Canada’s immigration landscape has shifted over the course of 2025.
Many of the policy changes introduced have had significant implications for foreign nationals seeking temporary or permanent residence in Canada.
In this article, we’ll review the major changes implemented by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), whom they affect, and the implications of each change.
2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan
In October of 2024, Canada announced its Immigration Levels Plan for 2025 through to 2027.
IRCC reduced permanent resident admissions targets, introduced temporary resident admissions targets for the first time, and outlined specific percentages for temporary resident and French-speaking admissions targets (outside Quebec) for 2025 onward.
The government has also announced that more than 40% of PR admissions in 2025 will include workers and students already in Canada.
Other departmental decisions for these coming years, including reducing the number of refugees and protected persons admitted into Canada and the launching of new PR pathways, have already been implemented through policy or program changes.
Provincial immigration changes
The Canadian federal government cut Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allocations by 50% for 2025.
Several provinces, such as Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick, successfully negotiated with IRCC for more nomination spaces.
Some provinces temporarily paused or permanently suspended certain streams, opened intake for others, and/or announced restrictions regarding the number of applications they will consider this year.
Eligibility criteria were also augmented for certain streams—in some cases permanently, others temporarily.
Many provinces have narrowed eligibility criteria for their PNPs and/or portion of the Atlantic Immigration Program, for example by excluding certain occupations, and/or limiting applications or endorsements to in-demand sectors such as healthcare and construction.
Some launched new Expression of Interest (EOI) systems for candidates wishing to be considered for provincial immigration—such as the Yukon and Newfoundland and Labrador. Prior to these EOI systems, eligible applicants had been able to apply directly to these job offer PNP streams.
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New pathways to permanent residence
On January 30, 2025, IRCC announced the official launch of two job offer-dependent immigration pathways:
The RCIP is designed to fill labour shortages in and disperse newcomers to designated rural communities, while the goal of the FCIP is to increase the number of French-speaking newcomers outside Quebec—a move that is in line with the federal government’s wider Francophone Immigration Strategy.
IRCC also launched two pilots targeting home care workers earlier this year and began accepting PR applications on March 31, 2025. The home care worker immigration pilots include
Each pilot has eligible National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes and two streams: one for workers in Canada, and another for applicants not working in Canada.
Only the applicants working in Canada streams opened this year. Both pilots hit their online application caps on the first day of opening.
The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot, designed to bring in workers in specific agriculture and food processing occupations, reached its cap on February 13, 2025, and closed (after originally having been extended in 2023 and set to close on May 14 of this year).
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Express Entry changes
Removal of arranged employment points
Express Entry candidates, as of March 25, 2025, no longer receive Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for arranged employment (typically, in the form of a valid job offer supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment).
Prior to this change, candidates could receive 50 or 200 arranged employment points, which made them much more likely to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for PR through Express Entry.
This policy shift affected all Express Entry candidates in the pool who previously secured points for arranged employment; those who had already received an ITA or had been in the process of getting PR have not been impacted.
Changes to category-based selection
IRCC announced major changes to category-based selection on February 27, 2025, adding a new category (Education) with five eligible occupations and removing another (Transportation).
Further, all other existing categories saw the inclusion and removal of eligible occupations. See the table below.
| Category name | Number of occupations added | Number of occupations removed |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare and social services occupations | 8 | 6 |
| Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) occupations | 6 | 19 |
| Trade occupations | 19 | 4 |
| Agriculture and agri-food occupations | 0 | 2 |
Express Entry candidates who meet the criteria for a category-based selection have a higher chance of receiving an invitation to apply for PR.
Along with these changes, the federal government announced that the 2025 Express Entry priority categories are French-language proficiency, trade occupations, and healthcare and social services occupations. Individuals in these occupations have an even greater chance of receiving an ITA for PR through category-based draws.
Express Entry is the federal government’s application management system, which often issues upwards of 100,000 invitations to apply for PR each year.
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New prime minister and cabinets
On March 14, 2025, Mark Carney—an economist and former central banker—was sworn in as the 24th prime minister of Canada. He has indicated his stance on various immigration issues, including (but not limited to) the following:
As part of Carney’s cabinet shuffle ahead of the 2025 federal election, Rachel Bendayan was appointed immigration minister.
On May 13, Lena Diab replaced Bendayan as immigration minister as part of the cabinet change after the Liberals won the election and formed a minority government.
Temporary public policy extensions
Work permits for PNP Candidates: In January 2025, IRCC extended the temporary policy allowing eligible provincial nominee candidates to obtain an open work permit (OWP) valid for up to two years.
The policy was previously set to remain in place until 31 December, 2024, and was extended to 31 December, 2025.
Measures for Ukrainians: In a February 2025 policy update, IRCC extended special processing measures for Ukraine nationals in Canada on temporary resident status.
The change allowed those who arrived in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUEAT) measures on or before March 31, 2024, to continue to apply for extensions of their work permit, study permit or visitor status until March 31, 2026.
