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.

Canada has recently introduced two new facilitated work permit pathways under the International Experience Canada (International Experience Canada, or IEC) program for young people from Taiwan and Portugal. These are the TGPI program for Taiwanese youth and the Inov Contacto program for Portuguese youth. Both new pathways offer employer-specific work permits and include tailored arrangements in terms of program structure, financial support, and eligibility requirements. At the same time, applicants from Taiwan and Portugal may still continue to apply under the regular criteria for the IEC Young Professionals category. The new policy suggests that Canada is further expanding youth talent exchange and short-term employment cooperation with specific countries and regions through bilateral youth mobility arrangements.

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.

Statistics Canada has launched a large-scale hiring campaign for the 2026 Census of Population, bringing on roughly 32,000 workers across Canada. Eligible applicants include work permit holders who meet residency and age requirements. The main openings are for enumerators and crew leaders, paid hourly with certain reimbursable expenses. For those planning to pursue permanent residence through Express Entry, some positions may provide supplemental Canadian work experience—but whether hours count toward the Canadian Experience Class depends on the role’s TEER level, NOC classification, and how closely actual duties align with NOC requirements.

Canada has launched the 2026 season of the International Experience Canada (IEC) program, and the Working Holiday stream has already seen a large first wave of Invitations to Apply (ITAs). As of January 23, 2026, a total of 10,689 ITAs had been issued to participating countries and territories, out of a 2026 Working Holiday quota of 42,127. While 35,283 spots remain available, the candidate pool already stands at 34,539, suggesting a faster-moving and potentially more competitive season. For young travellers and early-career professionals, the Working Holiday work permit is often the quickest legal route to work in Canada without requiring a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and typically without the need for a pre-arranged job offer—making the first round’s pace an important signal for how quickly quotas may shrink in 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.