Canada Immigration

Humanitarianism continues to be an important part of Canada’s immigration strategy.

IRCC will now allow physicians who are already in Canada to apply for PR under Express Entry programs.

A Statistics Canada report reveals job vacancies are reaching all-time highs in Canada.

The number of job vacancies in Canada reached a record-high of 1,012,900 in March, more than the previous record of 988,300 in September 2021. There was an increase in 186,400 vacancies between February and March. The job vacancy rate, which measures the number of vacant positions as a proportion of vacant and filled positions, matched the record high of 5.9% also observed last September (not seasonally adjusted).

IRCC recently announced significant changes affecting Canada’s visit visas. Previously, multiple-entry visas were typically granted based on passport validity, often allowing for a 10-year stay depending on the passport's expiration date. Now, these rules are shifting to be much more discretionary and aligned with individual circumstances, mirroring the approach seen with Schengen visas in Europe. Key changes include:

IRCC is looking to welcome 31,500 French-speaking permanent residents (PRs) in 2025 and 36,000 newcomers under the same category in 2026 for admission outside Quebec.

IRCC has announced a cap of 437,000 study permits for 2025, marking a 10% reduction compared to 2024. This cap applies to all study permit approvals, including students required to submit Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs) or Territorial Attestation Letters (TALs) and those exempt from this requirement.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) latest Global Livability Ranking highlights Calgary and Vancouver, Canada, as two of the world's top 10 most livable cities. Calgary jumped to fifth place, tied with Geneva, Switzerland, while Vancouver secured the seventh spot. Toronto, however, fell to 12th place.

Perhaps, it’s finally time to stop hiding

According to ApplyBoard’s Spring 2025 survey of nearly 850 students worldwide, 94% expressed interest in studying in Canada—the highest among all countries. Canada topped the rankings by weighted average, beating out the U.S., UK, and Australia.

Canadian Ministers Marc Miller (Immigration) and David McGuinty (Public Safety) have unveiled a series of measures to strengthen border security and address immigration-related challenges. The announcement comes amidst increasing scrutiny of border policies, ongoing concerns over asylum system abuse, and new developments in US-Canada relations.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is increasing the number of temporary resident visa (TRV) applications it will process for Palestinian extended family members in Gaza from 1,000 to 5,000. This measure aims to help more families reunite with their relatives in Canada.

Skilled newcomers overqualification must be addressed, amid immediate need for more healthcare professionals.

Starting September 26, Canada will stop processing Low-Wage Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in some metropolitan areas with unemployment rates of 6% or higher.

Canada now grants immigration officers greater authority to cancel eTAs, visas, work, and study permits under stricter conditions.

Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, emphasized the need for stronger measures to address the misuse of visitor visas. Temporary visitors sometimes overstay or find ways to illegally extend their stay or work in Canada. Some even use Canada as a gateway to illegally enter the U.S., revealing gaps in border control.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to cut 3,300 jobs—around 25% of its workforce—over the next three years to align with reduced immigration levels and budget cuts. The move, confirmed on January 20, 2025, aims to bring spending back to pre-pandemic levels.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced plans to end flagpoling, a practice allowing newcomers to obtain same-day immigration services by briefly leaving and re-entering Canada at the border. Temporary residents will instead need to apply online to extend their stay.

Canada is lifting its COVID-19 test requirements for fully vaccinated travellers.

Starting April 1, fully vaccinated travellers to Canada will no longer need a pre-arrival COVID-19
test.

The Canadian government announced the new measures would affect travellers arriving at all ports of entry. Although pre-arrival testing requirements will be dropped, the government may still randomly test travellers upon arrival. The purpose of the random tests will be to identify and track COVID-19 variants. If fully vaccinated travellers are selected for an on-arrival test, they will not need to quarantine while waiting on their result.

You no longer have to be fully vaccinated to board a plane or train in Canada, but mask mandates still apply.

In addition, the immigration minister may designate international medical insurance companies to provide coverage to Super Visa applicants in the future.

IRCC has just announced major reforms to the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa.