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Chayil Consultancy Group, Saint John, NB (2026)

09/03/2026

First September update shows lower processing times for temporary residence applicants
On September 2, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released updated timelines for various temporary residence application types, with waits dropping across several categories.

Of the declines seen in IRCC’s latest update, the most notable include:

Work permits: one-week decline for Pakistan;

Study permits: two-week decline for India; and

Super visas: 23-day decline for Pakistan; 11-day decline for the Philippines.
Conversely, the update's most significant increases were a two-week rise in work permit wait times for the Philippines and a one-week rise for India, plus a one-week increase in study permit wait times for in-Canada applicants.

This article compares the temporary residence processing time estimates in IRCC’s September 2 update with those reported on August 26.

The next update to IRCC’s temporary residence processing times is expected on or around September 9, 2026.

Work permits

Work permit waits fell for both Pakistan and in-Canada applicants, the latter hitting a new 2026 low, whereas India and the Philippines saw increases, with the Philippines posting the larger jump at two weeks.

Applying from:Current (September 2)Previous (August 26)Canada113 days115 daysIndia10 weeks9 weeksPakistan7 weeks8 weeksNigeria9 weeks9 weeks

09/03/2026

Quebec invites 790 PSTQ candidates to apply for permanent selection
On August 27, Québec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) held immigration selections under all four streams of the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ).

The province issued no fewer than 790 invitations in this selection round, with the greatest share of invitations sent to workers with intermediate and manual skills (stream 2).
Those selected will have the opportunity to respond with complete applications for a Québec Selection Certificate (CSQ), which can be used to apply to the Canadian federal government for permanent residence with the intent to settle in Québec.

With this latest round, the MIFI has now held eight PSTQ draws over the course of 2026.

Draw details

Profiles were extracted from the candidate pool on August 24, 2026, at 11:48 a.m., for selections made under all four streams.

Stream 1: Highly qualified and specialized skills

Under stream 1, a total of 87 invitations were issued across three exercises to workers in TEER 0–2 occupations who currently reside in Québec and have 12 months of work experience in the last five years.

ExerciseInvitations issuedCutoff scoreExercise 1 – Qualifying diploma + priority occupation (TEER 1, 2)26639Exercise 2 – Qualifying diploma + priority occupation (TEER 2)11710Exercise 3 – Qualifying diploma + priority occupation (TEER 0–2)50694

09/03/2026

Canada shuts door to Hongkonger permanent residence pathways
The window has closed for eligible Hongkongers to submit direct applications for Canadian permanent residence (PR).

As of August 31, 2026, no further applications will be accepted, as confirmed by an immigration department news release published on Aug. 28.

Applications submitted on or before Aug. 31 will continue to be processed.

The immigration department continues to accept applications for a three-year open work permit, which is available to foreign nationals who have applied for permanent residence under the Hong Kong pathways. Intake to apply for this special work permit is set to remain open through to May 2029.

Most Hongkongers who’ve already applied for permanent residence can expect their application to be processed after 2027, according to a federal government briefing.

The closed pathways had provided a guaranteed opportunity to apply for permanent residence to Hongkongers meeting modest requirements for in-Canada work experience or Canadian post-secondary education, provided they had basic official language proficiency.

High demand for the pathways has contributed to processing times that now stretch beyond 10 years, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC's) online processing times tool.

Applicants are waiting in line for years, not due to a lack of processing capacity, but rather due to a lack of available admissions spaces.

09/03/2026

Do Canadians by descent living in the U.S. have to pay Canadian taxes

You learned you're a Canadian citizen by descent. Someone in your family has already asked the question: Do you owe taxes to Canada now?

In most cases, no. Millions of Americans became eligible when Canada's new citizenship law removed the generational limit in December 2025. Most of them will not need to file any Canadian tax return at all, unless they choose to move.

This is because Canada imposes tax obligations based on residency, not citizenship.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) ties your obligations to your residency status, and a Canadian citizenship certificate doesn't change this for most American-Canadians. If you lived in the United States as a citizen before the certificate arrived and continue to live there after gaining dual citizenship with Canada, your tax obligations are likely to look the same.

Canadian citizenship does count when the CRA weighs your residential ties to Canada for tax purposes. Your home, your spouse or partner, and your dependants weigh far more.

Four situations cover most readers. Each one is summarized below and gets a fuller treatment below.

Your SituationLikely PositionTax OutcomeStay in the US, no Canadian income or tiesCitizenship alone creates no Canadian filing obligationFile US taxes as usualStay in the US, but have Canadian income or property (investments, rent, a sale)Canadian tax or withholding may apply to that incomeReview treaty treatment before you receive or sellHold a Canadian TFSA or FHSA as a US taxpayerTax-free in Canada, but may be taxable and reportable in the USGet cross-border advice before opening oneMove to Canada and establish residential tiesCanada taxes worldwide income while resident; US filing continuesCoordinate both returns

09/02/2026

IRCC invites 2,000 Canadian Experience Class candidates to apply for permanent residence

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued more invitations to apply (ITA) through the Express Entry system.

The immigration department issued 2,000 ITAs in a draw for Canadian Experience Class candidates.

To be considered in this draw, candidates needed to have:

A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 521; and

Created an Express Entry candidate profile before 3:24 a.m., Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) on August 18, 2026.

