Canadian Immigration Law
Weekly Digest | November 23, 2025
Key Highlights:
- Recent Judicial Reviews
- Citizenship by Descent: Bill C-3 Milestone
- Special Measures: Haitian Nationals
- Pause on Private Sponsorship of Refugees Extended
- Temporary Resident Permits
- Pre-Removal Risk Assessment & Section A115
- International Organization for Migration
- SCLPC & Family Class Public Policy
- Agri-Food Pilot Closure & 2025 Intake
- Language Requirements
- FIFA 2026 Work Authorization Exemption
- AAIP Rural Renewal Stream Updates
- Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements
- Protected Persons Medical Exam Exemption
- Latest PNP Draws
- Important Upcoming Dates
Recent Case Law
- Restoration – Tanisha v. Canada, 2025 FC 1828: Reconsideration refusal set aside by consent. The applicant lost status after former counsel failed to file her extension, falsely claimed it was submitted, and caused her to miss the 90-day restoration period. The Court issued reasons to ensure the loss of status caused by counsel’s incompetence does not prejudice future IRPA applications. Judicial review granted. Read more
- Mandamus – Yuehong v. Canada, 2025 FC 1837: Mandamus denied. As an accompanying family member, the applicant could not establish a clear right to a decision because the principal applicant’s visa had not been approved, which is a statutory condition precedent. The Court also found no unreasonable delay: IRCC continued to process the file, security screening had recently concluded, and updated documents and expired medical/security checks were still outstanding. Judicial review dismissed. Read more
- Humanitarian & Compassionate – Lee v. Canada, 2025 FC 1839: IAD’s analysis of the best interests of the child was unreasonable. IAD failed to meaningfully assess the child’s language abilities, schooling prospects in Hong Kong, and comparative establishment in Canada. Other findings on hardship and establishment were not addressed because the BIOC error was determinative. Judicial review granted. Read more
- Humanitarian & Compassionate – Parmar v. Canada, 2025 FC 1847: Officer reasonably found limited establishment, minimal evidence of hardship, and insufficient proof that the applicant’s circumstances in Canada or Kenya warranted an exemption. The officer properly considered the best interests of the grandchildren and the family-reunification objective. No reviewable error in the assessment of evidence or reasoning. Judicial review dismissed. Read more
- Work Permit – Singh Chahal v. Canada, 2025 FC 1851: Work permit refusal was grounded in a finding of “significant family ties in Canada,” a conclusion not supported by the evidentiary record. The evidence demonstrated strong familial and economic ties in India, and the officer did not articulate why unproven Canadian ties displaced those factors. The speculative reasoning rendered the decision unreasonable. Judicial review granted. Read more
- Work Permit – Singh v. Canada, 2025 FC 1852: Work permit refusal was grounded in concerns about prior immigration non-compliance, insufficient financial evidence, and unproven agricultural employment claims. The officer’s credibility findings and assessment of financial capacity were within a defensible range. No breach of procedural fairness was established. Judicial review dismissed. Read more
- Humanitarian & Compassionate – Singh v. Canada, 2025 FC 1836: The officer reasonably concluded there was no evidence of personalized risk, no exceptional circumstances linked to gender-based harm or sanitation issues, and no demonstrated adverse impact on the child beyond normal adjustment. The assessment reflected a coherent application of H and C criteria. Judicial review dismissed. Read more
- Work Permit – Singh v. Canada, 2025 FC 1834: The applicant failed to explain three UAE traffic violations requested for safety assessment in a long-haul trucking context, making the refusal decision reasonable. Other challenges to ties and establishment also failed. Judicial review dismissed. Read more
IRCC News Updates
- Citizenship by Descent – Bill C-3 Milestone – November 21, 2025: Canada announced royal assent of Bill C-3, which will allow people excluded under outdated citizenship laws (including the first-generation limit) to obtain citizenship once the law comes into force, and will let Canadian parents born or adopted abroad pass citizenship to children born or adopted outside Canada if they have a substantial connection to Canada; interim measures remain in place until the coming-into-force date is set by order in council. Read more
- Special Measures for Haitian Nationals – November 20, 2025: Canada extended the 2024 measures allowing Haitian nationals and eligible in-Canada family members of citizens or permanent residents to keep applying for study permits, open work permits, TRPs, or status extensions without fees, due to Haiti’s ongoing security crisis. Read more
