Last Updated On 19 January 2023, 8:43 AM EST (Toronto Time)
Today Sean Fraser, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), and Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, announced a new measure to help solve the labour shortage that will come in effect beginning January 2023.
Moving Forward in January 2023, Canada will extend work permit eligibility for spouses, common-law partners, and working-age dependents of temporary workers in all skill levels.
According to Fraser, this announcement will help employers find the workers to fill their labour gaps by extending family work permits.
As a result, over 200,000 foreign workers will be able to work in Canada.
What’s New?
Previously, the spouses were only eligible for a work permit if the primary applicant was working in a high-skill occupation, that is a job coming under TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3.
However, today’s new announcement will help the working class emotionally, physically and financially by keeping their families together.
Now work permit holders working in any skill levels (TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) can apply for spousal open work permit for their spouses or dependent children.
Furthermore, they can also apply for an open work
Children qualify as dependants if they:
- are under 22 years old, and
- don’t have a spouse or common-law partner.
Children 22 years old or older (also known as an overage dependent children) qualify as dependants if they:
- have depended on their parents for financial support since before they were 22, and
- can’t financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition.
The New 2-year Temporary measure has 3 phases
Moving Forward in January 2023, Canada will expand eligibility to work in Canada for spouses and working-age children.
It is a phased approach for workers at all skill levels. The Policy would include workers’ families in healthcare, trades and hospitality.
It is an incredible opportunity for foreign workers seeking to work in Canada and employers addressing their labour needs.
The 3 phases
- 1. Phase 1 enables family members of workers coming to Canada by applying for an open work permit through the high-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program.
- 2. Phase 2 aims to expand the measure to the family members of workers from the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program following consultations.
- 3. Phase 3 will include consultation with agricultural partners and stakeholders to assess the operational feasibility of expanding the measure to family members of agricultural workers.
The government of Canada is not holding back from addressing the Nationwide labour shortage. According to IRCC, Immigration will play a crucial role in helping the economy for this cause.
And the government will be implementing new measures to support employers with their staffing needs across all skill levels.
Source: IRCC
New Express Entry Draw On July 21 Sends 2,000 PR Invitations
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 2,000 invitations to apply for permanent residence through a new Express Entry Draw on July 21, 2026, for the Canadian Experience Class. The Comprehensive Ranking System cutoff for this round was 516, a one-point decrease from the 517 threshold in the July 7 CEC draw. This is the…
A Mid-2026 Review for Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs
Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan set the 2026 target for admissions under the Provincial Nominee Program at 91,500. This accounts for nearly 24 percent of overall permanent residence admissions into Canada. The first half of 2026 saw significant activity in the number of invitations to apply and nominations issued. Some provinces restructured their Provincial Nominee Programs…
New Ontario Workforce Priority Stream 2026 Eligibility And How To Apply
Ontario has officially released the new Ontario Workforce Priority Stream 2026 eligibility requirements, pathways, language rules, work experience criteria, wages and employer conditions.
