Wood Consulting Canadian Immigration Services

06/02/2026

The OINP Changes that were announced on May 30, 2026 have not resulted in stream changes... yet. They will very likely result in stream changes based on the OINP's stated intentions from December 2025, March 2026, and May 2026.

From March 2026: "The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is making changes to Ontario Regulation 421/17 under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 (OIA) that will allow the Minister to redesign the OINP by creating or removing selection streams."

The new regulations are structured in a way that allow for flexible draw criteria in for invitations and for program eligibility criteria to be adjusted in one regulation only, reflecting the nimble approach of other PNPs across Canada.

As for new programs, criteria require adjustment in Ontario Regulation 422/17 before there is effectively a new "stream" or "streams". As stated in the new s. 3.1(1) of Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is making changes to Ontario Regulation 421/17:
"Prior to applying for a certificate of nomination, an applicant must first register an expression of interest by attesting that the applicable eligibility criteria listed in Ontario Regulation 422/17 (General) made under the Act are satisfied and that the applicant has the qualifications set out in their expression of interest, and providing supporting information."

If one goes to the current regulations, there are no stream changes made... yet.

In sum: wait for announcements of the program change and their criteria. For program criteria to be changed, we need an actual "overhaul" of criteria in Ontario Regulation 422/17 (https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/170422), which has not happened yet. OINP will also very likely announce their new programs on the OINP website when they have changed.

05/27/2026

Suspension of applications and immigration documents for (at least) 90 days from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan due to the regional Ebola outbreak. This appears to be the first use - or first notable use - of the Strong Borders Act, and one of the cited reasons includes the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup.

There is also a quarantine rule in effect for travel in one of the affected areas.

In response to the Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and increasing risks in Uganda and South Sudan, the Government of Canada is taking decisive action by introducing temporary border measures to reduce the risk of the virus entering and spreading within Canada.

05/05/2026

Be careful of click bait designed to play on false hope of new pathways.

Elements of Canada's immigration industry are trying to give hope that an application process could be coming for the 33,000 split over 2 years (20,000+ in 2026 and 13,000/the remainder in 2027) by suggesting that the In-Canada Workers Initiative (the name for the 33,000 spots) is not fully released and that this is the information about selection "so far".

While the Government has the authority to change their approach on programming and initiatives, how the allocation of 33,000 is planned is clear: they are working with existing inventory of submitted applications in certain streams and with individuals living in smaller communities for at least 2 years. There is no suggestion that another set of eligibility criteria is coming.

Source of image: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/reports-statistics/statistics-open-data/immigration-stats/students-workers.html

05/04/2026

The much anticipated answer to "what does IRCC mean by a one-time initiative for 33,000 individuals" has been revealed.

The answer: processing of people in the existing application inventories for Provincial Nominee, Atlantic Immigration Pilot, Community Immigration Pilots (e.g., RCIP), Agrifood Immigration Pilot, and home caregiver pilots who have lived in "smaller communities" for 2 years or more.

A reminder that, unless a program with an application intake process is announced officially by IRCC, it is probably not a good idea to prepare for intake and rest expectations on making an application.

Canada continues to bring our immigration system to sustainable levels and focus immigration on the areas where it has the greatest impact. This means supporting rural and remote communities that are experiencing labour shortages in key economic sectors.

04/27/2026

BC PNP has announced their "Care, Build, and Innovate" immigration focus for the BC PNP.

The new changes place priorities with care sector work (healthcare, education, childcare, and veterinary care), building (9 in-demand skilled trades), and Innovation via High Economic Impact invitations.

The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled stream has closed, effectively ending PNP pathways for TEER 4 and 5, and there will be no return of Student Streams.

Explore programs that can help you become a permanent resident in B.C., Canada.

04/15/2026

*** IMAGE TITLE IS FROM A MAJOR IMMIGRATION NEWS PROVIDER - NOT MINE ***

As a people and, more specifically, our industry, let's avoid unhelpful titles that are click-bait and obscure the reasons for our laws and the histories of Americans who are claiming Canadian citizenship.

Canadian Citizenship law was deemed discriminatory to those in the subsequent generations born abroad, and the laws were changed accordingly. In the future, substantial connections to Canada will be the standard for subsequent generations, but it is not for many of the living - and many Americans.

