Canada's federal government announced on May 6, 2026 that a sweeping overhaul of the regulatory framework governing the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) will come into force on July 15, 2026 — the most significant regulatory upgrade since the CICC succeeded the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) on November 23, 2021. The new rules give the College stronger disciplinary teeth, allow the federal government to step in and take over the College's board if it fails to protect the public, and establish, for the first time, a dedicated compensation fund to provide redress to clients who suffer financial losses because a CICC-licensed consultant engaged in theft, fraud, misappropriation of funds, misrepresentation, or refusal to cooperate with professional liability insurance; at the same time, the College's public register will be expanded with additional disclosures about each licensee, making it easier for the public to verify a consultant's licensing status, good standing, and disciplinary history — and squeezing the operating space of so-called "ghost consultants."

Effective May 4, 2026, the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) is restricting invitations to apply (ITAs) under the NB Experience pathway of its Skilled Worker Stream to candidates working in just three sectors — healthcare, education, and construction trades — until further notice; the province has attributed the change to the limited nomination space remaining under the stream, with industry trackers estimating New Brunswick's total 2026 allocation at roughly 3,603, well short of the federal-level expansion that pushed the national PNP target to 91,500 spots for the year; this marks the second major sector-focused tightening within four months, following the February 3, 2026 overhaul that froze the accommodation and food services sector (NAICS 72) and several retail-oriented National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes, and candidates outside the targeted sectors are encouraged to either withdraw and resubmit their Expression of Interest (EOI) under another stream, or open a separate INB profile (using a different email address) to pursue another pathway or an Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) endorsement.

The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) opened its third 2026 application intake window for capped-sector employers on May 4, with both retail, trade, and other services and accommodation and food services hitting their limits the same day. Only the trucking sector remained open at the time of writing, with 28 positions still available. The third window again allocated a total of 400 positions across the three capped sectors—240 for accommodation and food services, 80 each for retail/trade and trucking—mirroring the distribution used in the second intake on March 2. Saskatchewan's overall 2026 allocation of 4,761 nominations matches the level it ended 2025 with, but remains well below the roughly 8,000 spots it received in 2024, reflecting the lasting impact of Ottawa's 50% cut to provincial nominee allocations introduced in 2025. As of the most recent quarterly update, SINP had issued 1,233 nominations, or roughly 26% of its 2026 cap. Three intake windows remain this year: July 6, September 7, and November 2.

The Government of Saskatchewan has released first-quarter data for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), showing that as of April 21, 2026, the province has issued 1,223 nominations — roughly 26 percent of its 4,761-nomination annual allocation — leaving 3,538 spots to be distributed over the remainder of the year; against the backdrop of Ottawa's sweeping 50 percent cut to all Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in 2025, Saskatchewan's 2026 allocation sits at only about 60 percent of the roughly 8,000 nominations the province received in 2024, prompting a structural overhaul that slices the annual quota into "priority sectors," "capped sectors" and "other sectors," with capped trades such as accommodation and food services, retail and trucking now managed through a fixed-window intake schedule; Q1 figures show the seven priority sectors — healthcare, agriculture, skilled trades, mining, manufacturing, energy and technology — moving fastest, using up 29 percent of their internal allocation and accounting for more than half of all nominations issued so far, while the capped retail, trade and other services sector leads usage in its category at 31 percent, followed by accommodation and food services at 26 percent and trucking at 19 percent, with non-priority, non-capped "other sectors" sitting at 19 percent overall; the next capped-sector intake window opens on May 4, 2026, on a first-come, first-served basis.

British Columbia held its latest Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) selection round on April 14, 2026, issuing 14 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through the Base stream of the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) with a minimum qualifying score of 115 — two points lower than the March 10, 2026 Base-stream draw and the largest standalone EI round the province has run so far this year. With six entrepreneur draws and at least 41 ITAs now issued in 2026 under a federal 2026 allocation of 5,254 nomination spaces (up roughly 31% from BC's initial 4,000-spot allotment in 2025 but still below what the province requested), BC PNP continues to focus on business candidates expected to generate high economic impact in the province.

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.

British Columbia recently held a new draw under the Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) program of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), issuing invitations to eligible candidates under both the Base and Regional streams. Those invited were mainly business applicants planning to establish a new business in British Columbia or acquire and expand an existing one. In this round, the minimum invitation score was 117 for the Base stream, with 7 invitations issued, while the minimum score for the Regional stream was 129, with fewer than 5 invitations issued. Since the start of 2026, British Columbia has completed five entrepreneur-category draws, reflecting the province’s continued steady pace in attracting business immigrants and supporting regional economic development.

On February 4, 2026, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) held its first Skills Immigration draw of the year, issuing 429 Invitations to Apply (ITAs). The draw focused on candidates deemed to have a “high economic impact” in BC, issuing invitations through a high-wage job offer stream ($70/hour for NOC TEER 0–3) and a score-based stream requiring a minimum registration score of 138 points. As of January 6, 2026, the Skills Immigration registration pool contained 11,210 registrations, while BC has been allocated 5,254 nomination spaces for 2026—indicating continued strong competition.

The Government of New Brunswick announced and implemented a wide-ranging set of changes on February 3, 2026, affecting both the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) and the province’s Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP). The updates include removing consideration for accommodation and food services (NAICS 72) roles across multiple pathways, excluding several specific occupations from consideration, moving AIP endorsement processing to a candidate-pool model, temporarily pausing new AIP employer designation applications, and tightening endorsement eligibility for overseas candidates to three priority sectors. In addition, New Brunswick will extend its Private Career College Graduate Pilot through the end of 2026 in a limited capacity for certain international students already enrolled in eligible programs at Oulton College or Eastern College whose completion dates extend beyond the pilot’s original end date.

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) office officially announced on January 22, 2026, an immediate increase in nomination application fees for its Skills Immigration category. Under the new policy, the application fee for this category has risen from the previous $1,475 CAD to $1,750 CAD. This fee adjustment applies only to applications submitted on or after January 22, 2026; applicants who submitted prior to this date are not required to pay the difference. It is important to note that this adjustment targets only the Skills Immigration category, while fees for the Entrepreneur Immigration streams and other related costs, such as request for review fees, remain at their original price.