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.
CIC News — Canada’s Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots now open
Canada’s Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP) are accepting applications as of 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on 31 March, 2025. Foreign nationals wishing to gain permanent residence (PR) through these pathways may begin submitting applications at this time. This year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will accept 2,750 applications through the HCWP: Child Care pilot and 2,750 through the HCWP: Home Support pilot. Of these, 140 application spots in each pilot will be reserved for out-of-status and unauthorized workers in Canada. Once this year’s cap has been reached, IRCC will cease to accept applications until the program re-opens the following year.
La Presse — Legault doit se défendre face à des entrepreneurs québécois
L’un des sujets de prédilection du premier ministre François Legault, l’immigration temporaire, l’a rattrapé jusqu’en Allemagne où il est en mission économique. Deux entrepreneurs québécois l’ont interpellé pour lui rappeler l’importance des immigrants pour leur entreprise. « En ce moment, on a un peu de difficulté à prendre la décision de faire de l’investissement. Pas du tout à cause des tarifs. C’est parce qu’à peu près la moitié de nos employés qui opèrent notre usine sont des travailleurs étrangers temporaires et en ce moment, on va être obligés de s’en débarrasser », a lancé le propriétaire de Constructions Proco, Jean-Denis Toupin, dimanche, à la fin de l’allocution du premier ministre devant la délégation du Québec à Hanovre en Allemagne.
Francopresse — Allocation pour enfants aux résidents temporaires : les ratés de l’Agence du revenu
L’Agence du revenu du Canada a interrompu des versements de l’Allocation canadienne pour enfants à des résidents temporaires qui y avaient droit. Pour éviter de plonger des familles dans la précarité, l’Agence doit revoir sa communication, estime un rapport de l’ombudsman des contribuables. Les paiements ont été interrompus après l’expiration du statut de résident temporaire dans le système de l’Agence du revenu du Canada (ARC), même si la personne peut encore être admissible à l’Allocation canadienne pour enfants (ACE).
The Globe and Mail — Stakes are high, as immigration program for caregivers set to open with limited spots
On March 31, at 10 a.m., the federal Immigration Ministry will begin taking applications for a program that grants permanent residency to a select number of foreign caregivers already working in Canada. A lot is on the line for Ms. Adlawan, along with thousands of caregivers who say they have limited options to settle in Canada, despite spending years working in the country. Critics say Ottawa is offering relatively few spots to caregivers, compared with the number of immigrants already working in the profession. The risk is that many caregivers will remain in the country but lose their legal status – thus becoming undocumented workers – which puts them at a higher risk of exploitation.
Radio-Canada — Race to login first for Canada’s permanent residency pilot ’like the hunger games’
On Monday, applications open for an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) pilot program that could grant workers like Lastimosa permanent residency — an end goal that is typically challenging for many due to extensive requirements and lengthy waits. Next week’s Home Care Worker Immigration pilot invites home-care workers to apply, however, it’s running on a first come, first served basis and is capped at 2,750 spots in each of its two streams – one for child care workers, the other for home support workers. According to the IRCC, the pilot closes as soon as those spots are filled. While immigration experts in the GTA are welcoming the program, some say the way it’s being administered is creating anxiety among applicants who worry technical glitches or issues with the internet might take them out of the running for a dream they’ve been working toward for years.
CBC News — Sask. reboots foreign worker nominee program with focus on health care, ag, trades
The province is rebooting its Saskatchewan immigrant nominee program with stricter criteria, ending a five-week pause in applications that started after Ottawa slashed the number of available spots for foreign workers in the province. The nominee program is meant to address labour shortages by having immigrants fill vacant positions. The rebooted program moves nominees in three sectors to the front of the line and reworks rules to deal with the federal government’s new, lower nominee allocations for provinces, according to a news release from the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training.