Work permits for Iranians: On March 1, 2025, Canada extended a temporary public policy allowing Iranian nationals with valid temporary resident status who arrived in Canada on or before February 28, 2025, to apply for facilitated processing of initial study permits, open work permits, and work permit extensions—until February 28, 2026.
Fee exemptions were removed for applications submitted on or before March 1, 2025, and the policy no longer covers visitor status extensions or the extension of existing study permits.
Changing jobs on a closed work permit: Earlier this year, the federal government extended a temporary public policy allowing certain foreign workers on closed work permits to obtain authorization to change employers or occupations before getting a new work permit.
To qualify, a foreign worker must meet specific eligibility criteria, formally apply for this exemption, and get approval before doing so. This policy, implemented on May 27, 2025, replaces the original COVID-era policy and does not currently have an end date.
Application for IEC work permits from within Canada
As of May 6, 2025, eligible International Experience Canada (IEC) applicants already in Canada no longer need to leave the country to receive their work permit.
From this date forward (until December 1, 2025) those who meet certain criteria can have their work permits mailed to a Canadian address.
Those who do not qualify must still leave Canada and re-enter from another country/territory (other than the US or Saint Pierre and Miquelon).
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Extension for judicial review applications
On May 14, 2025, Canada’s Federal Court implemented special measures giving those seeking judicial review more time to apply for leave—the first step towards getting an immigration decision reviewed.
The court gave applicants an additional 45 days to apply for leave for judicial review—meaning they now have 75 days in total to do so after their initial request.
This was done to help address the backlog of leave and judicial review applications made throughout 2024 and 2025.
Judicial review is an option to address immigration decisions that were made in error, or were unfair or unreasonable.
Cap on study permit applications
In January of this year, the federal government announced that it would be capping study permit applications (for processing) at 550,162 from January 22 to December 31 of 2025. Any applications submitted after this cap has been met will be returned without processing, along with associated application fees.
As it pertains to study permit approvals, IRCC states it will decrease its 2025 allocation by 10% compared to 2024, permitting only 437,000 issuances.
These application consideration and approval figures are significantly lower in relation to last year’s numbers. In 2024, IRCC aimed to process 606,250 applications and approve 364,000 applications.
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PGWP eligibility
In March of this year, the Canadian government removed Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) field of study requirements for international graduates of college bachelor’s programs.
This field of study exemption previously only applied to graduates of university bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD programs.
On June 25, IRCC made changes to the eligible fields of study, adding 119 new ones and removing 178.
Students who applied for their study permit prior to the change in eligible fields were grandfathered.
The PGWP is an open work permit issued for up to three years to eligible international graduates.
Tightened eligibility for spousal open work permits
Only spouses of certain international students or foreign workers can apply for an open work permit (OWP) as of January 2025.
Spouses of international students are now only eligible for a spousal OWP if their partner studying in Canada is enrolled in a doctoral program, an eligible professional program (e.g. nursing, engineering, law), or a master’s program of at least 16 months in length.
Open work permits for spouses of foreign workers are restricted to spouses of workers working in a Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) 0 or 1 occupation or in a qualifying TEER 2 or 3 occupation.
Foreign workers must hold a work permit with at least 16 months of remaining validity when their spouse submits an application for an OWP.
Study permit needed to transfer schools
Any international student wanting to transfer schools is required to apply for a new study permit and wait for a decision to be made before being allowed to transfer as of May 1, 2025.
This requirement was first announced near the end of 2024, but interim measures were put in place for students transferring schools between January 1 to May 1, 2025—allowing eligible students to begin studying at their new school before having been issued a new study permit.
Prior to November 2024, international students could transfer to a new Designated Learning Institution (DLI) on their existing study permit and simply notify IRCC by updating their online account.
Loosened health insurance requirements for Super Visa applicants
Super Visa applicants now have more options for purchasing health insurance.
To be eligible for a Super Visa, parents and grandparents are required to provide proof of a health insurance policy.
Effective 28 January 2025, health insurance can be purchased from a Canadian insurer or non-Canadian insurer that
- Is authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OFSI);
- Is on the OFSI list of federally regulated financial institutions; and
- Issues or makes the policy during the course of its insurance business in Canada.
Prior to this date, Super Visa applicants could only purchase health insurance plans through a Canadian provider.
The Super Visa provides extended visitor status—up to 10 years—for a parent or grandparent visiting their hosting child or grandchild who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
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Contraction of Canada’s temporary resident population
Temporary resident levels in Canada decreased in 2024, owing in large part to policies that IRCC began implementing in December of 2023—and we continue to see effects in 2025.
Earlier this year, Statistics Canada released data showing that while Canada saw its temporary resident population rise rapidly during the first two quarters of 2024, the rate of population increase had slowed in the following two quarters.
For perspective, Canada’s temporary resident population grew from 2.7 million at the start of 2024 to 3.02 million by 1 January, 2025. This 291,165 increase in temporary residents represents an increase that is three times smaller than 2023’s growth.
