Weekly Digest | July 13, 2025

Key Highlights:

Recent Case Law

Temporary Resident Visa – Akhoondian v. Canada, 2025 FC 1181: Iranian applicant applied for a visitor visa to see her two sisters in Canada. Refused under R179(b) for insufficient funds, weak ties abroad, and a purpose inconsistent with a temporary stay. Court found the Officer failed to engage with key evidence, including sister’s financial support and ties to Iran. Officer also mischaracterized stable employment and ongoing Master’s studies as “high mobility.” Boilerplate reasons failed to show a rational analysis. Judicial review granted. Read more

Study Permit – Aminian v. Canada, 2025 FC 1161: Iranian applicant with a finance background applied to study HR management in Canada. Officer refused, finding the program illogical and citing weak ties to Iran. Court found Officer misstated job title and failed to consider promotion offer tied to the program. Officer also ignored family ties and mother’s cancer diagnosis as pull factors. Judicial review granted. Read more

Work Permit – Bagdatli Parlakyigit v. Canada, 2025 FC 1215: Turkish national applied under the 2023 Türkiye/Syria public policy while in Canada but left the country before a decision. Though the file was reopened via settlement, she failed to submit proof of physical presence by the deadline. Officer refused for non-compliance. Court found IRCC followed settlement terms and no procedural unfairness occurred. Judicial review dismissed. Read more

Humanitarian & Compassionate – Connell v. Canada, 2025 FC 1180: Applicant overstayed in Canada for 11 years and applied for PR under H&C, citing PTSD, abuse history, community ties, and hardship. Officer again failed to assess mental health deterioration, despite prior court directive in Connell 2023. Court held the decision unreasonable for not addressing core evidence, including risk of decompression and specialist reports. Judicial review granted. Read more

Study Permit – Eshun v. Canada, 2025 FC 1211: Ghanaian applicant, supported by his uncle, submitted a study permit with strong proof of finances and ties to Ghana. Officer questioned relationship and funds without engaging with sworn declarations, bank records, or employer letter confirming job upon return. Court found the decision conclusory and unjustified. Judicial review granted. Read more

Temporary Resident Visa – Fauchan v. Canada, 2025 FC 1231: Ugandan mother and son applied to visit family in Ontario. Refused for limited funds and weak ties abroad. Applicants alleged veiled credibility findings and lack of fairness. Court found no breach of procedural fairness and upheld officer’s weighing of evidence as reasonable. Judicial review dismissed. Read more

Mandamus – Owusu v. Canada, 2025 FC 1214: Spousal sponsorship file inactive since March 2023 despite earlier refusal being withdrawn and applicant responding to procedural fairness letter. IRCC provided no evidence explaining delay. Court found a two-year delay without justification unreasonable and issued a writ of mandamus. Judicial review granted. Read more

Work Permit – Singh v. Canada, 2025 FC 1210: Applicant submitted LMIA-supported work permit under permanent residence stream. Refused for lack of evidence he would leave Canada. Officer failed to consider dual intent features of the LMIA, despite its relevance. Court held the Officer overlooked a critical aspect of the application. Judicial review granted. Read more

Express Entry – Proof of Funds Updated: As of July 7, 2025, IRCC has increased the settlement funds required for Express Entry candidates under the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades programs. Candidates must update their Express Entry profiles by July 28, 2025, to remain eligible. The update does not affect their profile submission date or ranking. Read more

Ontario – 2024 OINP Nomination Cap Reached: On July 11, 2025, Ontario confirmed it reached its full 2024 allocation of 21,500 nominations under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), which operates alongside federal immigration streams to meet Ontario’s labour needs. Nominations were issued across multiple streams, with 15% for healthcare workers and 30% for tech occupations. Read more

Québec – Cap Reached for Sponsoring Certain Family Members: As of July 9, 2025, the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) has reached the maximum number of undertaking applications for sponsoring spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, and dependent children aged 18 or over. No new applications for these family members will be accepted until June 25, 2026. Applications received after the cap will be returned without processing or fee deposit. Undertaking applications for other eligible family members remain open. Read more

July 21, 2025: Deadline to provide feedback on Prince Edward Island’s proposed second phase of the Temporary Foreign Worker Protection Act, which includes an employer registry and administrative penalty regulations. Read more

July 31, 2025: Temporary public policy ends for Israeli nationals and Palestinian passport holders in Canada, allowing fee-exempt applications for status extensions, study permits, or open work permits. Read more

July 31, 2025: Temporary public policy ends for eligible family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who left Israel or the Palestinian Territories on or after October 7, 2023, allowing fee-exempt applications for status extensions, study permits, or open work permits in Canada. Read more

July 31, 2025: Temporary special measures end for eligible Lebanese nationals in Canada and family members of Canadians or permanent residents who left Lebanon, allowing fee-exempt applications for open work permits, study permits, or status extensions. Read more