Economic immigration
The main federal route to permanent residence for skilled workers, through the Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades programs. You create a profile and IRCC invites the highest-ranked candidates.
Open. IRCC is recalculating every profile under the new CRS rules from November 3, 2026, and rounds resume once that is done.
Provinces and territories nominate people who fit their own labour needs. A nomination through an Express Entry-linked stream adds 600 CRS points.
Open. Each province runs its own streams and intake rounds, and several changed or paused streams in 2026, so check your province.
Permanent residence for skilled workers and international graduates with a job offer from a designated employer in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.
Open federally, but each Atlantic province sets how many endorsements it gives and to which jobs, and some have paused or narrowed intake in 2026.
Community-recommended permanent residence for workers with a job offer in one of 18 designated communities: rural communities in six provinces, and Francophone communities outside Quebec.
Open. The rural pilot becomes the permanent Rural Community Immigration Program on January 1, 2027, in the same 14 communities. Each community sets its own intake windows and limits by sector, so availability changes month to month.
Statuses change, sometimes with little notice. Always confirm on the official page before you apply. This is general information, not legal advice.