As the temporary resident population decreases, this influences Canada’s overall population growth—744,324 people in 2024, which is lower than 2022 and 2023 figures.
The federal government aims to reduce Canada’s temporary resident population to 5% of its overall population by the end of 2026, down from 7.4% on 1 October, 2024.
Provincial Attestation Letter exemption changes
As of this year, master’s and doctoral students are now required to submit a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) when applying for a study permit.
This change was announced in September of 2024, but was not implemented until January 24, 2025. Prior to this date, master’s and doctoral students had been exempt from needing a PAL.
The immigration department also noted that exchange students no longer need to submit a PAL.
The PAL is used to enforce the annual cap on study permit applications, by allotting a certain number of PAL-required applications to each province and territory, which the provinces or territory allocates to its designated learning institutions (DLIs).
Study permit exemption update
Earlier this year, the federal government announced a temporary public policy exempting certain construction trade apprentices from requiring a study permit to enroll in apprenticeship programs.
Eligible foreign nationals must have a valid work permit, a job offer in a qualifying construction occupation, and an apprenticeship agreement for the offered role.
This policy was implemented on February 26, 2026, and is set to expire on February 26, 2027.
Prior to this policy, an apprentice would typically require both a work permit and a study permit, if enrolling in a study program.
Permanent residence pathway for construction workers
On March 7, 2025, the immigration department announced that a new permanent residence pathway for construction workers is in the works to fill labour shortages amidst Canada’s housing supply shortage.
Marc Miller, the immigration minister at the time, stated that up to 14,000 foreign construction workers could be admitted into the country. Further, the department may reserve immigration spaces for up to 6,000 undocumented construction workers already in Canada.
As of the time of writing, the government has yet to release details on eligibility criteria or on when the new pathway will launch.
Cap raised for Parents and Grandparents Program
The federal government plans to accept up to 25,000 sponsorship applications for processing in 2025 for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP)—an increase from its earlier 2025 announcement stating it would process only 15,000 applications (from the 2024 intake).
IRCC previously stated it would not accept any applications in 2025, but pivoted not long after, announcing they would indeed accept new applications in 2025.
The PGP is a family reunification pathway, allowing eligible Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and registered Indians to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residency.
The PGP launched in 2020, and all rounds of invitations since then have been issued by lottery to those who submitted interest to sponsor forms in the initial 2020 intake.
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Changes around maintained status
Effective May 28, 2025, new rules apply to foreign nationals on maintained status when submitting multiple temporary residence applications.
Under the updated policy, if a foreign national applies a subsequent time extension while on maintained status and their initial application is refused, they will no longer receive an extension of legal status based on having another pending application.
Instead, their second application will be refused and returned, and they’ll have to apply for a restoration of status (if eligible).
Previously, submitting a subsequent application while on maintained status, even after an initial refusal, would extend the individual’s authorized stay in Canada.
Proposed legislation for citizenship by descent
The federal government introduced Bill C-3, “An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025),” on June 5, 2025.
This bill would grant citizenship by descent to those affected by Canada’s first-generation limit (FGL) and allow the passing on of citizenship by descent—following a substantial connection to Canada test.
Under citizenship by descent, the child of a Canadian citizen inherits Canadian citizenship at birth, even when born outside Canada. Under the current first-generation limit (FGL), in place since 2009, children of citizens by descent do not inherent citizenship by descent. The current form of the FGL was ruled unconstitutional by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in December 2023.
Children of Canadian citizens by descent can currently make use of interim measures allowing them to apply for a discretionary grant of citizenship if their parent spent at least three years in Canada prior to their birth or adoption.
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Law Firm
Proposed legislation to restrict asylum claims and expand executive powers
Bill C-2, which would make certain foreign nationals ineligible to apply for asylum in Canada, went through its first reading on 3 June, 2025.
This proposed legislation would make foreign nationals ineligible to apply for asylum if
- They entered Canada after 24 June 2020 and made the asylum claim over one year after their day of entry; or
- They entered Canada along the Canada-US land border outside a port of entry and applied after 14 days.
Other powers granted by the bill include but are not limited to allowing the Governor in Council to cancel, suspend, or vary immigration documents.
Quebec announced immediate changes, proposed plans for upcoming years
At the beginning of June, Quebec announced it will temporarily suspend applications for the PEQ – Worker stream, extend the suspension of other pathways, and re-open its Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) in July of 2025.
The province published for public consultation three proposed scenarios for annual permanent resident admissions targets: 25,000, 35,000, and 45,000, all of which represent decreases from 2025 levels.
The province also said it would reduce the number of temporary foreign workers inside the region of Montreal by 50% and would establish annual targets for temporary resident admissions.
Quebec’s Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge demanded that the federal government reduce the number of IMP work permit holders from 400,000 to 200,000 before Quebec would increase its own immigration targets.
Its 2026-2029 levels plan is set to be published in October of 2025.
Unique among Canadian provinces and territories, Quebec has its own immigration system and an increased scope of powers to manage its own immigration.