IRCC’s Latest Express Entry Draw Targets 3,500 Health-Care and Social-Service Professionals
Ontario Halts Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream Amid Fraud Concerns
Air Transat Pilots Stage Informational Pickets at Montreal and Toronto Hubs
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IRCC Invites 3,500 Healthcare and Social-Services Professionals in Targeted Express Entry Draw
• On 14 Nov 2025 IRCC invited 3,500 healthcare and social-services workers to apply for permanent residence under a category-based Express Entry draw, with a record-low CRS cut-off of 462. • The draw supports Canada’s bid to ease critical labour shortages in hospitals, clinics and community-care agencies. • Employers gain faster access to foreign talent, while qualified candidates benefit from improved odds of selection and quicker permanent-residence processing.
Ontario Suspends Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream Amid Fraud Concerns
• Ontario has shut down its Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream over widespread fraud, returning all pending applications and fees. • The program’s closure disrupts a key pathway that supplied thousands of carpenters, electricians and plumbers to Canada’s labour-short construction sector. • Investigations into recruiters and employers are under way, and Ontario promises a redesigned, fraud-proof version of the stream in 2026.
Federal Fiscal Update Slashes 2026 Temporary-Resident Admissions to Relieve Housing Crunch
• Ottawa’s 15 Nov 2025 fiscal update cuts temporary-resident targets by 43 % for 2026, with the student-visa quota slashed almost in half. • The government argues the move will ease housing and infrastructure strains, but universities and seasonal employers face significant revenue and labour gaps. • A new transition pathway will offer up to 33,000 work-permit holders permanent residence, partially offsetting lower temporary admissions.