A RECENT UPDATE ON IMMIGRATION INTO CANADA
As the Canadian government continues to implement measures to tighten the number of temporary residents within the country and control surging population growth concerns, it comes with no surprise that Canada has seen its largest decline in temporary residents’ population in over 50 years.
Several key policy changes to various immigration programs within Canada that include reducing temporary foreign workers, applying caps to the number of study permits issued and more stringent rules governing asylum for refugees and protected persons has driven the Canadian population to stagnate and virtually come to a standstill. This has led to rising concerns that the current aging population will eventually see significant labour gaps, fail to meet the demand for essential services, and ultimately foster a lagging economic landscape within the country.
Indeed the move to control Canada’s unemployment rate and maintain the integrity of the country’s labour force has caused a paradoxical effect in some industries, with labour shortages apparent in construction, long-term healthcare and food production – sectors that rely heavily on the temporary foreign worker population. Moreover, recent statistic studies reveal that study permit caps and new rules governing the issuance of the Post-Graduate Study permits that are intended to curb the number of temporary residents and promote higher standards in international education have resulted in a 70% drop in new student arrivals and a loss of opportunity for international graduates who look to gain valuable Canadian work experience and earn back their education costs. This, again, has added to the concern that the nation’s move to cultivate a blueprint which would attract only the “best and brightest” may have precluded adequate consideration to the country’s labour force, economic stability and Canada’s reputation as a prime destination for international studies.
However, not all the news is daunting. Despite the ongoing challenges faced by foreign nationals with the changes to the temporary resident programs, recent activity in several of the IRCC’s other programs have proven to be favorable for prospective permanent resident applicants.
Beginning this year, Canada opened its first Education category in the Express Entry program and on September 17th 2025, issued 2,500 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to interested applicants with a cut-off Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) of 462, a small drop from its previous round of invitations. Express Entry continues to be a leading program for skilled foreign workers coming to Canada with the dual intent of gaining permanent residency. For 2025, almost 60,000 ITAs have been issued to date with the majority issued through the Provincial Nominee programs (PNP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws. The CRS cut-off score for each program and draw is subject to fluctuations, where the most recent PNP draw set a score of 855 – a significant jump from its previous draw score of 746 – and the CEC maintaining the cut-off score to 534 on its latest draw.
Canada’s Parent and Grandparent’s program (PGP) also announced that commencing July 28, 2025, IRCC will accept up to 10,000 COMPLETE applications for those sponsoring a parent or grandparent, and allowing submissions of the completed application until October 9th, 2025. While the PGP continues to remain closed to new interest applications, the initiative will work to ease the backlog that remains with applicants that submitted an interest dating back to 2020.
Above all else, it remains clear that the Canadian government continues to strive for a higher standard of immigration policy, addressing issues and adopting new legislation when and where change is demanded. It is a mission that Canada undertakes while upholding the nation’s mandate to bolster economic prosperity and preserve family reunification.
Written by: Alexander Chang