The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
CBC News — Federal refugee employment program faces ‘extremely long, ballooning wait times’
Instead of waiting months, a federal program is now taking years to process the applications of refugees who are living overseas and have a job waiting for them in Canada. As a result, some Canadian businesses are unable to fill positions, while skilled refugees are also in limbo and risk exploitation, arrest or detention. In 2018, the federal government launched the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) for employers facing skill shortages to recruit internationally from within refugee populations. If approved, the individual is given permanent residency and can immigrate to Canada with their spouse and children.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has suspended its Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream, effective immediately, citing systematic misrepresentation. Current applicants under the Skilled Trades Stream will no longer be able to pursue a provincial nomination through this pathway. The province will stop accepting new applications to the Express Entry: Skilled Trades Stream and return all pending applications under the program.
CTV News — Former immigration minister says Canada’s reputation on welcoming refugees is at risk
Former immigration minister Lloyd Axworthy, a prominent global champion for refugees, said he believes Canada is putting its reputation as a welcoming place for refugees at risk through recent federal policy shifts. Those shifts, he said, include the Carney government’s new border security bill, C-12, which would limit the ability of individuals who have been in Canada for more than a year to claim asylum.
CBC News — Refugee claims jump 98% in Sask. as immigration cuts leave newcomers in limbo
Refugee claims in Saskatchewan have surged by almost 98 per cent following major federal and provincial immigration cuts, while the number of permanent residents dropped by more than half, federal statistics show. The number of refugee claims filed in the province climbed from 683 between April and June 2024 to 1,344 a year later, according to data from Statistics Canada. Nationally, total asylum claims increased by 32 per cent between the second quarter of 2024 and the same period in 2025 — going from 363,505 claims to 479,542, according to the Statistics Canada data.
City News — Commissioner for French language proposes ‘mandatory integration program’
Quebec’s French Language Commissioner, Benoît Dubreuil, proposed several measures on Wednesday to promote better integration of immigrants in Quebec, including a “mandatory integration program.” He presented a report to the National Assembly containing his recommendations for future government policy on integration into the Quebec nation and its shared culture.
The Carney government’s first budget will significantly reduce the number of temporary immigrants it admits to Canada over the next three years. The cuts are being made to the temporary foreign worker program and the international student program. The 2026 target for temporary foreign worker (TFW) arrivals is now 60,000, down from the 82,000 the government announced last year, and the international student target is now 150,000, down from 305,900.
