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00:00:00.040 Canada is cracking down on temporary work visas, fewer approvals, tighter rules on families, and changes in key industries across the nation.

00:00:09.580 What does all of this mean? Today, we'll find out more, right here on The Daily Cancelled.

00:00:21.280 Joining me today is Nir Rosenberg. Nir, you are an immigration specialist. Tell me a little bit about that.

00:00:30.000 I'm an immigration consultant since 2007. I've been representing clients on primarily all immigration matters in Canada, temporary foreign workers, students, family reunification, pretty much everything that has to do with immigrating to Canada and obtaining some sort of a visa.

00:00:53.640 I've been working with lots of different companies across Canada over the years, and of course, many different individuals and families.

00:01:05.400 Nir, tell me, in that time, this is quite a vast period of time we're talking about in terms of immigration in Canada, you've really spanned quite a number of changes.

00:01:16.220 What are some of the most major changes you've seen, let's say, since just prior to COVID?

00:01:21.140 As far as, I mean, prior to COVID, Ottawa, essentially over those years, has been very lax on immigrating to Canada.

00:01:34.080 So lots of foreign migration into Canada, whether it be for family reunification purposes or students, temporary foreign workers, they were very lax as far as permanent residency programs are concerned.

00:01:51.740 Lots of different pathways over 80, 85 different ways someone can become a permanent resident in Canada.

00:01:57.780 Over the years, those programs have slightly tightened, but prior to the COVID era and during the COVID era, I would say that it was fairly relaxed.

00:02:14.420 You had quite a big number of immigrants moving into the country in different fashion, in different forms.

00:02:21.840 And in that process, in the most recent years, we've had a major influx of immigration here in Canada, probably at the highest levels we've ever had in the country.

00:02:35.580 Yeah, I mean, the Canadian government has set different targets over the years.

00:02:42.940 In the last government, we had hundreds of thousands of visas available for permanent residency.

00:02:52.900 So there were above 550,000 permanent residency visas allocated annually.

00:02:59.660 And of course, you know, over these years, we've seen a decline.

00:03:03.860 And of course, very, very recently in the last several months, we've had news indicated by Ottawa that they are trying to reduce those numbers, of course, for many different reasons.

00:03:16.680 But primarily because they've seen, you know, they've linked, I would say, the housing shortage and, you know, the health care shortage to that peak demand.

00:03:28.580 So bringing in all these tempered from workers, students, immigrants has resulted in some sort of a shortage of what they consider a shortage in those areas.

00:03:40.580 Well, I think that you can feel the impact of that kind of immigration that we've experienced.

00:03:46.240 I think we are all feeling the impact of that, including the people who have migrated to this country. 1.00

00:03:53.040 Now, as you point out, there's some new rules.

00:03:55.080 And starting in, I think, as early as January of 2026, maybe it's earlier, you can inform us.

00:04:03.080 There have been some major changes to the temporary work visa scenario.

00:04:08.960 Tell us about that.

00:04:09.720 Yeah, it's actually prior to January 2026.

00:04:13.220 They are, of course, implementing certain rules over time.

00:04:18.860 So they are kind of, you know, rolling in new numbers and reducing certain allocations to visas and visa numbers over the course of several months, over a year period or two or three years.

00:04:33.420 So it's not overnight.

00:04:34.540 But they did start with some of these changes prior to 2026.

00:04:37.540 Actually, in the last, in this past year, they've indicated that they are going to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers that are coming into the country, the number of students, and of course, overall, the number of permanent residency visas.

00:04:49.560 So they went from 550,000 visas annually to they're going to be around 350 or 330,000 over the next couple of years.

00:04:58.480 So it's a very drastic change in policy that has a very big impact on the population in Canada and on business in Canada.

00:05:09.620 So as far as some of those specific changes, as it relates to the temporary foreign worker program, they are limiting employers from hiring temporary foreign workers, what they call the the the the cap.

00:05:25.240 So they prior to COVID prior to the last couple of years, they had a cap of 30% or higher sometimes, and so they're now reducing that from 30% to 20%.

00:05:35.240 And now in certain sectors, it's actually 10%.

00:05:38.240 They're restricting employers from submitting applications to hire foreign workers called the labor market impact assessment, any employer that is interested in hiring a foreign worker, typically has to submit those applications, of course, there are certain exemptions to that rule.

00:05:53.240 But generally speaking, this LMIA application has to be submitted.

00:05:57.240 It's about a 15 page application form, got to do some advertising, you got to prove to the government of Canada that you do have some sort of a shortage, or you're bringing in a very skilled individual.

00:06:07.240 A very skilled individual that has, you know, skills that you can't find in the country.

