CIMM – Narrative - List of Key Ministerial Announcements – November 25, 2024

January 2024 to Present

• Ambitious and historic measures to enhance the vitality of Francophone minority communities in Canada
  (January 16, 2024)
  • The Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Over $137 million announced as part of the Government of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028

• International student cap
  (January 22, 2024)
  • Introduction of an annual cap on international student study permits

• Government of Canada announces funding as part of the Canada–Quebec Accord (February 8, 2024)
  • For fiscal year 2023–2024, Quebec can expect to receive a total of $775.1 million, which includes an indexation payment of $48.3 million.

• Canada continues efforts to welcome French-speaking skilled newcomers
  (February 9, 2024)
  • Express Entry rounds to invite candidates with category‑specific work experience or a strong French language proficiency to apply for permanent residence begun. This is a measure to help reach the Francophone immigrant admissions target.

• Updated travel information for Mexican citizens coming to Canada
  (February 29, 2024)
  • Mexican citizens with a valid US non-immigrant visa or who held a Canadian visa in the past 10 years and who are travelling by air on a Mexican passport can apply for an electronic travel authorization.

• New permanent immigration program to support rural and Francophone minority communities
  (March 6, 2024)
  • Rural Community Immigration Pilot and Francophone Community Immigration Pilot to help attract and retain skilled foreign workers in rural and Francophone minority communities, contributing to their economic and linguistic vitality

• Changes to the Start-up Visa and Self-Employed Persons programs
  (April 29, 2024)
  • Capping application intake for the Start-up Visa Program and suspending application intake entirely for the Self-Employed Persons Program

• Canada to introduce new rules around off-campus work hours for international students
  (April 29, 2024)
  • Proposed changing the number of hours per week students may work off campus from 20 to 24

• New measure to support skilled temporary workers in Manitoba
  (May 8, 2024)
  • Transitioning a potential of 6,700 temporary residents who are already in Manitoba

• Federal-provincial-territorial immigration ministers commit to ongoing collaboration to strengthen the immigration system
  (May 10, 2024)
  • Agreement on data-driven approach to balancing temporary and permanent resident arrivals, decrease of temporary resident population to 5% of Canada’s total population, creation of a federal crisis response framework and establishment of a working group of ministers and officials to better manage the flow of asylum claimants

• Enhancing the vitality of Francophone communities by welcoming French‑speaking international students and immigrants
  (August 14, 2024)
  • Launch of the new Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot and introduction of 10 new welcoming Francophone communities

• Reducing the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada
  (August 26, 2024) (ESDC)
  • Employers will be allowed to hire no more than 10% of their total workforce through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, except for seasonal and non-seasonal jobs in food security sectors (primary agriculture, food processing and fish processing), as well as construction and health care.

• Next steps following reform of Temporary Foreign Worker Program reform
  (September 18, 2024) (ESDC)
  • 10% cap on employers hiring temporary foreign workers under the low-wage stream

• Strengthening temporary residence programs for sustainable volumes
  (September 18, 2024)
  • Further reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025 based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target, updates to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program and limitation of work permit eligibility to spouses of temporary residents to better align with immigration goals and labour market needs

• Canada and Yukon partner to support workers through Territorial Nominee Program
  (October 1, 2024)
  • Transitioning a potential of 215 temporary residents who are already in Yukon

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program reforms
  (October 21, 2024) (ESDC)
  • 20% increase to the starting hourly wage for temporary foreign workers in the high-wage stream

• Government of Canada reduces immigration
  (October 24, 2024)
  • Reducing permanent resident targets as well as temporary resident volumes to reduce pressure on Canada’s housing, infrastructure and social services, and focus on long-term economic growth and key labour market sectors while strengthening Francophone communities outside Quebec and supporting their economic prosperity