Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officially opened the application portal for its highly anticipated Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP) on March 31, 2025. However, due to the large number of applicants, the online application quotas for the two sub-categories aimed at in-Canada applicants – the Child Care Pilot and the Home Support Pilot – rapidly reached their annual caps on the afternoon of the opening day. This reflects the program's immense popularity and the intense competition among applicants. Currently, the stream for overseas applicants has not yet opened.

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) conducted its latest draw on March 21, prioritizing invitations for candidates with post-secondary education completed in Manitoba, along with some Skilled Workers Overseas. Concurrently, the Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) has announced the closure of its 2025 application intake, proceeding with a random selection of applications for processing and providing details on its quota allocation.

The province of Saskatchewan in Canada has implemented major reforms to its Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), effective March 27, 2025. The adjustments include reopening the acceptance of Job Approval Forms (JAFs) for employers, but with the recruitment of overseas skilled workers now restricted to three key areas: healthcare, agriculture, and technical trades. Simultaneously, the province has closed the immigration streams for entrepreneurs and farm owners/operators, tightened the eligibility requirements for certain open work permit holders and international students, and set annual nomination quota limits for the accommodation and food services, retail, and truck transportation sectors.

Last week, British Columbia (BC) and Prince Edward Island (PEI) issued immigration invitations through their respective Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP). BC's target is foreign entrepreneurs who have established new businesses or purchased existing businesses in the province, while PEI focuses on talents in key industries and occupations in high demand within the province.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has once again conducted a targeted draw through the Express Entry system, this time focusing on candidates with strong French language proficiency. A total of 7,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were issued, with the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score set at 379—the lowest in nearly a month. This article provides a detailed breakdown of the draw results, a review of Express Entry draws in 2025 to date, and an analysis of current immigration policy trends.

In its third Express Entry draw of the month, IRCC issued 536 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). In addition to the focus on PNP, IRCC reaffirmed its commitment to applicants with French language proficiency and Canadian work experience, and has now included the education sector in its list of priority categories. These measures indicate Canada’s active adjustment of its immigration policies to better meet labor market demands.

Against the backdrop of substantial reductions in immigration quotas, New Brunswick conducted its first provincial nominee draw in March 2025, inviting candidates in specific high-demand occupations. This draw demonstrates the province's commitment to adjusting its immigration policies to more accurately meet labor market needs. In addition, a series of adjustments have been made to the provincial nominee program to address the new immigration situation.

Canada’s Manitoba and Alberta provinces have recently issued multiple rounds of invitations to immigration applicants through their respective Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP). On March 6, Manitoba conducted two rounds of draws targeting both local and overseas skilled workers, issuing a total of 111 invitation letters; meanwhile, from February 7 to March 5, Alberta held several targeted screenings for key sectors including agriculture, technology, construction, healthcare, and law enforcement, with significant variations in the minimum score thresholds across industries.

According to the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the immigration backlog fell below one million for the second consecutive month in January 2025, with a total backlog of 892,000 cases—a 5.33% decrease from December 2024. While the processing efficiency of permanent resident programs remains stable, the backlog rate for temporary resident visas has surged past 71%, and study permit backlogs continue to rise. Meanwhile, work permit processing efficiency has significantly improved, with the backlog rate dropping sharply from 57% to 42%. The federal government has implemented policies such as setting immigration quotas and cutting jobs to ease inventory pressure, but the long-term effects remain to be seen.

In the latest Express Entry draw, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency to 725 eligible candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). This draw required candidates to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 667 and to have created their Express Entry profile before 18:25 UTC on June 5, 2024. As the first draw of the month, this event follows previous draws for French language proficiency, two PNP rounds, and two rounds for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This year, Express Entry draws have primarily focused on PNP and CEC candidates.