On March 25, 2025, the Canadian federal government implemented a significant change to its Express Entry system, removing the additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points previously granted for arranged employment. Despite this change, the importance of job offers in Canada’s immigration framework remains undiminished. A valid Canadian job offer continues to play a pivotal role—not only as a mandatory entry requirement for numerous federal and provincial programs (such as the PNP, Atlantic Immigration Program, and various pilot programs) but also as a key step in gaining Canadian work experience, which greatly boosts one’s CRS score and enables eligibility for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). For prospective immigrants, securing a job offer is still one of the most effective paths toward permanent residency in Canada.

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.

Recently, the eastern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) made history by issuing its first round of immigration invitations through its newly launched Expression of Interest (EOI) system, introduced in February 2025. Meanwhile, neighboring New Brunswick (NB) actively conducted several targeted draws across different provincial nominee program streams, focusing on candidates with experience in specific high-demand industries or those with local study/work history. These actions highlight both provinces’ more targeted immigration selection strategies aimed at meeting local labor market demands and adapting to federal immigration quota constraints.

Canada's New Brunswick province recently announced the suspension of new provincial endorsement applications for the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) for the remainder of 2025, as its annual quota of 1,250 spots was filled by April 4th. This closure occurred significantly earlier than last year, primarily attributed to federal immigration quota reductions and heightened application demand. Individuals aiming to immigrate via AIP can still explore options in the other three Atlantic provinces, though they should be aware of potential sector or occupation-specific restrictions.

The Canadian federal government has confirmed an increase in the Right of Citizenship Fee for adult applicants, effective midnight on March 31, 2025. The fee will rise from $100 CAD to $119.75 CAD, bringing the total cost for adult applicants to $649.75 CAD, up from $630 CAD. This adjustment does not affect fees for minor applicants, which remain unchanged. Applicants who completed their online application and paid the previous fee before the deadline are not affected, though those who submitted paper applications may need to pay the difference.

Receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through Canada's Express Entry system marks a significant milestone for immigration candidates. However, applicants face a strict 60-day deadline to submit a complete application for permanent residence (PR). This report provides a detailed breakdown of the core and supplementary documents required to respond to an ITA, explains the rationale behind each document requirement by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and identifies applicable candidates, while emphasizing the critical importance of advance preparation and information accuracy to avoid application refusal or potential long-term bans due to incomplete submissions or misrepresentation.

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 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.

Canada's Yukon Territory has announced a significant overhaul of its Yukon Nominee Program (YNP), transitioning to a new Expression of Interest (EOI) pool-based system effective March 31, 2025, replacing the previous direct application model. This change aims to manage a substantially reduced federal nomination allocation and better target candidates aligning with the territory's priorities. Under the new system, employers must first submit an EOI and receive an invitation before applying for nomination for a foreign worker. Yukon has also outlined priority candidate groups for 2025 and launched a temporary measure offering work permit support to certain foreign nationals already in the territory.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officially implemented the latest Ministerial Instructions on March 25, 2025, eliminating the additional 50 to 200 CRS points previously awarded to Express Entry candidates for valid arranged employment. This measure aims to curb illegal activities such as purchasing Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs), enhance the integrity of the immigration system, and is explicitly stated as a temporary measure.