Fresh off his federal election victory, PM Mark Carney is locking in tighter immigration caps for 2025. This article breaks down what’s changing under his leadership. Plus, explore New Brunswick’s push for flexibility and a powerful success story from Bay Street.
Big election, big shift. Fresh off the 2025 federal win, PM Mark Carney slashes permanent-resident targets and locks a 5% ceiling on temporary residents. What’s driving this pivot, and how will it shape your path to Canada? Read on for the numbers and the openings.
Carney’s first post-election budget pegs permanent-resident admissions at 395 000 for 2025, sliding to 365 000 by 2027, keeping inflows under one percent of the population. Temporary residents (work-permit holders and international students) face a strict 5 % population cap. That figure dominated campaign debates; revisit the road-to-victory timeline in our 2025 election immigration explainer.
Universities, ag-tech farmers, and health-care recruiters warn of talent gaps, yet the Liberals frame this pause as breathing room for cities wrestling with record housing costs and strained transit.
Alongside the cap, IRCC is re-coding Express Entry: extra points for skilled trades, rural job offers, and French proficiency. Provincial Nominee allocations will double so regions can hand-pick workers even as national totals fall. The Global Skills Strategy stays, promising sub-two-week visas for AI and cleantech pros, but now inside the quota. Take our Express Entry assessment to see how your points stack up. Supporters counter that tighter screening boosts wages, housing supply, and newcomer integration outcomes.
Critics argue fewer study permits will gut university budgets and local economies built on student spending. Supporters counter that tighter screening boosts wages, housing supply, and newcomer integration outcomes.
Canada isn’t closing its doors—it’s narrowing the frame. Lower caps mean fiercer competition, but a skill-targeted system still rewards the right profile. Want to know if you fit the new intake math? Start a chat with AskAïa now and craft a data-backed immigration plan before quotas lock you out.
New Brunswick is pushing for an exemption from federal immigration caps after a 50% cut to its 2025 allocations. The province is prioritizing sectors facing severe shortages, like healthcare, education, and construction, while tightening rules under the Atlantic Immigration Program.
Roy Ratnavel arrived in Canada alone at 18, after surviving political imprisonment in Sri Lanka. Starting in a mailroom, he rose to Vice Chairman at CI Financial. His bestselling memoir, Prisoner #1056, tells a story of resilience and reinvention—an inspiring example of the immigrant journey.