanent residence in upcoming Express Entry rounds. Note that the lists of eligible occupations for existing categories have changed, which may impact your eligibility for category-based rounds of invitation.From IRCC

02/21/2025

New regulations are being implemented to enhance temporary resident document cancellations and enhance border security and integrity.

Immigration and border services officers are authorized to cancel electronic travel authorizations (ETAs) and temporary resident visas (TRVs) on a case-by-case basis, including when, as a result of these changes

-A person's eligibility to hold the document may be affected by changes in their status or circumstances, such as providing false information, having a criminal record, or being deceased.
-An officer is unsure if someone will leave Canada before their authorized period of stay
-The document is either lost, stolen, destroyed, or abandoned.

Officers can cancel TRVs, ETAs, work permits, and study permits issued to individuals when necessary due to the changes.

-they become a permanent resident
-they are deceased, or
-an administrative error resulted in the document being issued. From IRCC

02/03/2025

New permanent residence pathways for home care workers are set to launch in Canada as announced.

New immigration pilots for home care workers will be opened by IRCC on March 31, 2025. According to IRCC, the new pilots are called Canada's 'Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots'.

These new enhanced care worker pilots require foreign nationals to meet certain requirements:

-Have language proficiency that matches level 4 on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) scale.

-Be able to hold the equivalent of a high school diploma in Canada.

-Have recent and relevant work experience*; and
Receive a job offer for a home care position that is full-time. From IRCC

01/16/2025

New eligibility for Canada Open Work Permits effective January 21.

-Master’s Programs: Spouses can apply for an OWP only if their partner is enrolled in a master’s program with a minimum duration of 16 months.

-Doctoral Programs: Eligibility extends to spouses of students pursuing doctoral degrees.

-Professional Programs: A select group of professional programs will also qualify, but specifics on these programs are yet to be detailed, with full disclosure scheduled for January 21, 2025.

For Spouses of Foreign Workers:

-High-Skill Jobs: Spouses are eligible only if their partner holds a work permit for occupations classified under TEER 0 or 1 of the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC).

-Labour Shortage Sectors: Additionally, spouses of workers in TEER 2 or 3 occupations can apply, but only if those jobs are in sectors currently facing labour shortages or are aligned with government priorities.

Exceptions to the New Rules

-Free-Trade Agreements: Spouses of workers under free-trade agreements remain unaffected by these new restrictions.

-Pathway to Permanent Residency: Those in the process of transitioning to permanent residency will also see no changes to their eligibility for family OWPs. From IRCC

01/03/2025

The new Destination Canada job forum for 2025 is now open.

Registration for the 2025 Job Fair is now open for the Destination Canada Mobility Forum, which is hosted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The forum that takes place in February and March 2025 is an exceptional opportunity for bilingual and Francophone candidates to explore job prospects and Canadian immigration pathways.

IRCC hosts the Destination Canada Mobility Forum every year to connect skilled, bilingual, and Francophone individuals with Canadian employers, provinces, territories, and communities outside of Quebec.

The event this year will continue to emphasize jobs that support Francophone and bilingual communities across the country.

Who Can Participate?

To be eligible for participation, candidates must satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

-Express Entry Profile: You already have an active Express Entry profile.
-Work Permit Holders: You hold a Working Holiday Permit through International Experience Canada or a Francophone Mobility Work Permit.
-Immigration Eligibility: You meet the eligibility requirements for immigration to Canada outside Quebec.
-Matching Job Skills: Your skills and experience align with what Canadian employers are seeking outside Quebec. From IRCC

12/31/2024

12/19/2024

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/what-to-know-about-immigration-fraud-and-changes-to-temporary-foreign-worker-program

Due to increased fraud, Canada plans to eliminate the bonus points awarded to prospective immigrants for labour market impact assessments.

12/09/2024

Canada is ending the automatic 10-year multiple-entry visas and tightening its rules.

The automatic issuance of 10-year multiple-entry visas has come to an end for Canada's visitor visa policies, as per new rules outlined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

The IRCC posted an update on the federal government’s website on Nov. 6 claiming that “multiple-entry visas issued to maximum validity are no longer considered to be the standard document.”