00:06:12.240 And so with these changes, with unemployment rate being 6% or higher in certain regions in Canada, they've limited the number of applications that they're willing to accept, they've actually had something called a refusal to process.

00:06:26.240 And if you are in an employer that's in a region that has 6% or more of unemployment rate, you are refused to process so that you meet that requirement,

00:06:36.240 where you can't apply that that refusal to process does apply to you.

00:06:40.240 And so there's stricter refusals, they're assessing applications on a much stricter base, they're increasing the refusals that they're issuing from the COVID-19 area when prior to that time, you had pretty much any employer can submit an application, and it was very, very relaxed.

00:06:59.240 They had approvals very quickly, they were just bringing in tons of foreign workers.

00:07:04.240 Now, it's very, very different, almost like a flip of a switch.

00:07:09.240 They are making it much more difficult for employers to apply.

00:07:13.240 And there are certain exemptions to that refusal to process, but this is something that has impacted a lot of employers in the country.

00:07:22.240 Because, as you're probably well aware, there is a high unemployment rate that is actually above 6% in majority of the country.

00:07:31.240 Right.

00:07:32.240 So it's from a, they're looking at it from a different angle, different from a growth first posture, what they did in the past few years.

00:07:40.240 They're now looking at this from a needs perspective, specifically.

00:07:45.240 So, I mean, if there's so much unemployment, and that's a disqualifier, does that mean that the numbers could likely be lower than 350 based on, you know, qualifying to fill out these applications and have them qualify?

00:08:00.240 Yeah, so the 350 is actually the permit of residency visas that they're allocating, not necessarily temporary foreign workers, but they are targeting to reduce the number of foreign workers in the entire country to about 5% of the population by the end of 2026.

00:08:15.240 And where are we at right now?

00:08:17.240 We're probably closer to even about a 6% or 7% or 8% of temporary foreign workers in the country.

00:08:26.240 So that is a pretty drastic drop, a reduction there.

00:08:31.240 Let me ask you, if I was contemplating immigrating to Canada, this probably, this news is pretty devastating.

00:08:39.240 And I wonder if in the countries where people are thinking about migrating from, if they know this.

00:08:47.240 This might be the first time some people are getting the understanding that there are new rules, regardless of what you're hearing at home.

00:08:55.240 About this process, and I think it would be valuable for people to know.

00:08:59.240 How does this, do you think, impact the thought process of potential immigrants?

00:09:06.240 I think the news over the last little while has kind of trickled down to these different countries.

00:09:11.240 And I think that people are now well aware that Canada is a little bit more restrictive.

00:09:15.240 I think that, you know, Canada, in general, people want to immigrate to Canada, people want to move to Canada.

00:09:23.240 I always say, no matter how bad it is in Canada, it's probably worse somewhere else.

00:09:27.240 And so people typically want to move to the country.

00:09:31.240 But, you know, there are individuals that we talk to, that I talk to on an everyday basis, and they ask, you know, what is employment like in Canada?

00:09:40.240 Is it difficult?

00:09:41.240 You know, where in Canada is it easier to live?

00:09:44.240 And the answers are difficult.

00:09:47.240 It's a very difficult conversation to have because it depends on your skills.

00:09:54.240 It depends where you're coming from.

00:09:55.240 It depends on your language ability.

00:09:57.240 It depends on your connection to the country.

00:09:59.240 Do you have family here?

00:10:00.240 Do you have a possible job offer here?

00:10:02.240 And, of course, job offers are slim to none today.

00:10:05.240 I mean, it's very, very difficult for individuals to find employment when they're not in the country.

00:10:10.240 And then getting into the country, it's a whole different ballgame.

00:10:13.240 So, you know, they're doing things from very far away, trying to understand, you know, what their options are.

00:10:20.240 And they're now beginning to realize that Canada isn't as welcoming, so to speak, as they were in very recent years.

00:10:29.240 The new rules sound, they kind of remind me of how they used to be.

00:10:35.240 You know, is there anybody else that is qualified here at home to do it before we go elsewhere?

00:10:41.240 The restrictive rules that we're talking about now sound, they harken back to from whence we came.

00:10:48.240 Yeah, yeah.

00:10:50.240 I remember when I first started back in 2007, it was difficult for employers to obtain labor market impact assessments.

00:10:57.240 In the past, they were called LMOs or labor market opinions.

00:11:00.240 And the government, you know, it used to be a two-page application form, and the government made it somewhat easy to apply.

00:11:09.240 There was actually no fees, so they weren't paying a fee at the time.

00:11:12.240 And then as time went on, they realized that they were, again, too relaxed with that respect.

00:11:19.240 And they started making changes.

