Canada Immigration Update: Key Changes and Provincial Draws, October 24–30, 2026
Published October 31, 2026 | Bamdad Immigration Consulting
This week brought significant changes for immigration representatives, workers awaiting Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs), and certain temporary residents affected by the crises in Haiti and Sudan. British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador also published new provincial invitation results.
The dates matter: some figures circulating this week combine October 23 activity with draws held during the October 24–30 reporting period. We have separated them below.
New penalties for immigration representatives
On October 28, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that new administrative monetary penalties are in force for misconduct involving paid immigration or citizenship advice and representation.
The announced penalties include $5,000 for providing paid advice or representation without authorization and $15,000 for knowingly providing false or misleading information on an applicant’s behalf, or helping an applicant do so. Penalties can increase for repeat violations, up to a combined maximum of $1.5 million.
These rules also apply to licensed representatives who commit a covered violation—not only to people practising without authorization. IRCC says it will publish details of penalties it imposes and expects an online registry to launch in 2027. Clients should verify that a person offering paid immigration advice is authorized before hiring them.
Express Entry: French-language draw and November 3 changes
IRCC’s official instructions confirm that its October 27 French-language proficiency round issued 5,000 invitations, with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off of 407. Candidates still had to meet the category’s French-language requirements and be eligible under an Express Entry immigration program. A score of 407 alone did not guarantee an invitation.
On Tuesday, November 3, IRCC plans to change how CRS points are awarded for Canadian work experience and qualifying job offers. Existing profiles will be recalculated. IRCC says that process could take up to two weeks and that invitation rounds will be paused while it takes place.
Under the new Labour Market Integration factor, qualifying Canadian work experience and a qualifying job offer are compared; a candidate receives the higher applicable score, not points for both. For job-offer points, an occupation’s eligibility is based on the national median wage associated with its NOC code—not simply the salary offered to an individual candidate.
What to do: If you have a valid job offer that is missing from your Express Entry profile, review and update the profile promptly. November 3 is the implementation date, not a published blanket deadline after which every profile can no longer be edited. IRCC also says an LMIA will no longer be required for a qualifying Express Entry job offer to receive these points; that change does not remove LMIA requirements for work permits where an LMIA is otherwise required.
Official October 27 draw | IRCC’s explanation of the November 3 changes.
Verification note: Figures for reported Express Entry rounds on October 26 and 28 appeared in secondary publications, but their official detailed results could not be independently retrieved during this review. We have therefore not presented those figures as confirmed IRCC statistics.
Work permits: applications awaiting an LMIA decision
IRCC has revised its instructions for certain in-Canada work-permit applications submitted while an employer’s LMIA is pending. For applications that qualify for concurrent processing, officers are instructed to hold the work-permit application until there is an LMIA decision. The current instructions no longer specify a fixed 90-day holding period.
This is a processing change, not an LMIA exemption or an automatic right to keep working. Eligibility for concurrent processing is limited. Among other requirements, the applicant must be eligible to apply from inside Canada, their existing permit must expire in two weeks or less, and the employer must have submitted a complete LMIA application sufficiently far in advance. Maintained status and continued work authorization must be assessed separately under the applicant’s circumstances.
Official IRCC operational instructions.
Limited work-permit renewals for certain Haiti and Sudan measure holders
New temporary public policies took effect on October 28 for certain people in Canada who already hold a valid work permit issued under specified earlier measures for Haiti or Sudan.
Eligible individuals may apply from within Canada to renew their open work permit, subject to the policy’s conditions and standard fees. They must have valid temporary resident status both when they apply and when IRCC makes its final decision. The policies are scheduled to expire on December 30, 2027.
These are targeted renewal measures, not a general open-work-permit pathway for every Haitian or Sudanese national in Canada. The authority under which the current permit was issued is important.
IRCC notice | Haiti policy | Sudan policy.
Provincial immigration updates
British Columbia: 772 invitations on October 29
The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued 772 invitations under its Innovate: High Economic Impact selection:
524 invitations went to candidates meeting the selection factors of at least $49 per hour and $99,000 per year, with a job offer in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.
248 invitations were points-based, with a minimum score of 131.
The wage-based threshold was lower than in the September 24 round, which used $52 per hour and $105,000 per year. Meeting a published threshold does not, by itself, prove that a candidate received an invitation; candidates should check their BC PNP Online account.
Official BC PNP invitation results.
Newfoundland and Labrador: 85 new invitations on October 29
Newfoundland and Labrador issued 85 invitations on October 29: 75 under the NLPNP and 10 under the Atlantic Immigration Program.
Some reports refer to 205 invitations across October 23 and 29. That combined figure is correct, but the 120 invitations issued October 23 fall outside this article’s October 24–30 reporting period.
Official provincial invitation table.
New Brunswick: another Atlantic Immigration Program selection date
New Brunswick’s official selection page now includes October 29 among its recent Atlantic Immigration Program selection dates. It lists 203 applications selected across October 2, 9 and 29 combined; the province does not give a separate October 29 count on that page.
Applicants and employers should not interpret an eligible job offer or an endorsement submission as a guarantee that an application will be selected for processing.
Official New Brunswick invitation and selection results.
Earlier provincial updates that remain relevant
Prince Edward Island: An October 21 change added questions to Expression of Interest (EOI) profiles across the Workforce Category. Candidates who submitted a profile before that date are asked to log in and update it. This change predates the reporting week but requires action from people with active profiles.
PEI’s earlier October 7 and 16 draws issued 90 and 164 invitations, respectively. Its listed November 19 and December 17 invitation dates are anticipated dates, not guaranteed draws.
PEI profile update | Official draw table | Anticipated schedule.
Alberta: The province’s latest published draw on the checked processing page was October 20; no new draw was listed for October 24–30. Its October 21 capacity update showed 5,831 nominations issued out of an allocation of 6,603, with 772 spaces remaining. These are nomination-capacity figures, not a promise of invitations or availability in any particular stream.
Official AAIP processing and draw information.
Deadline to note: Quebec PEQ
As of this article’s October 31, 2026 publication date, the current Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) application-receipt period is scheduled to close at 11:59 p.m. Montréal time on October 31. Applicants must meet the applicable intake criteria and complete and submit their application through Arrima by that time.
Official Quebec application instructions.
This article is general information as of October 31, 2026, not an assessment of any individual’s eligibility. Program criteria, portal notices and available nomination spaces can change. Check the linked official source and your account-specific correspondence before applying.