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.
Canada On Track To Surpass Immigration Targets In 2025 (Immigration News Canada)
According to new data released by IRCC, Canada is on track to exceed its target of 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025. In the first half of the year, approximately 246,300 individuals were approved for permanent residency—many of whom were already in the country and transitioning from temporary to permanent status. If approvals continue at a similar pace, Canada is projected to admit just over 420,000 new permanent residents by year-end, surpassing the 2025 target by approximately 6.98%. Additional data indicates that the number of temporary workers is also expected to exceed 2025 targets. Both the International Mobility Program (IMP) and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) have already surpassed their respective goals. To date, the IMP has issued over 302,000 work permits, exceeding its target of 285,750. Meanwhile, the TFWP has issued just over 105,000 permits—well above its target of 82,000. In contrast, the number of study permits issued remains well below the target. Canada issued 149,860 study permits in the first half of 2025, compared to a full-year target of 305,900.
The occupational outcomes of provincial nominees (Statistics Canada)
Since the mid-2010s, Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) has admitted more immigrants than any other economic immigration program. In 2023, 40% of economic immigrants were admitted through the PNP, compared to 15% through the Canadian Experience Class and 13% through the Federal Skilled Worker Program. A new report from IRCC and Statistics Canada examines the occupational outcomes of recent provincial nominees (PNs) who obtained permanent residence in Canada. The cohort included PNs who became permanent residents one to five years prior to the 2021 Census. The data revealed that among recently admitted PNs in 2021, there were almost as many full-time employed spouses and dependants as there were principal applicants. PNs were significantly more likely to be employed in professional occupations in business and finance, computer and information systems and engineers. For recent PNs, part time employment was significant, with 1 in 5 employed PNs had a part time job - the lower the skill level, the higher the likelihood of being employed part time (this included principal applicants, their spouses and dependents).
Use of temporary foreign workers soars in Canadian health care (The Star)
Historically, the Canadian government has actively recruited internationally trained health-care workers to address growing shortages in the sector. New data released by Statistics Canada shows that the number of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in health care has increased dramatically over the past two decades. In 2000, approximately 3,200 TFWs were employed in Canada’s health-care sector. By 2022 —the most recent year for which data is available— that number had surged to 57,500. In the early 2000s, most TFWs in health occupations were concentrated in hospitals and ambulatory health care services. However, as labour shortages deepened, other types of work permits began to include TFWs in roles across nursing and residential care facilities. The data reveals that in 2022, TFWs made up 3% of the workforce in ambulatory health care services, 1.2% in hospitals, 4.9% in nursing and residential care facilities, and 7.9% in home health care services. Advocates for TFWs warn that Canada’s growing reliance on these workers creates a precarious dynamic, as issues like workplace safety and job insecurity leave TFWs vulnerable to exploitation. They are calling on the health-care sector to invest in better workforce planning, stronger domestic recruitment strategies, improved working conditions, and permanent resident status for the thousands of TFWs already providing essential care across the country.
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