00:11:21.240 They started taking fees from employers that went from zero to 275 and then a thousand bucks.

00:11:25.240 And it's been ever since a thousand bucks an application or per person that you're trying to hire.

00:11:30.240 So, yes, back then, it was essentially restrictive.

00:11:34.240 You had a conservative government at the time.

00:11:36.240 They were very, you know, tight with the numbers that they were bringing in.

00:11:41.240 And then I would say in the last 10 to 12 years, it's been fairly relaxed.

00:11:49.240 I keep saying that word, relaxed, because that's what we've seen, you know, from our perspective.

00:11:53.240 It's a great description of it because that's exactly how it feels.

00:11:58.240 I mean, it's obvious.

00:11:59.240 Yeah, I mean, from our perspective, we had, I mean, our phones were ringing a lot.

00:12:04.240 We had tons of people interested, and we had form fills on our website.

00:12:09.240 And we had, you know, individuals reaching out to us and asking, you know, how can we qualify?

00:12:13.240 How can we apply?

00:12:14.240 How can we come to Canada?

00:12:15.240 And it was a lot easier.

00:12:17.240 We were able to give people information.

00:12:19.240 We knew what to expect, and we knew how to put somebody on a path to come to Canada.

00:12:25.240 And then from being in Canada on a path to becoming a permanent resident, staying in the country.

00:12:30.240 Now, with all the changes, it's making it very difficult.

00:12:35.240 Like, my job is very difficult.

00:12:37.240 When someone asks me a question about how to come to Canada or how to apply for a job or how to get a work permit,

00:12:42.240 how to stay in the country, we sometimes tell them we don't know because we don't have a clear direction.

00:12:51.240 Ottawa has made all these changes almost overnight, and they're making things much harder.

00:12:58.240 So it's very difficult for us to instruct individuals on a path forward.

00:13:05.240 Yeah, no, that makes perfect sense.

00:13:07.240 It does seem like it's happening very quickly.

00:13:11.240 And of course, these programs have to be in effect for, you know, even the experts like yourself to get through the process.

00:13:20.240 The government themselves probably need the time to understand how they're doing it and iron out the kinks. 0.95

00:13:26.240 What advice near would you give to somebody thinking about immigrating to Canada right now?

00:13:35.240 Work on your French proficiency.

00:13:39.240 I think that's the biggest factor right now.

00:13:42.240 I mean, if you're outside of Canada and you've got some sort of French proficiency or you're interested in learning French, that's going to go a long way over the course of the next few years.

00:13:53.240 French is a priority.

00:13:56.240 They're looking at that as a priority.

00:13:58.240 And of course, you know, if you are a skilled worker and you're in the construction trades or agricultural trades, I would say that you've got a good chance at finding a potential employer in Canada.

00:14:11.240 Health care is another big one if you're in health care field.

00:14:14.240 But if you're, you know, if you've got office administrative experience and you're, you know, 45 years old with a bachelor's degree right now, it's not looking very positive for an individual with that background because Canada in the past was OK with that.

00:14:33.240 They have what's called the Express Entry Program and it's a points based system.

00:14:37.240 I always equate it to kind of like a lottery.

00:14:39.240 So you get a set of points based on your age, your education, your language ability and work experience and all that.

00:14:45.240 And they rank you in the pool.

00:14:47.240 So right now that ranking system has got a lot of people that are in Canada trying to transition to becoming a permanent resident.

00:14:56.240 Those that are outside of Canada are kind of pushed to the side.

00:15:00.240 They're not necessarily picking people from outside of Canada.

00:15:04.240 Again, primarily because of that change in number.

00:15:08.240 We're going from 550,000 to just over 300,000 in the course of a few years.

00:15:13.240 And so the number of spots becoming available are limited, making the points requirement much, much higher.

00:15:20.240 So they're not picking people from outside of Canada.

00:15:23.240 Best advice, try to get a job offer.

00:15:25.240 Come to Canada as a student and transition from inside of Canada to become a job offer.

00:15:29.240 Inside of Canada to becoming a permanent resident.

00:15:31.240 Outside of Canada, very, very difficult today.

00:15:33.240 Okay, I'm coming here as a student.

00:15:35.240 What's that process like now?

00:15:38.240 Will that change?

00:15:39.240 I pay more to go to school here.

00:15:42.240 You know, I'm probably knocking some other local, more local student spot out of the way.

00:15:48.240 I'm certainly, if I'm a foreign student, I'm certainly a better client of the university.

00:15:56.240 It doesn't seem like they will be too excited to reduce their numbers.

00:16:01.240 But does any of the new ruling affect students coming into or out of school in Canada?

