A U.S. or Mexican citizen with a Canadian job offer in one of 63 listed professions can obtain a Canadian work permit without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). It is Canada’s counterpart to TN status in the United States. Our earlier post on CUSMA work permits covers the four categories...
Category: Canada Immigration Blog
IRCC Updates Guidance for Contractual Service Suppliers and Independent Professionals Under CETA, CUKTCA, and CKFTA
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has updated its internal Program Delivery Instructions covering contractual service suppliers and independent professionals under three trade agreements: the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (CUKTCA), and the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA). The update, dated September 21,...
Can Work Permit Holders Study in Canada Without a Study Permit? New 2026 Rules
A new temporary Canadian immigration policy gives eligible work permit holders more flexibility to pursue short-term education and training without obtaining a separate study permit. Under the measure, workers with a valid work permit may study in a qualifying program lasting up to six months, subject to important conditions involving permit validity,...
Can Identity Fraud Make You Inadmissible to Canada?
Identity fraud can create serious Canadian immigration consequences, including criminal inadmissibility and a separate finding of immigration misrepresentation. The outcome depends on the specific conduct, conviction, Canadian legal equivalent, and whether false identity information was used in an immigration application. Depending on the circumstances, criminal rehabilitation or a Temporary Resident Permit may...
Canada C20 Work Permit Update: IRCC Removes Current-Employee Restriction
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has corrected its guidance for the R205(b) C20 Reciprocal Employment work permit category. The correction removes a recently published restriction that would have required applicants to already be employed by the company abroad. The C20 category remains an important LMIA-exempt option for qualifying multinational employers, academic...
Hiring Foreign Workers in Canada? Compliance Penalties Just More Than Doubled
Canadian employers who hire temporary foreign workers are operating under real enforcement pressure right now, and the numbers back that up. Employment and Social Development Canada completed nearly 1,500 compliance inspections in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, and roughly one in eight employers inspected were found non-compliant. Penalties issued to...
IRCC Pauses New Parents and Grandparents Program Applications: What Families Should Do Now
As of July 15, 2026, IRCC has stopped accepting new interest-to-sponsor forms under the Parents and Grandparents Program, though it does not affect anyone already in the queue — roughly 60,500 applicants remain in the system, and IRCC still plans to finalize permanent residence for up to 15,000 parents and grandparents in...
Ontario Publishes Full Scoring Criteria for the New Workforce Priority Stream
On July 20, 2026, Ontario released the full points system and requirements for its new Workforce Priority Stream, which replaced all eight former OINP streams. Scoring favors higher-skill occupations, wages of $40+/hour, longer time already worked in Ontario, and jobs located outside Toronto, while self-employed physicians follow a separate track based on...
U.S. Ends “Duration of Status” for F-1 Students — How Does Canada Compare?
Effective September 15, 2026, DHS is replacing the open-ended "duration of status" system for F-1, J-1, and I visa holders with a fixed admission period capped at four years — meaning students needing more time must file a formal Extension of Stay with USCIS, along with a $470 fee, and the post-graduation...
Not a U.S. or Mexican Citizen? Canada’s Other Trade Agreements Open LMIA-Exempt Work Permit Doors Too
CUSMA gets the spotlight, but Canada has signed 15 free trade agreements covering more than 50 countries, and several offer the same LMIA-exempt fast track for workers who hold neither American nor Mexican citizenship. CETA opens the door for European Union citizens — particularly independent contractors, engineers, and scientific consultants coming to...