ABIC Immigration

03/01/2025

Canada announces 2025 Express Entry category-based draws, plans for more in-Canada draws

News release
February 27, 2025—Ottawa—Immigration is essential to supporting Canada’s economic growth. As labour requirements in key sectors continue to evolve, it’s important that Canada’s immigration system is nimble and responsive to our country’s needs.

Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the 2025 Express Entry categories, 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。

As Canada makes adjustments to achieve well-managed, sustainable growth and economic prosperity for the long term, IRCC continues to focus economic immigrant selection efforts on priority sectors, such as health care, construction and education. This allows us to issue invitations to apply to prospective permanent residents who have specific skills, training or language abilities in order to bring those in-demand professionals to Canada.

02/14/2025

New rules to strengthen temporary resident document cancellations, and border security and integrity

Ottawa, February 12, 2025—Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to strengthen authorities to cancel temporary resident documents.

These changes give immigration and border services officers explicit authority to cancel electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) and temporary resident visas (TRVs) on a case-by-case basis, including when

1) a change in a person’s status or circumstances makes them inadmissible or no longer eligible to hold the document (for example, the person provided false information, has a criminal history or is deceased)

2) an officer is not satisfied that someone will leave Canada by the end of their authorized period of stay

3) the document is lost, stolen, destroyed or abandoned
The changes also enable officers to cancel TRVs, eTAs, work permits and study permits issued to people when

they become a permanent resident
they are deceased, or
the document was issued based on an administrative error

The amended regulations came into force on January 31, 2025, and are published in the Canada Gazette II. These changes enhance the integrity of Canada’s temporary residence programs and are expected to strengthen security at the border and within Canada.

01/31/2025

January 30, 2025—Ottawa, IRCC

The Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots are pathways to permanent residence for skilled workers who want to work and live in one of 18 rural and smaller communities in Canada:

Rural participating communities

Pictou County, NS
North Bay, ON
Sudbury, ON
Timmins, ON
Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Thunder Bay, ON
Steinbach, MB
Altona/Rhineland, MB
Brandon, MB
Moose Jaw, SK
Claresholm, AB
West Kootenay, BC
North Okanagan Shuswap, BC
Peace Liard, BC
Francophone participating communities

Acadian Peninsula, NB
Sudbury, ON
Timmins, ON
Superior East Region, ON
St. Pierre Jolys, MB
Kelowna, BC

09/20/2024

Strengthening temporary residence programs for sustainable volumes from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

September 18, 2024—Ottawa

IRCC:

announcing a further reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025 based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued, and then stabilizing the intake cap for 2026 such that the number of study permits issued remains the same as 2025

For 2025, this means reducing study permits issued to 437,000

updating the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program this fall to better align with immigration goals and labour market needs

limiting work permit eligibility, later this year, to spouses of master’s degree students to only those whose program is at least 16 months in duration

limiting work permit eligibility later this year to spouses of foreign workers in management or professional occupations or in sectors with labour shortages—under Canada’s work permit programs (TFWP and IMP)

Quick facts

The proposed reduction of temporary residents from 6.5% of Canada’s total population to 5% will be reflected in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which will be released by November 1, 2024.

Graduates from programs at public colleges will remain eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) of up to three years if they graduate from a field of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage.

As part of changes to the PGWP Program, all applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum language proficiency in French or English. This will increase their ability to transition to permanent residence and adapt to changing economic conditions. A Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 for university graduates and CLB 5 for college graduates will be required for anyone applying for a post-graduation work permit on or after November 1, 2024.

The 2025–2026 study permit intake cap will include master’s and doctoral students who will now have to submit a provincial or territorial attestation letter. We will be reserving approximately 12% of allocation spaces for these students in recognition of the benefits they bring to the Canadian labour market.

On January 1, 2024, the cost-of-living requirement for study permit applicants was updated to better reflect the true cost of living in Canada and help prevent student vulnerability and exploitation.

Budget 2024 proposes $743.5 million over 5 years, starting in 2024–2025, and $159.5 million ongoing to support the stability and integrity of Canada’s asylum system.

Further information on the measures announced today will be available on our website in the near future.

08/27/2024

On August 26, 2024, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) announced the following changes regarding the hiring of temporary foreign workers with a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA):

New tightening measures for the low-wage stream
Starting September 26, 2024, certain LMIA applications submitted for the low-wage stream will be affected by the following tightening measures:
 certain LMIA applications for low-wage positions in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher won't be processed
 the current 20% cap on the proportion of low-wage positions is being reduced to 10%
 the maximum employment duration for low-wage positions is being reduced from 2 years to 1 year
Further updates related to these measures will be made to our pages in the coming weeks.
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2024/08/minister-boissonnault-reducing-the-number-of-temporary-foreign-workers-in-canada.html

05/17/2024