As Canada's 2025 federal election draws near, immigration issues are once again taking center stage in public discourse and political debate. Against the backdrop of widespread concerns about housing affordability, pressure on social services, and labour market demands, the two major political parties – the incumbent Liberal Party and the main opposition Conservative Party – have recently unveiled their campaign platforms and leaders' statements, clearly outlining their potential future immigration trajectories. This report, presented as a professional immigration news piece, aims to dissect and contrast the different policy approaches demonstrated by the two parties across key areas such as permanent resident admission targets, temporary resident management, economic immigration, refugee and asylum processing, and border security, providing readers with a clear comparison of their policy blueprints to better understand their potential impacts.

On April 17, 2025, Prince Edward Island (PEI) conducted its fourth draw of the year through the Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP), issuing a total of 168 Invitations to Apply (ITAs). This draw prioritized applicants who have been working in the province for at least one year, particularly those employed in healthcare, trades, and manufacturing sectors. Additional priority was given to international graduates from designated institutions. So far in 2025, PEI has issued a total of 401 invitations through its PNP, all from the Labour Impact and Express Entry streams.

Between April 1st and 8th, 2025, Alberta's Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) initiated three consecutive draws, specifically targeting and inviting 81 healthcare professionals through three distinct immigration streams. This recruitment effort utilized both Express Entry and non-Express Entry pathways, featuring significantly lower minimum scores compared to regular program streams. Notably, the non-Express Entry healthcare stream saw a minimum score of just 53, reportedly the lowest for an Alberta PNP draw in nearly two years. Policy details cover 9 in-demand healthcare occupations, requiring applicants to meet both professional licensing and language proficiency standards.

For many permanent residents in Canada, obtaining citizenship is the final chapter in achieving the "Canadian Dream." However, potential "minefields" in the application process cannot be ignored. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) clearly states that incomplete application materials, missed crucial appointments, and issues related to inadmissibility are the three main reasons applications shift from "routine" to "complex," encountering lengthy delays. This report will deeply analyze these common obstacles and provide professional advice on mitigating risks and accelerating the processing timeline.

As a Canadian permanent resident, your PR card is the official document confirming your status, and it's crucial if you plan to return to Canada by commercial transportation after traveling abroad. If your PR card is lost or stolen while outside Canada, you will face difficulties re-entering unless you have a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD). This article provides a professional breakdown of how to apply for a PRTD through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), detailing the application process, conditions for urgent processing, and specific rules for entering via land borders, aiming to offer clear, expert guidance for permanent residents in this situation.

On April 15, 2025, British Columbia's Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) conducted its third Entrepreneur Immigration – Base Stream draw of the year. Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for provincial nomination were issued to 5 candidates, with the minimum required score set at 115. This draw strictly adheres to the province's 2025 policy standards, requiring applicants to possess significant net worth, make substantial direct investments, and commit to creating local jobs. The concurrent Regional Entrepreneur stream, guided by policy incentives favouring specific communities, signals BC's strategic shift towards aligning immigration with regional economic goals.

The Government of Manitoba, Canada, has announced the launch of a special work permit initiative starting April 22, 2025. This initiative will allow certain candidates under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) to continue working legally while awaiting immigration results. The policy is intended to bridge the “status gap” in current immigration procedures and prevent valuable international workers from being forced to leave due to expired permits. The application window remains open until December 31, 2025.

In February 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) implemented a significant update to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) occupation list under Express Entry (EE). The new list has been reduced from 30 to 11 occupations. Traditional engineering roles (such as civil and mechanical engineers) and cybersecurity specialists have been retained, while 19 information technology (IT) related roles, including software development and data science, were removed. This shift aims to better align immigration with Canada’s real-world industrial skills gap and provide applicants with clearer pathways.

On April 14, 2025, British Columbia (BC), Canada, officially announced a structural overhaul of its Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). The province’s annual nomination quota will plummet to 4,000, with only 1,100 new application slots available for the entire year. These will be primarily allocated to frontline healthcare workers and high economic value professionals. Meanwhile, the International Post-Graduate (IPG) stream is facing systemic backlog, with all applications submitted between September 2024 and January 2025 moved to a waitlist. Three new international student immigration streams are also indefinitely suspended. This policy reform is a direct result of the federal government’s drastic move to halve the national PNP quota from 110,000 to 55,000, forcing provinces to adopt stricter elite selection mechanisms.

On April 14, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted its first Express Entry draw since adjustments were made to the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scoring mechanism. This round exclusively targeted Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates, issuing 825 Invitations to Apply (ITAs). The high cut-off score of 764 underscores the critical role of a PNP nomination in boosting competitiveness, especially after points for 'Arranged Employment' were eliminated. To date, IRCC has issued 31,508 ITAs through Express Entry in 2025, aiming to welcome 124,680 new permanent residents via this pathway by year-end.