Americans, specifically those born in the subsequent generations, have family histories with Canada that are fascinating and, in many cases, longstanding across generations. The US-Canadian border was much more porous than we understand today, and Canadian families often sought better fortunes in tough times by moving to the USA - or navigated living both sides of the border for different seasons.

In the case of many French-Canadians and Acadians, it meant hiding or losing their culture to assimilate to US expectations and facing deep discrimination. As noted in the book "Distinct Alien Race", nativism and racist organizations pursued francophones who relocated to the US as a threat to values, leading to violence and intimidation against them. It spilled into legal discrimination: in the State of Maine, in 1919, a law was passed to make it llegal to speak or teach French in schools.

Canadian citizenship is a way back to their family heritage for many of those people who are long established in the USA.

Claiming one's rights as a Canadian and moving back to Canada/remaining in Canada are two separate issues, but distilling it down to intent that the rights are claimed because they "just want the passport" is an unfair representation of our American Canadians and incorrectly infers that they do not value our shared Canadian heritage.

04/09/2026

Important: If your Post-Secondary Program of Study for which you have a Study Permit contains a Co-op or Internship component, there are specific conditions where a Co-op Work Permit is not needed or will not be issued.

Please make sure that all conditions are satisfied, including on status documents, and consult with your Post-Secondary International Student Advisor (RISIA/RCIC) or another licensed Immigration Professional if you are not sure.

Simplifying the co-op work permit requirement for post-secondary international students

04/09/2026

There are many reports of candidates for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) being refused because of missing documentation, specifically missing Language Test Results. Given the 8-9 month processing times and the requirement of PGWP applicants to file eligible PGWP applications within 180 days of their notice of graduation, the outcomes of a refusal can be detrimental to goals to remain in Canada or immigrate to Canada.

The MyCIC account (IRCC Secure Account) used for submitting these applications is purported to not have a special filing upload for Language Assessments or Field of Study Proof (though Post-Secondary DLIs can place CIP information on their Confirmation of Graduation Letters).

Applicants need to ensure that the Client Field is used where documents that cannot be uploaded - specifically for Language Test Results and CIP Information for Field of Study Requirements.

If you know someone with a pending PGWP application filed since November 2024, ask them to double-check if they uploaded their Language Test Results. If they have omitted the document, they should consider immediately submitting that eligible document to IRCC before a decision is finalized on their application, and they should include an explanation as to why it was missed. Normally that document should pre-date the application for the PGWP to show that the applicant intended to provide all necessary documents for establishing PGWP eligibility, though there may be cases where a person has missed the requirement all together prior to filing. The more complex their situation, the better it is to consult a professional.

If you know someone with a Study Permit that is planning to apply for a PGWP and has Field of Study requirements, make sure to tell them to check IRCC's website instructions for uploading the documents.

If your school does not include CIP information with international student graduation packages (Confirmation of Graduation Letter/Transcript), ask them if it is possible to provide this information on official documents.

Learn how to submit your proof of language results or eligible field of study in the online application for PGWP.

04/08/2026

IRCC is looking to amend the regulations that govern the three (3) federal immigration classes used for Express Entry - Federal Skilled Worker Class, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades Class). No decision at this time, and the consultation period will be announced this Spring.

The impact of any change is unknown, but it is known that a streamlined set of requirements is expected to be given to a new federal high-skilled immigration class that will replace the three existing federal classes used by Express Entry.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Forward Regulatory Plan - Regulations amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to modernize the federal high skilled classes (Federal Skilled Worker Class, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Class)

03/27/2026

The Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12) has come into effect. There are several implications for prospective and current asylum claimants (not the focus of this post).

For those using Canada's temporary residence and permanent residence programming, there are serious implications. The new law empowers the Government of Canada to cancel, suspend, or change immigration documents, cancel or suspend application processing, or pause application intake. These powers do not impact asylum claims nor does it have the ability to grant, change, or revoke immigration status (temporary residence or permanent residence).

The power from this Act can be used at the Government's discretion at any time, provided they follow certain procedures. For more information, please review:

New tools to help Canada better manage groups of immigration documents and related applications after a multi-step approvals process.