News

On October 24, 2024, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan. The plan is the next step in the process to address the evolving immigration needs of our country. The plan will pause population growth in the short term to achieve well-managed sustainable growth in the long term. For the first time ever, the Levels Plan includes controlled targets for temporary residents, specifically international students and foreign workers, as well as for permanent residents.

This transitional Levels Plan will alleviate pressures on housing, infrastructure and social services so that over the long term, Canada can grow its economic and social prosperity through immigration.

The 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan is expected to result in a marginal population decline of 0.2% in both 2025 and 2026, before returning to a population growth of 0.8% in 2027.

The Government will be reducing its permanent resident targets as follows:

• reducing from 500,000 permanent residents to 395,000 in 2025
• reducing from 500,000 permanent residents to 380,000 in 2026
• setting a target of 365,000 permanent residents in 2027.

The Levels Plan also supports efforts to reduce temporary resident volumes to 5% of Canada's population by the end of 2026.

Canada's temporary population will decrease over the next few years as more temporary residents will transition to being permanent residents, or leave Canada compared to new ones arriving.

Specifically, compared to each previous year, we will see Canada's temporary population decline by:

• 445,901 in 2025, and
• 445,662 in 2026, and then
• we will see a modest increase of 17,439 in 2027.

The reductions are the result of a series of changes that have taken place over the past year including a cap on international students, and tightened eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers.

Other measures from the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan will include transitioning more temporary residents who are already in Canada as students and workers to permanent residents.

This plan allows for the use of existing programs so that everyone, including newcomers, has access to well-paying jobs, affordable housing and social services to thrive in Canada.

Please click the link below for full access to the news article:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2024/10/government-of-canada-reduces-immigration.html

In response to labour shortages and the aftershocks of the pandemic, the federal government has taken steps to meet the needs of businesses and support our economic recovery.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced a decrease in the number of temporary residents from 6.5% of Canada’s total population down to 5% by 2026.

The International Student Program is being reformed, tightening eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers, enforcing employer compliance more strictly, and making labour market impact assessments more rigorous.

To ensure the temporary residents welcomed to Canada can be supported, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced additional measures earlier this year to manage the volume of temporary resident arrivals, uphold the integrity of our immigration system and protect vulnerable people.

Please click on the link below for the full news article and list of additional measures:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2024/09/strengthening-temporary-residence-programs-for-sustainable-volumes.html

Quick Facts effective November 1, 2024:

• Graduates from programs at public colleges will remain eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) of up to three years if they graduate from a field of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage.
• As part of changes to the PGWP Program, all applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum language proficiency in French or English. A Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 for university graduates and CLB 5 for college graduates will be requiredfor anyone applying for a post-graduation work permit on or after November 1, 2024.
• The 2025–2026 study permit intake cap will include master’s and doctoral students who will now have to submit a provincial or territorial attestation letter. We will be reserving approximately 12% of allocation spaces for these students in recognition of the benefits they bring to the Canadian labour market.
• On January 1, 2024, the cost-of-living requirement for study permit applicants was updated to better reflect the true cost of living in Canada and help prevent student vulnerability and exploitation.

Please click on the link below for the updated Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility requirements:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/work/after-graduation/eligibility/study-requirements.html

On June 21, 2024, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that foreign nationals can no longer apply for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) at the border, effective immediately. This measure will help reduce what is known as “flagpoling.” Flagpoling occurs when temporary residents of Canada bypass the normal wait times involved in applying for a work or study permit online by leaving the country and then immediately re-entering to receive same-day immigration services.

Flagpoling uses significant resources at the border, causing delays for travellers and slowing down the movement of goods. The Government of Canada is taking measures to encourage applicants to apply in Canada rather than flagpole as they continue to improve processing times and increase fairness amongst applicants, without compromising the integrity of the immigration system.

Please click on the link below for full access to the news article: 

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2024/06/canada-improves-fairness-for-applicants-by-ending-post-graduation-work-permit-flagpoling.html

On June 3, 2024, the Government of Canada and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) began mediated negotiations with the goal of reaching an agreement on a renewed collective agreement for the Border Services Group. On June 11, 2024, PSAC and the federal government have come to a tentative agreement, avoiding any strike action or work to rule action by Canada Border Services Agency officers.

Although the Border Services Group was at a legal strike position should negotiations fail, 90% of front-line Border Services Officers occupy essential service positions and must continue to provide uninterrupted border services to protect the safety and security of the public.

If a strike were to take place, significant delays would have occurred and flagpoling for work, study or temporary permits would very likely be refused at all land ports of entry.

Please click on the links below for full access to the news articles:

https://psacunion.ca/tentative-agreement-reached-more-9000-workers

https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/news/2024/06/government-responds-to-psac-announcement-of-possible-strike-action-at-our-borders-starting-friday.html

Government of Canada introduces legislation for citizenship by descent

On May 23, 2024, The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, introduced legislation that would extend citizenship by descent beyond the first generation in a way that is inclusive and protects the value of Canadian citizenship.

This legislation would automatically confer Canadian citizenship to persons born abroad to a Canadian parent who is also born abroad prior to the coming into force of this legislation. It would also extend access to a direct grant of citizenship to children born abroad and adopted by a Canadian parent beyond the first generation.

Please click on the link below for the full news release:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2024/05/government-of-canada-introduces-legislation-for-citizenship-by-descent.html

As of February 29, 2024, Immigration Canada has advised that Mexican citizens who hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years and are travelling by air on a Mexican passport will be able to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). Those who do not meet these conditions will need to apply for a Canadian Temporary Resident Visa (aka visitor visa).

The application process for Mexican citizens seeking a work or study permit will not change.

Please click on the link below for the full news release:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2024/02/updated-travel-information-for-mexican-citizens-coming-to-canada.html

As the holiday season approaches, travel to/from Canada is expected. The University of Waterloo will be closed for the holiday season between December 23, 2023 to January 1, 2024, inclusive.

As the current crisis moves into its sixth month, the Canada-US land borders continue to remain closed to non-essential and discretionary travel.

As the holiday season has arrived, travel to/from Canada is expected. The University of Waterloo will be closed for the holiday season between December 22nd, 2018 to January 1, 2019, inclusive.

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