Entries by CILF

We Enter March With Several Immigration Announcements

Permanent Residence – Category-Based Express Entry Draws Express Entry is the system under which the profiles of PR hopefuls are assigned points based on factors like age, education, official language skills, and work experience. Over the past few years, the government has been conducting targeted draws to meet immigration targets and boost certain economic sectors. […]

Super Visa (Parents and Grandparents) Health Insurance Changes

One of the objectives of Canada’s immigration legislation, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (“IRPA”) is “to see that families are reunited in Canada” (IRPA, s. 3(1)(d)). In relation to family-class immigration, the government has not conducted a draw to allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents since 2020. This […]

Rural and Francophone Immigration

Newcomers to Canada typically settle in large urban areas in the south which creates challenges in terms of the development of the vast expanses of the country away from the major cities. Most immigrants to Canada are also English-speaking, despite Canada’s official languages being English and French, with both languages having equal status at the […]

Changes and Updates Kicking Off 2025

After record numbers of newcomers in 2022 and 2023, last year the government changed tack and announced major changes aimed at reducing the number of temporary residents and new permanent residents amidst the high cost of living and housing shortage. In all likelihood, 2025 will see the government continue to implement measures which will have […]

Everything you need to know about wages and some more

Employers in Canada with foreign worker(s) employees hired under the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program must meet certain compliance obligations. One such obligation is to conduct an annual review of the salary being offered to foreign worker(s) on work permits issued under a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). As part of the compliance obligations, employers […]

International Student Program Changes Take Effect – Full-time students can work up to 24 hours a week off-campus – End of Student Direct Stream and Nigeria Student Express

Back in April 2024, the government announced that in the fall, it would allow full-time international students to work up to 24 hours per week off-campus. This 24-hour per week limit was settled on to strike a balance between allowing students to pay for their studies and living expenses and focusing on their studies as […]

Reductions in Both Permanent and Temporary Residents Levels for the Next 3 Years

Supplementing changes this year to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada, the federal government has now announced that the number of new permanent residents (“PRs”) from 2025 to 2027 is to be significantly reduced[1]. In 2023, the government announced that its goal would be 500,000 new PRs in the year 2025. Instead, the […]

Major New Limits – Intra-Company Transfer Work Permits, Low-Wage LMIAs, Post-Graduation Work Permit Eligibility

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have announced major changes regarding eligibility for intra-company transfer (“ICT”) work permits, low-wage Labour Market Impact Assessments (“LMIAs”), and Post-Graduation Work Permits (“PGWPs”) which will further reduce the number of workers in Canada. Here’s what you need to know: Limits to Intra-Company Transfer Work Permits The changes to ICT […]

Government Acts to Further Limit the Number of Temporary Residents in Canada

As the federal government continues its drive to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada amidst continued high costs of living, continued housing unaffordability, and increasing unemployment, particularly amongst youth[1], it has announced new measures[2] to do so. The government target is to reduce the number of temporary residents from 6.5% of Canada’s total […]

Extension of Open Work Permit and/or Study Permit Eligibility for CUAET Ukrainians

On August 11, 2024, a new public policy[1] from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) took effect which provides a further avenue for Ukrainians who came to Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (“CUAET”) to remain in Canada as workers or students. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, approximately 300,000 Ukrainian citizens and permanent […]