An investigation by the Canada Border Services Agency has led to charges against five individuals connected to an extensive immigration fraud scheme involving 209 Bangladeshi nationals and 243 temporary resident visa applications.
The case began after a July 2024 compliance check at a private residence in Mercier, Quebec, uncovered evidence that fraudulent documents and false statements had allegedly been used to obtain visitor visas.
Investigators later executed four search warrants in Quebec and Ontario and, given the case's scale, focused on 79 of the most probative applications.
The accused face charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act related to conspiracy to organize or facilitate entry into Canada, aiding or abetting misrepresentation, and inducing or assisting violations of immigration law.
Four accused appeared in court in Valleyfield on October 22, 2026, while an arrest warrant was issued for a fifth individual who is reported to be in Bangladesh.
#cbsa_investigation, #immigration_fraud, #canada_immigration, #temporary_resident_visa, #irpa, #border_services, #immigration_enforcement, #visa_fraud
October 23, 2026
The Manitoba government says its Health Care Retention and Recruitment Office has supported recruiting 137 physicians to the province since 2024, including 18 to the Prairie Mountain Health region.
Created as part of Budget 2024, the office helps physicians navigate licensing and immigration requirements and assists with community placement. Of the 137 recruits, 81 practise family medicine, while others work in emergency medicine, internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry, pathology, diagnostic imaging and pediatrics.
Focused recruitment efforts in the United Kingdom have brought 52 physicians to Manitoba over the past two years, while another 42 have relocated from elsewhere in Canada. The office has also engaged with nearly 800 people interested in working in the province. Since October 2023, Manitoba has added 370 doctors overall, bringing the number of physicians working in the province to more than 3,700, the highest level in Manitoba’s history.
#manitoba_immigration, #physician_recruitment, #canada_immigration, #internationally_trained_physicians, #work_permits, #health_care_immigration
October 23, 2026
Over the last week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held new draws under the International Experience Canada (IEC) program.
Canada invited 1,304 young foreigners to apply for an IEC open work permit. As of October 16, 53,041 candidates have registered in the pool and are awaiting the invitation. In these rounds, there were 1 ITA for Andorra, 155 ITAs for Australia, 3 ITAs for Austria, 1 ITA for Costa Rica, 3 ITAs for Croatia, 8 ITAs for the Czech Republic, 1 ITA for Denmark, 1 ITA for Estonia, 202 ITAs for France, 21 ITAs for Germany, 4 ITAs for Greece, 14 ITAs for Hong Kong, 1 ITA for Iceland, 134 ITAs for Ireland, 12 ITAs for Italy, 33 ITAs for Japan, 260 ITAs for Korea, 3 ITAs for Latvia, 8 ITAs for Lithuania, 4 ITAs for Luxembourg, 106 ITAs for the Netherlands, 50 ITAs for New Zealand, 5 ITAs for Norway, 3 ITAs for Poland, 13 ITAs for Portugal, 8 ITAs for Slovakia, 4 ITAs for Slovenia, 10 ITAs for Spain, 5 ITAs for Sweden, 4 ITAs for Switzerland, 98 ITAs for Taiwan, and 129 ITAs for the United Kingdom. In total, Canada invited 95,163 IEC candidates in 2026.
#ircc, #iec, #ita, #working_holiday, #young_professionals, #international_coop, #work_permits, #work_in_canada
October 22, 2026
A new policy paper from the Macdonald-Laurier Institute calls on Ottawa to strengthen Canada’s citizenship process by placing greater emphasis on applicants’ understanding of the country’s constitutional order and civic responsibilities.
The proposals include revising the Discover Canada study guide, introducing a substantive interview for every applicant, making in-person citizenship ceremonies the standard, revising the citizenship oath and declaration, and expanding reporting on citizenship uptake.
Some of these elements already exist: IRCC may require applicants to attend interviews, the citizenship test assesses knowledge of Canada and the responsibilities of citizenship, and the oath requires new citizens to pledge to observe Canadian laws, including the Constitution.
The recommendations are proposals from an independent policy institute and do not represent announced changes to IRCC policy or Canada’s citizenship requirements.
#canada_immigration, #canadian_citizenship, #naturalization, #ircc, #discover_canada, #citizenship_test, #civic_engagement, #immigration_reforms
October 22, 2026
