The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) has officially announced its nomination allocation and a series of significant policy changes for 2026. The province has received an initial allocation of 4,761 nomination spaces, matching the total at the end of 2025. In a major shift, the federal government has removed the 2025 requirement that 75% of nominees must already be in Canada, granting Saskatchewan greater flexibility to select overseas candidates. For the upcoming year, the SINP is implementing a new three-tier distribution strategy: "Priority Sectors" (such as healthcare and agriculture) will be allocated at least 50% of nominations with open intake, while "Capped Sectors" (including hospitality and retail) will face strict percentage limits and scheduled application windows. Furthermore, the province has introduced tighter eligibility criteria for open work permit holders and Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders, specifically affecting out-of-province graduates.

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 Government of Saskatchewan has officially announced its provincial nomination plan for 2026, confirming that the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) will have a total allocation of 4,761 nominations, unchanged from the end of 2025. To support the use of this allocation, the province will introduce a series of structural reforms in 2026, including clearly defined nomination shares for priority and capped sectors, greater flexibility for priority-sector applicants, and stricter eligibility rules for international students and certain open work permit holders.

On November 28, 2025, Nova Scotia announced a major shift in its immigration intake system, confirming that all submissions under the Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program (NSPNP) and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) will now be processed through an Expression of Interest (EOI) model. Under the new rules, all submissions—regardless of submission date—are considered EOIs, and having a case ID or meeting eligibility criteria no longer guarantees file processing. The province will conduct periodic draws based on current labor market and economic priorities, with priority sectors such as healthcare, construction, trades, STEM, natural resources, and manufacturing. The shift aligns with broader trends driven by reduced provincial nomination allocations from IRCC. With increased immigration targets set for 2026, applicants may soon see improved chances of receiving selections.

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.

The Canadian province of Saskatchewan has announced that its 2025 Provincial Nominee Program (SINP) has received an additional 1,136 nominations from the federal government, bringing its total annual allocation to 4,761. This adjustment reopens application pathways for several sectors that were previously paused due to reaching their caps. Against a backdrop of diverging immigration allocation trends across Canada, this development in Saskatchewan, along with increases in several other provinces, highlights the complex and evolving landscape of federal and provincial immigration policies.

In 2025, Canada's Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is entering a new strategic phase due to adjusted federal immigration allocations. To manage reduced quotas, the four Atlantic provinces are concentrating their resources on key sectors vital to their local economies. Healthcare, construction, and information technology have become focal points for attracting talent. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the latest priority sectors and occupations for each province, examines the alternative pathways available in New Brunswick following its AIP pause, and offers authoritative guidance for applicants planning to immigrate through this program in 2025.

Nova Scotia's immigration authority issued an official notice on July 16, announcing an adjustment to its Provincial Nominee Program (NS PNP) application processing strategy. As the number of applications for 2025 has reached the annual allocation limit set by the federal government, the province has decided to shift its processing focus for the remainder of the year to applicants already working in the province whose work permits are set to expire in 2025, with a particular emphasis on professionals in the healthcare and construction sectors. This adjustment is a direct response to the federal government's reduced 2025 PNP allocation and will significantly impact various categories of applicants.