On March 25, 2025, the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that foreign nationals with Canadian job offers will no longer receive bonus points towards receiving an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence under Canada’s Express Entry (EE) System. This substantial change took effect immediately and applies to all EE candidates who have not already received an ITA. Given the current uncertain immigration environment, permanent resident hopefuls must now re-evaluate their chances of receiving an ITA and proactively plan their next steps. Here is what you need to know.
BlogCanadian Immigration ProgramsHow do I immigrate to Canada?Permanent Residence ProgramsParlez-Vous Francais? The new approach to achieving Canadian permanent residency
4 November 2024
As immigration lawyers practicing with nearly 50 years of collective experience, we have been asked many times by prospective immigrants whether they should pursue studies in both official Canadian languages: English and French, with a view to enhancing their chances for qualifying for permanent residence in Canada. As we live and practice in British Columbia, most of these requests are from persons who have proficiency in English, having either studied or worked in Canada utilizing their English language skills. Since the dawn of Canada’s Express Entry selection system on January 1, 2015, our answer has typically been that the reward is not worth the effort. With both of us personally having studied several languages in addition to English, we can tell you that pursuing language studies takes a considerable investment of time and effort. (You can cram for a history or geography exam but not for a language exam!). However, the new Canadian immigration world order is a very different place and Canada is placing a premium on French language proficiency (outside of Quebec) such that this skill set provides an opportunity to acquire not only an education in Canada but also work experience and permanent residence! Let’s take a look at the options for a francophone applicant to achieve Canadian immigration status.
BlogHow do I get a work visa for Canada?Work PermitsWorking in CanadaMore Changes to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program – Government Takes Aim at Employer’s Pocketbooks to Reduce Reliance on Foreign Workers
22 October 2024
Effective November 8, 2024 it will cost Canadian employers 20% more to hire foreign workers under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s (TFWP) High-Wage Stream. The latest announcement made on October 21, 2024 by the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, is intended to further drive down overall temporary immigration levels in Canada.
BlogBarrage of Immigration Changes Continue Unabated
24 September 2024
On September 18, 2024, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Marc Miller, announced further aggressive policies designed to reduce the overall number of temporary residents admitted to Canada each year. This latest announcement continues the yearlong trend of implementing drastic immigration changes with little to no notice. From reinstating visitor visa requirements for Mexican nationals to reducing the number of foreign workers Canadian employers can hire under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, virtually no area in Canadian immigration law has been left untouched this year, and it is only September! In this blog, we will review upcoming changes to Canada’s temporary resident program and let you know what to look out for as we approach the end of 2024.
BlogLabour Impacts AssessmentWork PermitsWorking in CanadaTemporary Foreign Worker Program Under Fire: Government Moving Full Speed Ahead to Reduce Number of Foreign Workers in Canada
27 August 2024
On August 6, 2024, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages issued a statement in which he publicly mused about the possibility of reducing the number of foreign workers in Canada by prohibiting employers from certain parts of Canada from hiring low-wage workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). Less than three weeks later, on August 20, 2024, the Minister took the first such step by approving a temporary pause prohibiting employers located in the Montreal economic region from employing workers earning less than $27.47 per hour through the TFWP. Only six days later, on August 26, the Minister further announced another series of policy changes that will make it more difficult for Canadian employers to hire low-wage temporary foreign workers across Canada. What is driving these changes and what should employers be prepared for?
BlogCanadian Immigration ProgramsWork PermitsWorking in CanadaMore Changes on the Horizon for Canada’s Caregivers
24 July 2024
On June 3, 2024 the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Marc Miller, announced that his department will soon be overhauling Canada’s caregiver immigration programs. The news was timely since it came two weeks before Canada’s most recent five-year caregiver pilot programs expired on June 17, but it can also be viewed as disappointing because few details were shared about how the new programs will operate.
BlogCanadian Immigration ProgramsDear Immigration Minister: Our Federal Court Immigration System is in Shambles!
11 June 2024
I am proud to say that I have been serving immigration clients for over a decade since I was called to the British Columbia bar in 2011. A year earlier in 2010, I had my first opportunity as an articled student to help prepare written legal submissions for a Federal Court matter concerning a family whose application for permanent residence was refused because they had a child with a disability. It was an exhilarating experience to advocate for our client’s rights and to experience firsthand how the Court oversees the immigration decision-making process to ensure that it is transparent and fair. I was instantly hooked on this work. Fast forward to 2024 and I see a rapidly changing landscape where the Court is so bogged down with cases that it can no longer effectively serve this essential role.
BlogFamily Re-unificationFamily Reunification in CanadaIRCC’s Parents and Grandparents Program Reopening Soon!
14 May 2024
Starting on May 21, 2024 the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will begin inviting eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents over the course of approximately two weeks to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence in Canada. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the May 21 date.
BlogCanadian Immigration ProgramsHow do I immigrate to Canada?International StudentsBC PNP Changes Longstanding Rules for International Master’s Students
26 March 2024
Last week on March 19, 2024, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) announced significant upcoming changes to its International Post-Graduate (IPG) stream that will make it more difficult for many international students who have graduated in BC with master’s degrees in natural, applied and health sciences to obtain a coveted provincial nomination to qualify for Canadian permanent residence. Post-graduate students already enrolled in these programs bristled at the news as they gathered in downtown Vancouver this past weekend to protest the proposed changes to the IPG stream that will take effect as of January 2025. They argue that these changes come without warning and will unfairly affect them since they made the important (and expensive) decision years ago to study in BC based on promises that will no longer be kept.
BlogCanadian Immigration ProgramsHow do I immigrate to Canada?The immigration game has changed for Mexico
12 March 2024
On Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 11:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Honourable Marc Miller, re-imposed a visa requirement on all Mexican nationals seeking to come to Canada temporarily as visitors, students and workers. For many Mexicans currently in Canada, their Electronic Travel Authorizations (eTAs) were immediately canceled. For those seeking to enter Canada, it put an immediate hold on travel plans while the new rules are sorted out and visas obtained.
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