In the past, visitors to Canada were granted multiple-entry visas that were valid for up to 10 years, allowing them to enter and exit the country freely during that time.

This option will no longer be the default under the new rules. According to the IRCC, visa officers will evaluate applicants individually to determine whether they will receive a single or multiple-entry visa and its validity period.

11/25/2024

Canada's immigration policy could undergo a significant change due to the potential elimination of bonus points for permanent residence applicants with Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs), according to Immigration Minister Marc Miller's contemplation.

The Express Entry system currently assigns 50 points to the LMIA issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). If the position is in management (TEER 0, Major group 00) even if it has 200 points.

The Star editorial board and Miller shared their concerns about the misuse of LMIAs in an exclusive discussion. Miller described the system as a double-edged sword.

Miller stated that LMIA is valuable, but it cannot be worth $70,000 on either the black or grey market. Miller mentioned that he is taking a serious look at removing it. From IRCC

11/02/2024

Changes to Canada Immigration starting November:

1. Your language results must be included in your PGWP application
2. The eligibility of study permit applicants for PGWP is based on their level of study and/or field of study.
3. LIMA wage threshold will be increased by 20% by November 8.
4. Quebec suspends 2 programs immediately without prior notice.

10/17/2024

International Experience Canada To End On Oct 21

Canada's International Experience Canada-IEC 2024 season is coming to an end. As per IRCC, the final round of invitations will take place during the week of October 21, 2024.

In order to participate in this year's program, prospective participants must submit all new IEC profiles by 9 a.m. Eastern Time on October 21, 2024

New applications will no longer be accepted after the deadline. Those who get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) before the season ends will still have time to submit their work permit applications.

The processing time for the current season of International Experience Canada is currently five weeks. From IRCC

09/14/2024

IRCC introduces a new LMIA-exempt work permit for select tech companies in Canada.

Under the Innovation Stream of the International Mobility Program (IMP), IRCC has launched a new work permit. The Innovation Stream is one of the four pillars of this Tech Talent Strategy, which was launched in 2023 to attract skilled talent to help Canada grow as a global tech leader.

Some skilled foreign workers are now eligible to apply for an employer-specific work permit if they get a job offer from any of the employers participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project. Eight companies have been chosen by the government as industry leaders and innovators with significant potential. Eligible workers will be able to receive a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)* exempt work permit.

To qualify for a work permit under the Innovation Stream, applicants must:

-Be offered a job by an employer participating in the Global Hypergrowth Project (GHP).

-Obtain a job offer in a job position that falls within the National Occupational Classification (NOC) Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) categories 0, 1, 2, or 3.

-The employment requirements section of the NOC requires them to have the necessary education and experience for the occupation they intend to work in.
This stream is open to applicants who are eligible, both within and outside Canada.

If the occupation of the applicant falls under TEER categories 0 or 1 of the NOC, they can get their work permits processed faster.

The following employers are aligned with Canada's 'industrial innovation goals', as determined by the government.

-Ada Support Inc.
-AlayaCare
-CellCarta
-Clarius Mobile Health
-Clio
-Duchesnay Pharmaceutical Group (DPG)
-Lightspeed Commerce
-Vive Crop Protection

From IRCC

08/28/2024

Canada Ends Visitor To Work Permit Policy Effective August 28, 2024
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As of today, August 28, this policy is in force. The policy was scheduled to expire on February 28, 2025.

IRCC has decided, unexpectedly, to terminate it early, effective immediately starting August 28, 2024.

IRCC has stated that applications submitted before August 28, 2024 will still be processed under the policy that is no longer in effect.

08/26/2024

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program

Important notice: new process to request Internal Review

Effective today, individual applicants and their authorized representatives must submit their request for Internal Review using the new Internal Review section of the OINP e-Filing Portal. IRCC will not accept requests by email, mail, fax, or in person.

Employer applicants must continue to submit Internal Review requests by e-mail. Further information, contact us