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What is the new immigration policy in Canada in 2025?

SUMMARY

Canada’s 2025 immigration policy introduces major reforms, including reduced permanent resident targets (395,000), a 5% cap on temporary residents, removal of job offer points in Express Entry, crackdowns on fraud, limited border permit applications, and tech-driven processing. It boosts Francophone and rural immigration, reforms second-generation citizenship laws, and pauses new parent/grandparent sponsorships. These changes aim for integrity, balance, and strategic growth.

You will get to know the most important updates pertaining to Canada’s 2024 immigration policy. The various updates include the caps applied on international student admissions into the country, stricter rules on financial requirements, changing work permits for spouses as well as students, and further details as to the updates in the Citizenship Act that allow individuals adversely affected by the first generation of the cut-off rule to receive citizenship. The blog addresses improved rules for the Start-up Visa Program, the suspended Self-Employed Persons Program, and a new PR-on-arrival program for caregivers. It also covers innovative work permits for tech professionals, humanitarian policies for conflict zones, and the reopening of the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program. Improved pathways for Francophone immigration, as well as new travel requirements for Mexican nationals, are mentioned. These changes bring both opportunities and challenges and careful planning and informed decision-making will be required to navigate the changing landscape of immigration in Canada in 2024.

  • 11 min read
  • September 13th, 2024
Canadian LIC

By Pushpinder Puri

CEO & Founder

  • 11 min read
  • June 06th, 2025

Introduction

As we enter 2025, CANADA is retooling its immigration architecture, keeping sustainability, integrity, demographics and labour market in mind. The announcements by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) are big news and a game changer for the way in which Canada provides immigrants access to its borders and how it deals with permanent and temporary populations. In this article, we dive deeper into the new immigration policy that Canada has in store for 2025 and what you, as potential immigrants, employers, and international students, must know about.

1. Lower Immigration Targets for Permanent Residents

For the first time ever, Canada has reduced the number of its permanent resident (PR) admissions. A target of 395,000 new PRs in 2025 is established in the Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-2027, lower than previous estimates. This 105,000 reduction in admissions is consistent with Canada’s overall aim of keeping the immigration pace in line with its infrastructure.

Key highlights include:

  • 62 percent of PRs will be admitted through economic channels, where the focus will be on health and skilled trades.
  • 40%+ of new PRs will be temporary permit holders already in Canada.
  • Family reunification accounts for a consistent 22% of admissions.
  • Refugee and humanitarian admissions are currently occurring at approximately 17.5% collectively.

This plan demonstrates Canada’s commitment to help meet the needs of high-need sectors while also reuniting families and honouring the work of refugees).

Distribution of Permanent Resident Admissions

2. New Cap on Temporary Residents

A major shift in 2025 is the reduction of temporary resident intake to 5% of the total Canadian population. This includes international students and foreign workers.

Target numbers for new temporary residents:

  • 2025: 673,650
  • 2026: 516,600
  • 2027: 543,600

Canada’s goal is to rebalance the ratio of temporary vs. permanent residents. This move includes stricter rules such as:

  • New intake caps for study permits
  • Higher cost-of-living requirements
  • Tighter eligibility for work permits for spouses and PGWP holders

These steps aim to curb systemic pressures in housing and public services caused by the recent surge in temporary residents.

3. No More Job Offer Points in Express Entry

In a bold move to combat fraud, IRCC has announced that job offer points will be removed from the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) in spring 2025. This measure will:

  • Deter the misuse and fraudulent sale of Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs)
  • Create a more equitable playing field for all applicants
  • Focus selection more on individual merit (education, language, experience)

This will impact many currently working in Canada under LMIA-based permits, but will not affect those already invited or with applications in process.

4. Immigration Fraud Crackdown

Canada is also proposing changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, giving IRCC more authority to:

  • Cancel or suspend fraudulent immigration documents
  • Reject or halt applications during mass fraud investigations
  • Penalize bad actors, including consultants or employers exploiting immigrants

This crackdown is aimed at preserving the integrity of the immigration system and protecting vulnerable applicants.

5. Stricter Rules Against Flagpoling

Flagpoling — exiting and re-entering Canada to process permits at the border — will be significantly limited in 2025. Under the new rules:

  • Most work and study permits must be applied for online.
  • Only a few select situations will be eligible for border processing.

This is expected to reduce pressure on border services and ensure consistent processing through official online channels.

6. Boosting Francophone Immigration

Canada is doubling down on its efforts to boost Francophone immigration outside Quebec:

  • 2025 Target: 8.5% of total PR admissions
  • 2026: 9.5%
  • 2027: 10%

Initiatives include:

  • Francophone Community Immigration Pilot launching in 2025
  • Expansion of the Francophone Mobility Program
  • Express Entry draws focused on French language proficiency

This reflects Canada’s commitment to linguistic diversity and demographic balance across provinces.

7. New Caregivers and Rural Immigration Pilots

Two major pilot programs are being introduced:

Enhanced Caregiver Pilots:

  • Replacing the 2024-closed Home Child Care and Home Support Worker Pilots
  • Will offer permanent residence on arrival to eligible home care workers
  • Eligibility expanded to include workers providing part-time care

Rural Community Immigration Pilot:

  • The follow-up to the successful Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
  • Designed to attract workers to small towns facing labour shortages

Other provincial pilots, such as Manitoba’s West-Central Immigration Initiative, will also support regional employer needs.

8. Changes to Second-Generation Citizenship Laws

In 2025, significant changes are to be made to the Citizenship Act. The highly criticized “second-generation cut-off” for citizenship by descent would be abolished under Bill C-71.

What this means:

  • Canadian children born overseas to non-first-generation parents will now have a right to citizenship.
  • A big, new “connection” test will apply, meaning Canadian parents must have spent a minimum of 1,095 days in Canada before the birth or adoption of the child.