00:16:07.240 The changes that are being made were for a lot of the changes were for the temporary former worker program and the permanent residency programs.

00:16:17.240 There have been some changes to the study permit program.

00:16:20.240 So they are reducing the number of students, of course.

00:16:24.240 They're limiting schools on approvals to issue acceptance letters, I would say, to students.

00:16:33.240 And there's now a new requirement, which is called a provincial attestation letter.

00:16:37.240 So anytime a student gets accepted to a university or college, they do have to get something called a PAL letter or the provincial attestation letter.

00:16:46.240 And that is a provincial letter that is issued to the student based on the number of spots available in the province for international students.

00:16:54.240 I don't believe we have access to the number that is the quota or the allocated amounts.

00:17:01.240 But they do have some sort of quota that they go based on.

00:17:05.240 And if the quota is filled, then they don't issue any more provincial attestation letters.

00:17:10.240 So it's almost like you get an acceptance letter and then the province has to approve the student to apply for a study permit.

00:17:18.240 And once I graduate, how long can I stay?

00:17:20.240 Did that change or is that all still the same?

00:17:23.240 No, that's some of that has changed provincial.

00:17:28.240 So the postgrad work permit process or the program allows students to come to Canada, complete a program, whether it's a college degree or a certificate program or graduate program.

00:17:41.240 And at the end of their successful completion of the program, they can apply for something called a postgraduation work permit.

00:17:52.240 This work permit is an open permit allows them to work anywhere they want.

00:17:55.240 And it's valid for typically the duration of their study program.

00:18:00.240 So if they studied for a year or two, they can get it for a maximum of three years.

00:18:04.240 That is something that students really look forward to.

00:18:08.240 That's one of the main reasons why they come to Canada as students, because they can obtain that work permit, giving them an opportunity to gain Canadian work experience.

00:18:17.240 And then from there, they could possibly transition to permanent residency.

00:18:22.240 However, one of the major changes that was implemented very recently was, I believe, on January 29th of 2025.

00:18:31.240 So just a few months back and it applies to foreign workers as well.

00:18:36.240 Individuals in Canada on a work permit are not able to bring in their spouses on an accompanying work permit on an open work permit unless they meet unless they're in a specific occupation.

00:18:49.240 So they've got to meet the specific occupation on a list.

00:18:52.240 And if they're not on that list, then the spouse is not eligible for that open work permit.

00:18:57.240 So that affects students as well who are coming into Canada with their partners or have come to Canada with their partners, studied, completed a program, expected a work permit for them and their spouse, and now are unable to get that because they're working in jobs that are not eligible.

00:19:11.240 So there has been some of those changes.

00:19:14.240 Yeah.

00:19:15.240 And here, I got to tell you, you've cleared up a lot of stuff because as you point out, it's come at us like we're drinking from a fire hose on this topic.

00:19:22.240 I think many would say, yeah, we needed to tighten this process, but it it came very quick.

00:19:27.240 And so, first of all, I wish you luck in the process of reacclimating to new rules.

00:19:34.240 I'm sure that that's something that you're you are used to.

00:19:37.240 But I appreciate you kind of laying it out for us.

00:19:40.240 And I would love it if anybody wanted to reach out to you to ask anything I didn't ask today, I would encourage them to do that.

00:19:47.240 Where can people reach out to you?

00:19:49.240 They can reach us on our website, which is www.CanadianVisas.com.

00:19:54.240 There's a form online they can call us at 416-665-3939.

00:19:59.240 They could always reach us through our social media channels, which are Instagram, Canadian Visas and Facebook, Canadian Visas, so they could find us there.

00:20:07.240 And yeah, I mean, we're we're we're trying to keep up with all of the changes.

00:20:13.240 And you're right.

00:20:14.240 What I think is that the government is trying to kind of put a quick bandaid on a problem that they created years ago.

00:20:21.240 And so they're they're flipping the switch and and it's it's certainly come out of left field and every day there's something new.

00:20:28.240 So we're we're we're always kind of evolving with the with the times.

00:20:33.240 Best to leave it to an expert.

00:20:35.240 That's why we called on you.

00:20:36.240 Thank you very much near I really appreciate it.

00:20:39.240 Thank you for the I appreciate you tuning in and getting this valuable information.

00:20:44.240 Don't hesitate to send it to a friend, share, comment, like, dislike.

00:20:49.240 It's all good.

00:20:50.240 Let's have some discourse for the guy in the tie and producer.

00:20:54.240 Nick, thanks for joining us.

00:20:55.240 This is The Daily Cancelled.

00:20:56.240 We'll catch you next time.

00:20:57.240 Catch you next time.

Canada Slams the Brakes on Immigration： What You NEED to Know

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