Summary of Express Entry draws

DateDraw TypeCRS cut-off scoreITAs issuedSeptember 1Canadian Experience Class5212,000August 31Provincial Nominee Program697562August 19French-Language proficiency3825,000August 18Canadian Experience Class5231,000August 17Provincial Nominee Program760442August 7Transport470300August 6French-Language proficiency3915,000August 5Canadian Experience Class5163,000

09/02/2026

Canada updates breakdown of Express Entry candidate scores

The Express Entry pool declined by just 186 profiles overall between August 16 and August 30, despite a drop of nearly 1,800 profiles in the 351–400 CRS band, according to the latest figures from Canada’s immigration department.

At the same time, the number of top-scoring Express Entry profiles increased from 19,096 to 20,101 over the two-week period, driven largely by growth in the 501–600 score band

The following table compares the breakdown of the Express Entry pool’s composition as of August 30, against the previous composition recorded on August 16:

CRS score rangeAugust 30August 16Difference0–3007,7357,709+26301–35017,49517,269+226351–40046,82448,600−1,776401–41010,72310,688+35411–42011,18311,269−86421–43011,81111,890−79431–44013,23313,229+4
How competitive is the Express Entry pool as of the latest data?

The following table shows the share of candidates within each Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score range, together with the percentile positions corresponding to its lower and upper limits, providing a clearer sense of competitiveness within the Express Entry pool.

The calculations reflect the Express Entry pool as of August 30.

CRS score rangeNumber of candidatesCumulativePercentile rangePercentage0–3007,7357,7350.00%–3.41%3.41%301–35017,49525,2303.41%–11.13%7.72%351–40046,82472,05411.13%–31.79%20.66%401–41010,72382,77731.79%–36.52%4.73%

09/02/2026

British Columbia invites entrepreneurs to apply for provincial nomination
On August 25, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) conducted a draw through its Entrepreneur Immigration category, issuing 16 invitations to apply.

Invitations were extended to entrepreneurs who wish to establish a new business in the province or acquire and expand an existing enterprise.
The latest round of selections was the BCPNP’s 21st of the year, and its ninth focused exclusively on entrepreneurs.

Invited candidates have the opportunity to apply for provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.

Draw details

The two streams differed in the number of invitations issued, while sharing the same cutoff score.

Of the invitations issued in this round, the majority went to Base Stream candidates:

StreamMinimum scoreInvitations issuedBase11611Regional1165

This draw recorded the highest invitation count of any Regional Stream draw held in 2026.

The table below shows how this round compares to previous Entrepreneur Immigration selections held over the course of 2026:

Date of drawStreamInvitations issuedMinimum scoreAugust 25, 2026Base11116Regional5116July 28, 2026Base10117June 30, 2026Base14118Regional

09/02/2026

Canada extends Ebola-related travel bans
Canada has extended its entry bans on travellers and residents with ties to Ebola-stricken regions.

Foreign nationals with past-21-day travel history to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will continue to be barred from entering Canada.

In parallel, immigration documents will remain suspended for residents of the DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan. With their documents suspended, they are not allowed to travel to Canada.

Both bans have been extended to September 28, 2026. The Public Health Agency of Canada announced the extensions in a news release on the government website on August 28, 2026.

Canadian citizens and landed permanent residents with past-21-day travel history in affected regions can enter Canada subject to travel restrictions: a health assessment upon arrival, followed by a 21-day quarantine for those without symptoms, or isolation at a medical facility for those with symptoms.

Prior to the extension, the measures had been set to expire on August 29, 2026.

This extension marks the latest development of a suite of quarantine measures in response to the Ebola outbreak.

The Canadian federal government initially put in place the travel ban on foreign nationals with past-21-day DRC travel history on July 20, 2026.

The first set of measures, which took effect on May 30, had included an omnibus quarantine for returning travellers, applicable to foreign nationals as well as to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, alongside the suspension of immigration documents applicable to residents of regions affected by the outbreak.

The suspensions in May had marked the first use of the federal government's expanded executive powers to manage entire classes of applications, documents, and temporary residents, with the coming into force of Bill C-12 in March 2026.

09/02/2026

Canada is fast-tracking proof of citizenship applications for those planning on studying in the country

Eligible students who are planning to study in Canada are being fast-tracked in their proof of Canadian citizenship applications.

In some cases, they may be able to receive a citizenship certificate in time for their starting semester.

In contrast, most American applicants currently face a wait time of over two years, as of the time of writing, to receive the same proof of Canadian citizenship certificates.

Why this matters right now

Proof of citizenship applications have piled up since Bill C-3 removed the first-generation limit on Canadian citizenship by descent on December 15 2025. The change opened the door for millions of people abroad before that date, many of them from the United States, to claim Canadian citizenship through a Canadian parent or grandparent.

The surge has come at a cost. Processing times for proof of citizenship applications have steadily risen throughout the last year and have now climbed to 25 months as of August. For most applicants, that
means a much longer wait time than they were expecting.

But Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the federal department that handles
citizenship applications, sets aside a faster “urgent processing” route for a limited number of situations. One of them applies to people who need their citizenship certificate for education, specifically for
factors such as attending a school, college or university.

09/02/2026

Provincial nominees receive invitations to apply for permanent residence

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued more invitations to apply (ITA) through the Express Entry system.

The immigration department issued 562 ITAs in a draw for Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination.

To be considered in this draw, candidates needed to have:

A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 697; and

Created an Express Entry candidate profile before 4:32 a.m., Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) on April 12, 2026.

Summary of Express Entry draws

DateDraw TypeCRS cut-off scoreITAs issuedAugust 31Provincial Nominee Program697562August 19French-Language proficiency3825,000August 18Canadian Experience Class5231,000August 17Provincial Nominee Program760442August 7Transport470300August 6French-Language proficiency3915,000August 5Canadian Experience Class5163,000August 4Provincial Nominee Program768507July 23Skilled Military Recruits3684

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