• Ottawa adding express entry for permanent resident applicants in 'high-wage' jobs

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-16 19:11:23.0
  Tags: [National, Immigration, Labour, Economy]

  Effective November 3, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Lena Diab announced that the federal government is adding new Express Entry points for permanent residency applicants in "high-wage" jobs. The policy applies to applicants with Canadian work experience or job offers in high-wage fields such as engineering, where high-wage is defined as paying at least 1.3 times the median wage, with point allocations correlating to the wage level. Additionally, the government is implementing a temporary policy to remove Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirements and the mandate for employers to prove they cannot find qualified Canadians for these qualifying positions. Permanent residency candidates already in the Express Entry pool will have their scores modified within two weeks, during which time invitations to apply will be paused.

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• Conservative critic says government must hit lower immigration target in next levels plan

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-30 21:38:59.0
  Tags: [National, Immigration, Housing, Labour, Economy]

  Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner stated that Canada must further reduce its immigration targets, criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney for floating the possibility of future population increases during a New York Times interview. The federal government's previous budget implemented hard caps, including a 43 per cent reduction in temporary residents for the year, and set a permanent resident target of 380,000 per year from 2026 to 2028. Statistics Canada reported that Canada's population growth slowed to half a percentage point between July 2025 and July 2026, driven by an estimated decrease of roughly 154,000 temporary residents over the same period.

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• Canada did not see historic population decline last year, StatsCan says after second look

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-28 19:58:24.0
  Tags: [National, Immigration, Economy, Governance]

  Statistics Canada revised its 2025 population estimates, showing a national population increase of 280,810 people rather than the previously reported historic net decline. The updated administrative data reflects a significant slowdown in population growth driven by federal cutbacks to both permanent and temporary immigration under the administration of Prime Minister Mark Carney. Under current targets set in the federal budget, Canada aims to admit 385,000 temporary residents in 2026—representing a 43 percent reduction from 2025 levels—and cap new permanent residents at 380,000 annually between 2026 and 2028.

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• Canada’s population growth continues its decline, StatCan says

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-09-23 18:08:42.0
  Tags: [National, Immigration, Economy, Seniors]

  According to Statistics Canada, Canada's total population growth continued to decline, reaching an estimated 41,798,407 people on July 1, 2026, representing an annual increase of 189,425 people or 0.5 percent—the lowest July-to-July percentage increase since 1915/1916. The slowdown is primarily driven by changing international migration trends, including a decrease of 154,614 non-permanent residents led by sharp declines in study permit holders and work-and-study permit holders. Additionally, the fertility rate remained unchanged at 1.26 children per woman in 2025, while the average age of Canadians rose to 42.1 years with seniors over 65 now accounting for 20 percent of the population.

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