World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and career goals in the United States and Canada. The weekly roundup includes research, stories, and events of interest to the Canadian immigration and settlement community. This content has been created by WES and is reproduced here with their permission, in partnership.
This report shares insights from newcomers who recently navigated the foreign credential recognition (FCR) process, highlighting key gaps and challenges in accessing and understanding labour market information.
Launched in 2003 by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRP) has aimed to improve labour market integration for internationally trained individuals in targeted sectors and strengthen Canada’s capacity for credential recognition.
Key findings include:
The Labour Market Information Council (LMIC) emphasizes that without robust data to track FCR efforts and outcomes, it is impossible to measure impact or improve the system effectively. Canada still lacks comprehensive administrative and outcome data to evaluate how FCR processes influence labour market integration over time. This limits accountability and hinders the development of evidence-based solutions. To support the successful integration of skilled immigrants, strengthening labour market information within the FCR system is essential.
Canada should drop immigration levels even further, think tank says (Financial Post)
The C.D. Howe Institute is calling for a reduction in Canada’s annual immigration targets, and even suggests that further cuts may be needed to help fix the system and set it up for long-term success. Given the current economic challenges, labour market pressures, and the government’s goal to reduce the number of temporary residents, the Institute argues that immigration policy should focus on boosting Canada’s overall human capital.
Instead of just filling short-term labour gaps or keeping wages low, immigration should be about building a stronger, more resilient economy over time. The Institute also stresses the importance of having a system that’s transparent, predictable, and geared toward long-term prosperity. They raise concerns about category-based selection streams, saying these could lead to losing top global talent if they don’t align with Canada’s broader economic goals. To stay competitive, Canada needs fast-track pathways that make it easier for top-tier researchers and innovators to come here, bring their teams, and contribute to cutting-edge work.
There has been growing public scrutiny of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), leading some to call for its elimination. However, a closer examination reveals that many criticisms are based on inaccuracies and misinformation.
Firstly, the TFWP requires employers to demonstrate, through a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), that no Canadians are available to fill the position. Workers under this program are issued closed work permits, tying them to a single employer. Because of this restriction, temporary foreign workers (TFWs) cannot freely move between jobs, and if the LMIA process is properly followed, they are not displacing Canadian workers.
Secondly, while migrant labour is often blamed for current employment challenges, the real drivers include U.S. tariffs, rising interest rates, the decline of high-wage industrial jobs, and government cutbacks. Finally, claims that the number of TFWs in Canada has already exceeded IRCC 2025 targets are misleading. In reality, only 40% of the projected new TFWs have arrived to date. Historically, the most significant expansion of the program occurred under the Conservative Harper government between 2006 and 2012, when the number of TFWs doubled in a short period.
Further Reading:
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