The Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) officially opened its Employer-Driven and Francophone Streams on March 9, 2026. The Employer-Driven Stream has transitioned to an Expression of Interest (EOI) selection model, with its inaugural draw scheduled for March 25, when up to 65 eligible candidates will be invited to submit full applications. The Francophone Stream will continue accepting direct applications on a first-come, first-served basis. For the 2026 cycle, the federal government has allocated 197 nomination spaces to the Northwest Territories.

On February 18, 2026, the Government of the Northwest Territories officially announced its annual policy updates for the Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP). Approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the territory's nomination allocation for 2026 is set at 197, maintaining the final increased quota from 2025. The core of this policy update is a comprehensive overhaul of the 2026 selection process, introducing an Expression of Interest (EOI) scoring model exclusively for the Employer-Driven Stream. This new system aims to optimize the processing of high-demand pathways through increased transparency and stronger alignment with local labor market needs. The NTNP will reopen intake for this stream, alongside the Francophone Stream, at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST) on March 9, 2026.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released a statement on December 19, 2025, announcing an immediate pause on new applications for the Home Care Worker Pilots until further notice. The federal government explicitly stated that the programs will not reopen in March 2026 as originally planned, a decision that effectively cuts off a key immigration pathway that many prospective applicants had expected to utilize next year. This pause is part of the federal government's broader effort to recalibrate immigration quotas under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, aiming to prevent further growth in application backlogs, ensure existing cases are prioritized, and make the immigration system more responsive to actual labour market needs.

The Northwest Territories (NWT) has announced a third application intake window for its Nominee Program (NTNP), running from November 10, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. to November 24, 2025. To complete the 2025 target of 300 nominations, the territory plans to process up to 103 additional eligible applications by year-end and has introduced temporary eligibility adjustments: removal of the work-permit expiry-date restriction, reinstatement of certain 2024 work-experience requirements, and elimination of employer submission caps tied to company size. Applications will be prioritized for candidates whose work permits expire within the next three months, followed by filing date order; if processing exceeds capacity or cannot be finalized by December 23, applications will be withdrawn, with the option to reapply in 2026.

The Government of the Northwest Territories (NWT) has announced that its 2025 Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP) allocation has been restored to 2024 levels following federal approval. The total quota will rise to 300, up significantly from 197 earlier this year. Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment Caitlin Cleveland stated that preparations are underway for the next NTNP intake period, which will open additional pathways for skilled workers to obtain provincial nomination. This adjustment makes the NWT the first jurisdiction in 2025 to regain its pre-reduction quota, marking a key milestone in the territory’s ongoing efforts to address critical labor shortages through immigration.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently updated its official website to indicate that the "applicants not working in Canada" stream under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP) has been officially closed. This stream was marked as "closed" on September 29, 2025, without ever having opened to accept applications since the program's launch. Despite this closure, overseas caregivers still have alternative pathways to immigrate to Canada through Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, and other routes. Industry analysts suggest this decision may be linked to severe application backlogs and the federal government's policy shift toward prioritizing the transition of temporary residents already in Canada to permanent residence status.

On July 11, the Canadian government updated its list of restricted regions for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). According to the latest directive, 26 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) across the country will suspend the processing of "low-wage stream" Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications due to unemployment rates at or exceeding the 6% threshold. This measure is a continuation of a policy announced by the federal government in early 2024, aimed at protecting job opportunities for local residents in areas with high unemployment. The expansion of this list, which includes major immigration destinations like Toronto and Vancouver, undoubtedly has profound implications for many foreign nationals and their employers seeking to obtain or extend work permits for low-wage positions.