Weekly Digest | November 2, 2025

Key Highlights:

Recent Case Law

Study Permit – Du v. Canada, 2025 FC 1744: Study permit refusal upheld for insufficient proof of financial capacity under IRPR 216(1)(b)/220. The applicant submitted only account balance certificate without transaction history or tuition evidence. Reasons, read with GCMS, were coherent and justified under Vavilov. Judicial review dismissed. Read more

Temporary Resident Visa – Gholami v. Canada, 2025 FC 1736: Iranian applicant sought TRV to meet Canadian lawyers and incubator for start-up business. Officer refused under IRPR 179(b) for incomplete bank history and unclear source of commission deposits, finding funds unverified and visit purpose inconsistent with a temporary stay. Court held the analysis coherent and within the officer’s expertise. Judicial review dismissed. Read more

Start-Up Visa – Khan v. Canada, 2025 FC 1742: Pakistani co-founder and CMO of a hydrogen-tech start-up sought a work permit to begin operations in Canada while her SUV PR application was pending. Officer refused, finding no evidence of urgency or operational need beyond general statements. Court held the officer was not required to infer urgency without proof; reasons were coherent and justified under Vavilov. Judicial review dismissed. Read more

Family Class – Lah v. Canada, 2025 FC 1753: Cambodian-Canadian sponsor applied to sponsor his sister under the “lonely Canadian” provision, claiming he had no children. IRCC found he misrepresented by omitting a daughter from a prior relationship, leading to a five-year inadmissibility bar under IRPA 40(2). The Court found the misrepresentation material and the reasoning reasonable. Judicial review dismissed. Read more

Spousal Sponsorship – Misrepresentation – Singh v. Canada, 2025 FC 1745: Spousal PR refusal and five-year bar under IRPA 40(1)(a) upheld; the determinative finding was a non-genuine marriage under IRPA 4(1). The officer reasonably treated the undisclosed U.S. visa refusals and undisclosed Quebec address history as material; allegations of bias, unfairness, and ineffective representation failed. Judicial review dismissed. Read more

2025 Wildfire Measures: IRCC introduced special processing measures for those affected by the 2025 wildfires. Applies to temporary residents (from July 2, 2025) and citizens/permanent residents (retroactive to April 1, 2025). Measures remain effective until November 30, 2025, replacing the 2023 wildfire measures. Read more

B.C. Labour Market Outlook – October 31, 2025: B.C. projects over one million job openings by 2035, with employment growing from 2.9M to 3.3M (1.2% annually). Top sectors: health care (19%), professional/technical (15%), retail (10%), construction (8%), and finance/real estate (6%). 77% of jobs will require post-secondary education or experience. Read more

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program – October 31, 2025: Ontario amended O. Reg. 421/17 to expand the factors allowing the OINP to return applications before nomination. The change lets the program focus on files aligned with current labour market priorities. Applicants or representatives will be notified if an application is returned, and fees will be refunded. Read more O. Reg. 421/17: Read more

November 3, 2025: Deadline for submissions to Global Affairs Canada’s consultations on the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Read more

November 19, 2025: Temporary special measures for Haitian nationals and family members in Canada expire. Read more

November 30, 2025: Suspension of intake under Québec’s PEQ (graduate and worker streams) ends. Read more

November 30, 2025: Special IRCC wildfire relief measures expire, ending fee waivers and restoration flexibility for affected residents and foreign emergency workers. Read more

December 1, 2025: Temporary in-Canada work permit printing process for IEC participants ends. Read more

December 31, 2025: Ministerial Instructions setting the 2025 study permit intake cap and attestation letter requirements expire. Read more

December 31, 2025: Yukon’s temporary measure for foreign nationals to obtain support letters for Yukon-specific work permits expires. Read more

December 31, 2025: Public policy allowing open work permits for foreign workers with provincial or territorial support letters (including Manitoba PNP) expires. Read more and Read more

December 31, 2025: Temporary pause on private refugee sponsorship applications from Groups of Five and Community Sponsors under the PSR Program ends. Read more

December 31, 2025: Temporary public policy allowing Groups of Five and Community Sponsors to support Sudanese refugees without an RSD document expires. Read more