Canada has further expanded work permit access for family members of foreign workers employed by selected companies. As of March 23, 2026, foreign workers employed in British Columbia by Lululemon Athletica or Microsoft Vancouver can support an open work permit application for their spouse or common-law partner, without the usual restrictions based on the principal applicant’s skill level, salary, or seniority. The new measure applies to applications received on or after that date and represents a targeted exemption for companies tied to significant investment projects, even as Canada continues tightening spousal open work permit rules more broadly.

The Canadian federal government has announced a temporary easing of rules for rural employers using the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027. Under the new policy, eligible rural employers in participating provinces and territories will not only be allowed to maintain their current number of low-wage temporary foreign workers, but will also be able to increase the cap on these workers from 10% to 15% of their total workforce. The move is being seen as a targeted policy adjustment aimed at addressing persistent labour shortages in rural and remote communities. However, the measure will apply only in provinces and territories that choose to participate, and the federal government has not yet released a list of those jurisdictions.

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.

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.

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.