Between October 1 and October 7, 2025, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) held three separate provincial nomination draws, issuing a total of 1,324 Invitations to Apply (ITAs). Among them, the Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS) accounted for the majority, with 1,003 invitations, maintaining its lead as the province’s largest channel of nominations. The Accelerated Tech Pathway and Priority Sectors (Construction) streams, both aligned with the federal Express Entry system, targeted applicants in high-demand occupations. In addition, the Government of Alberta received an increase of 1,528 nomination spots in September, raising its total 2025 allocation to 6,403. As of October 10, the province had issued 4,228 nominations, leaving 2,175 available for the remainder of the year.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently disclosed its 2025 permanent residence (PR) application processing plan in its latest Minister Transition Binder. According to the document, the immigration department will not clear all categories of application backlogs this year, but will instead adopt a categorized processing strategy. Express Entry-related programs, community pilot programs, and Quebec's skilled worker pathways will process all pending applications, while other economic immigration programs will only process a portion of their backlogs, with processing ratios ranging from 2% to 35%.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently confirmed that the federal government is studying targeted measures to attract technical professionals affected by the new U.S. H-1B visa policy. This move comes in response to President Trump's sudden announcement of a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas. Canada previously launched a work permit program specifically for H-1B holders in July 2023, with 10,000 spots filling up in less than 48 hours, demonstrating strong market demand. Immigration experts and business groups are urging Canada to seize this opportunity, while also noting the need to streamline permanent residence application processes to truly retain talent.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently updated its official website to indicate that the "applicants not working in Canada" stream under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP) has been officially closed. This stream was marked as "closed" on September 29, 2025, without ever having opened to accept applications since the program's launch. Despite this closure, overseas caregivers still have alternative pathways to immigrate to Canada through Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, and other routes. Industry analysts suggest this decision may be linked to severe application backlogs and the federal government's policy shift toward prioritizing the transition of temporary residents already in Canada to permanent residence status.

Between September 12 and 17, 2025, Alberta conducted three rounds of immigration invitations across different categories through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), issuing over 1,400 invitation letters to technology professionals, law enforcement workers, and candidates under the Alberta Opportunity Stream. This series of invitations demonstrates the province's targeted immigration strategy addressing specific labor market demands.

Latest data released by Statistics Canada on September 24, 2025, reveals that Canada is facing a major demographic turning point. Affected by federal government immigration policy adjustments, Canada's population growth rate in Q2 2025 was only 0.1%, marking the lowest post-war level (excluding pandemic period). Meanwhile, population aging trends are accelerating again, posing severe challenges to the national labor market and economic development.

According to the latest data released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), as of August 31, 2025, the department's application backlog reached 958,850 cases, continuing to rise from July's 901,700 cases, representing a 6.33% increase. This marks the fourth consecutive month of worsening backlog issues for IRCC, with study permit applications experiencing particularly severe delays, surging from 23% in July to 32% in August.

With US H1-B visa application fees skyrocketing to $100,000, an increasing number of international tech professionals are turning their attention to Canada. This article provides a detailed analysis of Canada's main work permit and immigration pathways, offering comprehensive guidance for professionals seeking to develop their careers in North America.

In early September 2025, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) conducted a series of seven immigration draws, issuing a total of 1,376 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates. These draws primarily targeted applicants in the Alberta Express Entry stream and the Dedicated Healthcare Pathway, focusing on inviting candidates with Alberta job offers who can help fill labor gaps in high-demand sectors. The number of invitations issued in the first half of September alone has already surpassed that of any other single month in 2025, indicating that the province is accelerating its efforts to meet its economic development needs.

The Canadian federal government has recently approved an increase to the 2025 allocation for the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). The province's nomination spots have been raised from the previously set 4,875 to 6,403, a net increase of 1,528. This adjustment comes after the federal government had drastically reduced overall PNP immigration targets in response to pressures such as housing shortages. The increased allocation is viewed as a positive response to lobbying by provinces to meet local labour demands, and it is anticipated that the new spots will be prioritized to support key industries and regional economic development. In addition to Alberta, several other Canadian provinces and territories have also received increased allocations.