The Federal Government announced a temporary measure that allows eligible skilled workers in Quebec to extend their employer-specific work permits for up to 12 months.
This gives Quebec additional time to process applications for the Quebec Selection Certificate, which is required before applying for permanent residence.
The measure targets workers who received invitations to submit a Demande de Selection Permanente under Quebec's Skilled Worker Selection Program.
Applications are open until December 31, 2026, with expedited processing available. Additionally, rural employers across participating provinces will see their temporary foreign worker cap increase from 10% to 15% between April 2026 and March 2027.
#canada_immigration, #quebec_workers, #work_permit_extension, #skilled_workers, #permanent_residence, #ircc, #quebec_selection_certificate, #temporary_foreign_workers, #rural_employment
The Ontario Government announced on March 12 the launch of its Francophone Community Grants Program for 2026-2027.
Minister Caroline Mulroney confirmed that organizations and businesses can apply for funding up to $50,000 through two streams: Community and Culture, or Economic Development.
Applications are open until April 23, 2026, through the Transfer Payment Ontario portal.
The program aims to strengthen French-language services, build organizational capacity, and promote Francophone culture across the province.
Since 2018, more than 260 organizations have received approximately $16 million in funding. Last year alone, 71 projects received support through this initiative.
#ontario_francophone_grants, #fcgp_2026, #french_language_services, #francophone_affairs, #bilingual_services
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada released its February 2026 statistics, showing a continued decrease in refugee protection claim intake.
The Refugee Protection Division received 5,818 new claims during the month, while finalizing 7,578 cases. This marks a noticeable drop from previous months.
Meanwhile, refugee appeals saw 1,222 new filings and 1,172 finalizations, leaving 4,816 cases pending.
Immigration appeals recorded 317 new cases filed, with 296 finalizations during February.
The Board updates these figures monthly to provide transparency on Canada's immigration system operations.
#canada_immigration, #refugee_claims, #irb_statistics, #immigration_board, #refugees, #immigration_appeals
Alberta’s education minister says the province expects to spend about $600 million this year on educating the children of temporary residents.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides told legislators that exact figures cannot be separated from Alberta’s $10.8 billion education budget because school funding varies depending on student needs.
The province currently educates 45,554 students who are children of temporary residents, with average education costs estimated at about $12,000 per student annually, and 14,661 refugee students.
The figures come as Premier Danielle Smith prepares questions for a possible October referendum that could address immigration policy and potentially propose limits on access to provincially funded services such as education and healthcare.
#alberta_education, #temporary_residents, #alberta_referendum, #student_enrollment, #refugee_students