- Pause on Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Intake Extended – November 21, 2025: Canada extended the pause on new Group of Five and Community Sponsor refugee sponsorship applications until December 31, 2026, due to high demand and large backlogs; previously submitted applications continue to be processed under Levels Plan targets. Read more
Program Delivery Updates
- Temporary Resident Permits – November 18, 2025: IRCC updated instructions to clarify the conditions and obligations of TRP holders, including validity, conditions, and cancellation, and made the language clearer throughout the section. Read more
- Pre-Removal Risk Assessment and Section A115 – November 18, 2025: IRCC updated PRRA instructions to align with recent litigation trends and jurisprudence. Section A115 non-refoulement instructions were separated, updated, and moved under the refugee protection overview. Read more
- International Organization for Migration – November 19, 2025: IRCC published updated guidance on the support provided by the International Organization for Migration, including its roles under the Interim Federal Health Program, the Resettlement Assistance Program, and the Immigration Loans Program. Read more
- SCLPC and Family Class Public Policy – November 20, 2025: IRCC added new sections to the public policy instructions for spouse or common-law partner in Canada class and family class applicants applying in Canada under R205(a) – A74, specifically new guidance under Extensions and Useful Links. Read more
- Agri-Food Pilot Closure and 2025 Intake – November 20, 2025: IRCC confirmed that the Agri-Food Pilot ended on May 14, 2025, and that the 2025 intake is capped at 1,010 applications. Read more
- Language Requirements – November 20, 2025: IRCC made administrative updates to the Language Requirements. Read more
Temporary Public Policies
- FIFA 2026 Work Authorization Exemption – November 19, 2025: Canada issued a new public policy allowing select FIFA-invited foreign nationals to work in Canada without a work permit if they hold a FIFA invitation letter, are employed by or contracted to FIFA (or its affiliates), and will perform time-limited work between December 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026 that directly supports the 2026 FIFA Congress or World Cup events in Toronto and Vancouver; exemptions apply to IRPR 183(1)(b) and 196, remain valid until July 31, 2026 (or revocation), and all other admissibility requirements continue to apply, replacing the October 27, 2025 version. Read more
CBSA News Updates
- Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements – November 19, 2025: CBSA published an update confirming Canada’s network of CMAAs used to prevent, detect, investigate and combat customs offences through information-sharing with foreign partners; all agreements include data-protection safeguards, and Canada has CMAAs in force with multiple countries. Read more
Provincial Government News
- Alberta – AAIP Rural Renewal Stream Updates – November 18, 2025: Effective January 1, 2026, AAIP will apply new RRS criteria due to reduced federal allocation and rising endorsement demand. Changes include community-specific endorsement allocation limits, a one-year validity for Endorsement of Candidate Letters, a TEER-based endorsement model, and a requirement that in-Canada applicants hold a valid work permit at both application and assessment. Read more
Canada Gazette Updates
- PSR Intake – October 2, 2025: The Minister set the number of new PSR sponsorship applications from groups (as defined in IRPR s.138) accepted for processing in 2026 at zero, effective January 1 to December 31, 2026. Applications under s.25.2 public policies are excluded, and any s.25(1) H&C request submitted with an application not accepted under these Instructions will not be processed. Read more
- Protected Persons Medical Exam Exemption – October 30, 2025: Canada amended the IRPR to permanently exempt protected persons in Canada, and eligible in-Canada family members, from a second immigration medical exam for permanent residence if they previously passed an IME or complied with surveillance and have not spent six months in a TB-designated country. Read more
Latest Draws
Important Upcoming Dates
- November 30, 2025: Special IRCC wildfire relief measures expire, ending fee waivers and restoration flexibility for affected residents and foreign emergency workers. Read more and 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: Public policy allowing open work permits for foreign nationals in Provincial Nominee Program expression of interest pools expires. Read more
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