Canada closes multiple permanent residence pathways for skilled workers, graduates

Canada shut down or indefinitely paused several permanent residence pathways in 2025, affecting skilled workers, international graduates, entrepreneurs, caregivers, and refugees. The changes came from provincial governments and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada amid high application volumes, long processing times, and program integrity concerns.

Ontario closed its Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream on November 14, 2025, citing systemic misrepresentation and fraud. Saskatchewan stopped accepting applications for its Entrepreneur, International Graduate Entrepreneur, and Farm Owner or Operator categories on March 27, 2025. New Brunswick discontinued its Express Entry Student Connection Pathway in early February and stopped accepting expressions of interest for its Skilled Worker Priority Occupations pathway in March. British Columbia shut its International Post-Graduate Stream on January 7, 2025. The Yukon Community Program pilot ended as scheduled on June 30, 2025.

Alternatives still exist for affected applicants. Those with work in TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 occupations can pursue permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class, Express Entry–linked Provincial Nominee Program draws, and category-based selection draws. These occupational draws often have lower Comprehensive Ranking System cut-off scores and generally require six months of full-time work experience. Applicants may also be eligible for alternative PNP streams within the same province or another province.

Graduates with eligible employment can still apply under New Brunswick's NB Employment pathway through the NB Express Entry Stream. Foreign nationals interested in Atlantic Canada can apply through the Atlantic Immigration Program if they have a job offer from a designated employer endorsed by the province. Processing time for AIP applications is currently 37 months.

Applicants with job offers from designated employers in AIP participating communities can pursue permanent residence through the Rural Community Immigration Pilot or the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot. The Francophone pilot requires a minimum NCLC level 5 across all language abilities.

SOURCE: https://nairametrics.com/2026/01/08/canada-alternative-pr-pathways-to-explore-in-2026/