The change will expand citizenship and still maintain meaningful connections to Canada.

9. Continued Pause in New Parent and Grandparent Sponsorships

New interest in sponsoring forms for the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program (PGP) in 2025 will not be accepted.

Key updates:

  • Applications only from 2024 are being accepted (15,000 Cap)
  • Any new interest to sponsor forms will not be accepted unless additional directions are provided

Furthermore, the backlog from COVID-19 and lack of resources have prolonged wait times for processing.

10. Tech-Driven Immigration System

Canada will expand its use of technology and AI to increase transparency and efficiency in 2025. New initiatives include:

  • A single online portal offering case status, officer notes, and decision reasons
  • Wider use of AI tools like the CBSA’s ReportIn mobile app

This AI-driven app:

  • Uses facial recognition and geolocation
  • Allows immigrants under supervision to report without visiting a CBSA office

Such innovations will streamline compliance monitoring and reduce case processing delays.

11. Federal Court Pilot Projects for Judicial Review

To deal with increasing refusals, the Federal Court of Canada will extend pilot projects that fast-track judicial reviews of failed applications.

This action lines up with the 2024 introduction of the Study Permit Judicial Review Pilot that brought review times down from 14-18 months to 5 months.

Here, too, are the other programs we could see in 2025 for:

  • Refusals of application for temporary resident visa
  • Work permit refusals
  • Applications for Permanent Residence (without the right of appeal to the IRB)

This accommodates a quicker route to justice for applicants confronting unjustified refusals.

Conclusion: What the 2025 Policy Means for You

The Canadian 2025 immigration news is all about walking the line: not hurting the economy, but at the same time alleviating systemic pressures, risk for fraud, and demographic deficits. With lower immigration goals, stricter temporary resident rules, new pilot programs, and AI-based processing, the year 2025 looks tough yet promising for newcomers.

Whether you are an experienced worker, caregiver, international student, or family member wanting to reunite with a loved one, it is important to be aware of these changes. Credit: Shutterstock Canada remains committed to immigration as a key driver of its future — but the ways in which we’ll get there, increasingly, are becoming more strategic, selective, and digitally managed.

Stay tuned and consult a professional immigration adviser to see which path aligns with your own aspirations under Canada’s shifting model.

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FAQs

The main change is a reduction in both permanent and temporary resident targets. Canada aims to admit 395,000 permanent residents and significantly lower the number of temporary residents to 5% of the national population over the next three years.

Canada is adjusting immigration levels to balance economic needs with housing, infrastructure, and public services. The government is also addressing fraud concerns and managing the growing temporary resident population.

No. Starting in spring 2025, Express Entry candidates will no longer receive extra points for job offers. This change aims to reduce fraud related to fake LMIA job offers and refocus the system on qualifications and merit.

Canada has capped new temporary resident arrivals to 673,650 in 2025. This includes international students and temporary foreign workers, excluding tourists and short-term visitors.

Yes. Canada is launching enhanced caregiver pilot programs offering permanent residence on arrival and a new Rural Community Immigration Pilot to attract workers to small towns facing labour shortages.

Canada is targeting 8.5% of all PRs outside Quebec to be French-speaking in 2025. New programs include the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot and targeted Express Entry draws for French speakers.

Bill C-71 removes the rule that limited citizenship to the first generation born abroad. A “substantial connection test” will now apply, requiring parents to have lived in Canada for 1,095 days before passing citizenship to children born outside Canada.

Not fully. In 2025, Canada will only process applications received in 2024 (up to 15,000). No new expressions of interest are being accepted unless further ministerial instructions are announced.

Canada is rolling out a centralized online portal for transparency and launching tools like the ReportIn app, using AI and geolocation to manage individuals awaiting immigration decisions or deportation enforcement.

Only in limited, specific cases. The government has restricted “flagpole” to reduce border volumes. Most applicants must now apply for permits online rather than at a port of entry.

These FAQs address the most significant questions relating to the new immigration policy that will come into play in Canada by 2024. For even more detailed questions or simply for clarification, feel free to explore all of your options as part of this year’s changes.

Sources and Further Reading

Below are direct links to authoritative sources and further reading referenced in the blog about Canada’s 2025 immigration policy:

Official Government and Policy Documents

News and Analysis

  • ICEF Monitor: Canada’s new government strikes a more conservative note on immigration

These links provide in-depth coverage, official updates, and expert analysis for anyone seeking to understand or follow the latest developments in Canadian immigration policy for 2025.

Key Takeaways

  • Canada’s 2025 Immigration Levels Plan reduces permanent resident admissions to 395,000, focusing on economic streams like health care and skilled trades.

  • A new cap limits temporary residents to 5% of the population, with stricter rules for international students and foreign workers.

  • Express Entry job offer points will be removed in spring 2025 to address fraud and ensure fairer selection based on merit.

  • IRCC gains new powers to cancel fraudulent applications and penalize those who exploit the immigration system.

  • Flagpoling for work and study permits is now restricted; most permits must be applied for online.

  • Francophone immigration targets increase, supported by new pilot programs and category-based Express Entry draws for French speakers.

  • New pilot programs include enhanced caregiver pathways offering PR on arrival and a Rural Community Immigration Pilot.

  • Second-generation citizenship rules are changing through Bill C-71, ending the first-generation cut-off with a new substantial connection test.

  • The Parents and Grandparents Program remains limited to 2024 applications, with no new intake announced for 2025.

  • AI and tech tools like the ReportIn app and a centralized applicant portal are being expanded for faster, more transparent processing.

  • The Federal Court is streamlining judicial reviews with faster timelines for refused visa and permit applications.

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