2025 Immigration Mid-Year Updates
We have already reached the middle of 2025 and there are some important updates across the board to be mindful of.
Express Entry Priorities
The federal government’s current priorities with respect to economic immigration in the Express Entry system are healthcare and social services, education, provincial nominees, and for the Canadian Experience Class, those with high scores. For the Canadian Experience Class, the last draw had a cut-off score of 521, which is quite high given that job offer points are currently not being counted. There has been no French language draw since March 21st. The rounds of invitation for Express Entry can be viewed here: Ministerial instructions respecting invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system – Canada.ca
Update to Wage Thresholds for Low-Wage and High-Wage LMIAs
On June 27th, the wage thresholds in each province and territory distinguishing between low-wage and high-wage LMIAs was updated. The wage thresholds can be viewed here: Hire a temporary foreign worker in a high-wage or low-wage position – Canada.ca
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program New Portal
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (“OINP”) is moving to a new Employer Portal for the OINP Employer Job Offer streams. This new portal will be an employer-led process where employers will need to initiate the application by registering and providing employment position information, which in turn will enable applicants to register an Expression of Interest (“EOI”).
All existing EOIs were withdrawn on June 21st and June 22nd. From June 27th to June 29th, the OINP system will be unavailable for all OINP Streams as the new Employer Portal is set up. On July 2nd, the Employer Portal will open for registration and previous EOIs will need to be submitted again.
OINP Draws in June
The OINP conducted draws in early June. These draws were limited as the OINP’s allocation from the federal government has dropped significantly as the government’s priority in decreasing the number of new permanent residents continues. The draws targeted the healthcare occupations and less populated areas of Ontario outside of Southern Ontario. For the In-Demand Skills stream, draws targeted health occupations, those in Northern Ontario, and those in Greater Sudbury. For the International Student stream, draws targeted health occupations, Eastern Ontario, Northern Ontario, Greater Sudbury, and the Regional Economic Development through Immigration Pilot (Lanark County, Leeds and Grenville, Sarnia-Lambton, Thunder Bay). For the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream, draws targeted Greater Sudbury, Northern Ontario, and the Regional Economic Development through Immigration Pilot (Lanark County, Leeds and Grenville, Sarnia-Lambton, Thunder Bay).
Study Field Requirement for Post-Graduation Work Permits
As part of a policy to limit the number of temporary residents in Canada, the government has restricted students in non-degree programs, which are programs other than bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees, in applying for post-graduation work permits (“PGWPs”). Those who applied for study permits to study in a non-degree program on or after November 1, 2024, can only qualify for post-graduation work permits if they studied in a certain field.
In an effort to align with Express Entry priorities, 119 new fields of study in sectors like health care and social services, education, and trades were added while 178 fields of study no longer linked to occupations in long-term labour shortages were removed. As a result of these changes, there are currently 920 fields of study that are eligible for a PGWP. Study programs are assigned a Classification of Instructional Programs (“CIP”) code. Eligible CIP codes can be checked here: Work in Canada after you graduate: Field of study requirement – Canada.ca.
Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot Extension
The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot in support of refugees and displaced persons with in-demand labour market skills becoming permanent residents has been extended until December 31, 2025. The intake cap is 950 for the job offer stream and 150 for the no job offer stream. The eligibility criteria can be viewed here: Immigrate through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot: Who can apply – Canada.ca.
Public Policy Allowing Temporary Residents to Work in New Job or for New Employer After Submitting a Work Permit Application
The policy which was first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic allowing workers or those authorized to work without a work permit to begin a new job or start working for a new employer after submitting their work permit application and while the application is being processed is still in effect. In order to do so, applicants must submit an IRCC webform and include the code PPCHANGEWORK2020 in the webform message. Detailed instructions can be found here: Extend or change the conditions on your work permit: Changing jobs or employers – Canada.ca
Tightening of Immigration Requirements in Québec
Québec has suspended the Temporary Foreign Worker (travailleurs étrangers temporaires) Stream for temporary foreign workers and Québec Graduates (diplômés du Québec) Stream for permanent resident applicants to November 30, 2025.
This is further to the French language requirements for these streams as follows:
- Temporary foreign workers: oral comprehension of level 7
- Québec Graduates: oral comprehension of level 7, written comprehension of level 5
- Partner or spouse: oral comprehension of level 4
Information about the criteria and the acceptable tests for proof of French language comprehension can be found here: Connaissance du français dans le cadre du Programme de l’expérience québécoise | Gouvernement du Québec.
The Canadian immigration field is constantly changing with new public policies and government priorities. If you have questions regarding immigration, you can reach out to us for a consultation. Our Canadian immigration legal professionals can be reached by phone (416-368-1111) or via email: caruso@cilf.ca; bonisteel@cilf.ca; ali@cilf.ca; mukherjee@cilf.ca; garciafialdini@cilf.ca.
