Search
Contact
Login
Share this article
The government of Canada has introduced temporary Employment Insurance (EI) measures to improve access to EI benefits, including waiving the one-week waiting period.
Key Points:
Additional Information: The temporary EI measures were introduced to support workers in response to major changes in economic conditions and provide “resources and solutions to help manage the potential effects of the evolving Canada-United States relationship.”
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.
Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
The Canadian government announced the removal of job offer points from the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) in the Express Entry pool.
Additional Information: The CRS previously awarded 50 points to any other skilled occupation with Arranged Employment and 200 points to those with Arranged Employment offers in senior managerial positions (Major Group 00 of the National Occupation Classification).
As BAL reported, the Canadian government announced late last year that temporary foreign workers who apply to become permanent residents through the Express Entry system will soon no longer get additional points if they have a job offer supported by an LMIA. The most recent change removes points for all offers of Arranged Employment, LMIA-based or otherwise.
The Canadian government announced an increase to the federal minimum wage, effective April 1.
Additional Information: Increases to the federal minimum wage are based on Canada’s Consumer Price Index for the previous calendar year, as published by Statistics Canada. Employers should take the new minimum wage into account when planning their 2025 budgets.
The Canadian government provided an update on the Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program in 2025.
Additional Information: Authorities confirmed that overall reductions to immigration targets in the 2025–27 Immigration Levels Plan will require IRCC to recalibrate the number of new applications, and this will impact families who have not had an opportunity to submit an interest to sponsor form. IRCC is trying to balance the number of PGP Program applications received with the number of PGP Program spaces available within the prescribed Immigration Levels Plan.
As BAL reported, the government recently made the super visa more accessible by implementing a change to the health insurance requirement, and this option remains available for parents and grandparents who would like to visit Canada.
The Canadian government announced an extension of the temporary refusal policy that applies to certain Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications for low-wage positions in Montréal and Laval.
Additional Information: As BAL reported, the Canadian government currently has a policy in place that refuses to process requirements for low-wage positions in areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher — now including the Montréal census metropolitan area. Authorities provided more information on the refusal process here, including any exemptions that may apply and municipalities included in the economic region of Montréal.
The Canadian government has updated the TFW Program recently to ensure it remains responsive to labor market needs and to protect temporary foreign workers from fraud and abuse. This includes a recent 20% increase to the median wage for workers in the high-wage stream for specific provinces or territories of work, as well as new measures for the low-wage stream. Officials stated the TFW Program is designed as an extraordinary measure to be used when a qualified Canadian is not able to fill a job vacancy, and further adjustments will be made if needed to help ensure that only compliant employers with demonstrable labor needs can access the TFW Program.
The Canadian government announced the Express Entry category-based draws for 2025, which include a new education category.
Additional Information: IRCC is focusing economic immigrant selection efforts on priority sectors, such as healthcare, construction and education. The government is prioritizing bringing in skilled workers who have specific skills, training or language abilities to support economic growth in these sectors, with a focus on targeting more in-Canada draws specifically to reduce labor shortages.
Canadian authorities updated rules to strengthen authorities’ ability to cancel temporary resident documents.
Additional Information: The amended regulations came into force on Jan. 31 and are published in the Canada Gazette II. Officials stated the changes will enhance the integrity of Canada’s temporary residence programs and strengthen security. The Canadian government continues to implement changes to their immigration system, including recent changes to open work permits for family members of temporary residents as well as a policy change designed to reduce flagpolers at ports of entry for work and study permits.
The Canadian government announced super visa applicants may now purchase private health insurance from companies outside Canada.
Additional Information: Previously, proof of health insurance could only be from Canadian health insurance providers. To be eligible as valid health insurance coverage, the policy from a company outside Canada must be issued by a foreign insurance company authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to provide accident and sickness insurance, appear on OSFI’s list of federally regulated financial institutions and be issued under the company’s insurance business in Canada. More information on the super visa can be found here.
Canadian authorities have reduced the allocation of provincial nominees under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) for 2025.
Additional Information: The BC PNP supports the province’s broader strategic goals and supports nominees for success while also targeting invitations for select occupations and key sectors like healthcare, construction and technology.
The decrease in BC PNP nominations follows similar reductions in immigration targets across multiple streams by the Canadian government, including recently announced reductions in the provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap.
The Canadian government announced the provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap are finalized for 2025.
Additional Information: Master’s and doctoral students, as well as most applicants applying from within Canada, are now required to submit a provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) as part of a study permit application. This change occurred since the introduction of the cap last year. The government is reserving spaces specifically for graduate students and adding a new PAL/TAL exemption for exchange students, ensuring that Canadian students can continue to benefit from reciprocal agreements to study abroad. Officials also want to target issuing a specific number of study permits for capped cohorts so that provinces and territories issue the same number of study permits to graduate students in 2025 as they did in 2023.
The government is reducing targets across multiple immigration streams to strengthen programs and help ease the strain on housing, healthcare and other services. This measure specifically is designed to ease pressures in rental markets with high student populations.