Ottawa’s local newswire Via Ottawa reported on January 12 that IRCC has allocated an additional 110,000 economic-class positions for 2026, outside the baseline Immigration Levels Plan, to tackle acute labour shortages in engineering, technology and skilled trades.(viaottawa.ca) The bulk of the new spots will be reserved for temporary foreign workers and post-graduate work-permit holders already in Canada, accelerating their path to permanent residence.
In the same briefing, IRCC confirmed that master’s and PhD applicants are now exempt from the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) requirement introduced last year to cap study-permit volumes. Conversely, the department has paused new Start-Up Visa applications pending the roll-out of a narrower entrepreneur pilot slated for Q3 2026.
For applicants who need help navigating these shifting requirements, VisaHQ offers a streamlined online platform that simplifies Canadian visa and permit processing. Whether it’s a study permit, post-graduation work permit or permanent residence application, VisaHQ’s Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides step-by-step guidance, document checklists and real-time support—helping individuals and HR teams avoid common errors and keep applications moving on schedule.
![Canada Adds 110,000 Extra Economic-Class Spots and Tweaks Study-Permit Rules]()
For global employers, the extra economic-class quota offers welcome relief: many high-skilled foreign workers had feared bottlenecks after Express Entry draws tightened. Companies can now fast-track transitions from work permit to permanent residence, improving retention. Immigration counsel caution, however, that the new allocations will still be subject to Comprehensive Ranking System thresholds; candidates must therefore maintain competitive profiles.
The PAL exemption for graduate students is expected to revive interest in Canadian research universities, which saw application volumes dip 18 percent after the attestation letter requirement took effect. University-sponsored talent pipelines—an increasingly important recruitment channel for R&D-heavy multinationals—should recover.
On the flip side, the pause on the Start-Up Visa pushes would-be entrepreneur immigrants to delay plans or explore provincial investor programmes. Venture-capital groups lobbying for faster processing times argue that Canada risks ceding innovative founders to the U.K. and Australia.
In the same briefing, IRCC confirmed that master’s and PhD applicants are now exempt from the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) requirement introduced last year to cap study-permit volumes. Conversely, the department has paused new Start-Up Visa applications pending the roll-out of a narrower entrepreneur pilot slated for Q3 2026.
For applicants who need help navigating these shifting requirements, VisaHQ offers a streamlined online platform that simplifies Canadian visa and permit processing. Whether it’s a study permit, post-graduation work permit or permanent residence application, VisaHQ’s Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides step-by-step guidance, document checklists and real-time support—helping individuals and HR teams avoid common errors and keep applications moving on schedule.
For global employers, the extra economic-class quota offers welcome relief: many high-skilled foreign workers had feared bottlenecks after Express Entry draws tightened. Companies can now fast-track transitions from work permit to permanent residence, improving retention. Immigration counsel caution, however, that the new allocations will still be subject to Comprehensive Ranking System thresholds; candidates must therefore maintain competitive profiles.
The PAL exemption for graduate students is expected to revive interest in Canadian research universities, which saw application volumes dip 18 percent after the attestation letter requirement took effect. University-sponsored talent pipelines—an increasingly important recruitment channel for R&D-heavy multinationals—should recover.
On the flip side, the pause on the Start-Up Visa pushes would-be entrepreneur immigrants to delay plans or explore provincial investor programmes. Venture-capital groups lobbying for faster processing times argue that Canada risks ceding innovative founders to the U.K. and Australia.
