Wood Consulting Canadian Immigration Services

10/16/2026

IRCC is changing points allocations in Express Entry.

Changes -
- Additional points for eligible TEER 0-3 Canadian Work Experience that is from high-earning NOCs
- If the candidate is not claiming eligible high-skilled Canadian Experience (NOTE: removing Canadian Experience from an existing will remove CEC eligibility AND impact Skills Transferability Points that are relied upon from Canadian Work Experience), points for a Canadian Job Offer that is from a high-earning NOCs
-High earning NOCs are separated into three tiers, which have different correspondencing points
- Job Offers do not require a LMIA or closed work permit scenario, but they must meet genuineness criteria and express entry-based job offer criteria
-IRCC will not make changes to points allocation until November 3, 2026; job offer-based additions can be added in a grace period of a couple weeks before IRCC will resume Express Entry draws.
-Existing Canadian experience that is from a high-earning NOC will automatically be awarded points if declared in the Express Entry profile.

Changes introduced in 2026 to the Express Entry system to include points for Canadian work experience or a job offer

09/10/2026

Studying without a permit for up to 6 months for those that do not meet the criteria of R188(1)(c) is now allowed for Work Permit holders. This new guidance must be read in conjunction with R188(1)(c) interpretations for short-term studies without a study permit, which were updated in February 2026 and may continue to be updated. Those interpretations are shared in earlier posts on this page.

What this means is that those who hold a work permit that is valid can study for up to six (6) months in a short-term program until the first of the following events: (1) their work permit expires, (2) December 31, 2027 when the public policy expires (and if it is not renewed), or (3) the date of revocation of the public policy, if applicable.

As the IRCC notice indicates, it is for work permit holders only. Holding an authorization to work without a permit (e.g., R186(u) for work permit applicants who recently held a work permit or R186(w) for PGWP applicants that meet conditions) is not included in the public policy.

Temporary foreign workers are a valuable part of Canada’s economy who continue to contribute to Canada’s economic recovery post-COVID pandemic. The Department wants to support these individuals by providing opportunities and more flexibility to study in order to upgrade their skills, credentials...

08/11/2026

Be careful about advice from private career colleges. The demand to train for short-term courses, and the institutions offering these services, is a potential stumbling block for foreign nationals.

For example, the short-term study authorization of R188(1)(c) is very specific in how it functions (see guidance as of February 2026), and it relies primarily on the concept of entering Canada. This is not always clear to candidates who have made extension applications and not always made clear by those encouraging short-term studies.

From the text:

If a foreign national is issued a work permit or visitor record upon entry, they may attend short term courses/programs which are 6 months or less in duration within this authorized stay.

****However, if they apply to extend their stay in Canada, they must obtain a study permit to attend any length of course/program once the initial work permit or visitor record validity has expired.***

[...]

Generally, foreign nationals in Canada without a study permit wishing to enrol in a subsequent course or program of study must apply outside Canada and obtain a study permit in the normal manner (for example, at a Canadian visa office abroad). However, if a foreign national leaves and re-enters Canada, this is considered a new period of authorized stay; the foreign national can engage in subsequent programs or courses that are of a duration of 6 months or less at that point.

Program Delivery Instructions, Study permits: Who needs a study permit

08/06/2026

The OINP has opened its Ontario Workforce Priority Stream effective August 4, 2026. Job offers by employers are required to be registered first before an Expression of Interest (EOI) can be registered for applicants.

It is likely that the OINP will give employers and prospective applicants time to register before initiating draws (as they did in July 2026 when the new protocols were added for job offers and EOIs), but the sooner a registration can take place, the better.

Learn about this year’s updates, news and announcements for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Updates are organized by the month they were issued.

07/27/2026

When the new OINP Workforce Priority Stream Opens, TEER 0-3 and Self-Employed Physician scenarios will benefit from the possibility of selecting the option of applying for an Enhanced Nomination (via Express Entry) or a non-Express Entry-based nomination (PR application through the PRDI Portal). This follows the British Columbia model for some of their PNP Streams.

Having this flexibility requires applicants to be aware of how to properly manage a separate, eligible Express Entry profile, including meeting eligibility to a Federal Immigration class (e.g., Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker) and understanding that not all Express Entry applicants are subject to the same rules re: Work Permit applications.

For example, while someone might be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class as a condition of having an Express Entry profile, a restricted employment nomination that leads to selection as a Provincial Nominee in Express Entry will still require them to use the T13 LMIA Exempt Work Permit Scenario and not the Bridging Open Work Permit.

Learn how to apply for a nomination for permanent residence in Ontario through the expression of interest system and your next steps after nomination

07/16/2026

There will be no further intake for the Parent and Grandparent program until further notice.

Since 2024, we have seen the early conclusion and pause of the following permanent residence programs:

Self-Employed Persons Class (2024)
Private Sponsorship Refugee - Group of Five and Community Sponsor Streams (2024)
Agrifood Immigration Pilot (2025; early ending)
Home Worker Immigration Pilot (2025/2026)
Start-up Visa (2025/2026)
Parent and Grandparent Sponsorshipo (2026)

Web Notice - steps to responsibly manage the Parents and Grandparents Program

06/26/2026

Regulatory changes have come and the OINP has released its new streams. More information about phase one is found at the OINP page.

Key highlights: Ontario Workforce Priority Stream has three components - TEER 0-3, TEER 4-5, and Self-Employed Physicians.

There are many changes to review, many of which were previously announced and form the core of the program changes. That said, an important update for Ontario Graduates that changes dynamics and gives new opportunities!

The OINP has re-defined the concept of an Ontario Graduate (former International Student Stream), known as a "recent Ontario Graduate": a a person who has obtained an Ontario post-secondary credential from an eligible Ontario institution in the last three years that is either (a) a degree or diploma that takes at least two years to complete if pursued on a full-time basis, or
(b) a master’s or Ph.D. degree or an Ontario college graduate certificate. (“récent diplômé de l’Ontario”).

- Low wage rates are eligible for job offers in TEERs 0-3 for recent Ontario Graduates (an extra year of eligibility at the low wage rate is now possible with the 3-year window)
- Unlike non-recent Ontario graduates, who may use 6 months of work experience with the job offer employer for programming (or 2 years in 5, or other unique scenarios), recent Ontario graduates just need 3 months of consecutive full-time experience in the employment position of the job offer (previously no experience was acceptable, but candidates receive an extra year of this provision)
-Language proficiency in all 4 skills of CLB 6 (TEER 0-3; CLB 5 for certain occupations) is required for those who are not recent Ontario graduates (another exemption)

Learn about this year’s updates, news and announcements for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Updates are organized by the month they were issued.

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