Largest Manitoba PNP Draw Of 2026 Sends 2,146 Invitations
The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program issued 2,146 Letters of Advice to Apply in Expression of Interest Draw #275 on July 16, 2026. This is the largest single MPNP draw of 2026 by a wide margin, surpassing every previous round conducted this year. The draw targeted five distinct pathways, with the completed post-secondary study in Manitoba…
July 20 Express Entry Draw Issues 511 Invitations For Permanent Residence
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 511 invitations to apply for permanent residence through a Provincial Nominee Program draw on July 20, 2026. The Comprehensive Ranking System cutoff for this round surged to 744, a jump of 36 points from the 708 cutoff in the July 6 PNP draw. This is the fifth Express…
Canada’s Foreign Worker Program Violations Rise As Penalties More Than Double
The federal government released its latest enforcement data, and the numbers tell a story that goes far beyond a routine compliance update. Penalties against non-compliant employers more than doubled in one year, 30 employers were banned from the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and inspections focused on areas considered at higher risk of potential non-compliance. But…
New Service Canada Benefit Payment Dates 2026-2027
Service Canada administers some of the most important benefit payments in the country, and together they reflect the strength of Canada’s social safety net. Some of these monthly deposits exceed $1,500 on their own, while others stack together to push combined household payments past $2,200 per month. Several of these benefits are increasing at different…
New Canada Child Benefit Payment Coming On July 20 With An Increase
Millions of Canadian families are about to receive their next Canada Child Benefit payment, with higher maximum amounts now in effect. The next Canada Child Benefit payment is scheduled for Monday, July 20, 2026, and it arrives with a confirmed increase attached to it. This deposit marks the very first payment of the brand new…
New Data Breach Settlement Could Pay Canadians Up To $25,000
A proposed $35 million class action settlement could put up to $25,000 into the hands of Canadians whose personal information was compromised in a massive Capital One data breach. This data breach settlement, filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, covers Canadian residents outside Quebec who applied for or held a Capital One credit…
New Canada Law To Combat Hate Crimes Effective July 18
The Combatting Hate Act, officially known as Bill C-9, comes into force on July 18, 2026, exactly 30 days after receiving Royal Assent on June 18. Canada is enforcing one of the most significant expansions of its criminal justice framework in decades. This legislation creates entirely new criminal offences targeting hate-motivated conduct across the country.…
New Alberta and BC PNP Draws Sent 1,453 Permanent Residence Invitations
Two western Canadian provinces just opened the door for hundreds of skilled workers in 3 new PNP draws on July 15 and 16, 2026. Between July 14 and July 16, 2026, Alberta and British Columbia issued a combined 1,453 invitations to apply for permanent residence through their respective provincial nominee programs. Alberta accounted for 884…
CRA Has Over $1.8 Billion In Unclaimed Money Waiting For Canadians
More than $1.8 billion in government cheques are sitting uncashed across Canada right now, and some of that money could have your name on it. The Canada Revenue Agency has confirmed that as of July 2026, there are 10,833,150 uncashed cheques on file with a combined value of $1,878,270,000. These are not imaginary funds or…
New Canada LMIA Wage Thresholds Increase Effective July 17
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has published updated hourly wage thresholds that will determine whether a Labour Market Impact Assessment application falls under the high-wage or low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The new thresholds take effect on July 17, 2026, and apply to high-wage and low-wage LMIA applications received from this…
Latest IRCC Processing Times As Of July 2026
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released its latest processing time data on July 15, 2026, and this update is dominated by a continuing surge in citizenship certificate backlogs alongside meaningful improvement in several permanent residency streams. Citizenship certificate processing has now reached 19 months, with an additional 17,500 applicants joining the queue since the…
New Scotiabank Settlement Of $10.5 Million To Pay 148,000 Customers
A major class action settlement involving one of Canada’s largest banks is now putting real money back into the hands of thousands of everyday customers. Scotiabank has agreed to pay $10.45 million to resolve a lawsuit that accused the bank of charging unfair non-sufficient funds fees on certain accounts. The case centred on a practice…
Canada Pauses Parents And Grandparents Sponsorship 2026 Intake
The federal government confirmed on July 15, 2026, that it will not accept any new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship program for the remainder of 2026. Thousands of Canadian citizens and permanent residents just lost their shot at bringing parents and grandparents to Canada this year. This pause affects every prospective sponsor who…
New Canada Immigration Consultant Regulations Effective July 15
Sweeping federal regulations that overhaul how immigration consultants operate across Canada are officially in force as of today, July 15, 2026. The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants now has significantly expanded authority to discipline misconduct, impose steeper financial penalties, and manage a brand-new compensation fund for victims of consultant fraud. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege…
New Canada Privacy Law To Stop Surveillance Pricing
The federal government has proposed a new privacy law that could fundamentally change how companies use your personal information in Canada, including putting limits on the practice of charging you higher prices based on your browsing history, location, or shopping habits. Bill C-36, officially called the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, was tabled in…
Express Entry Draws Now Set To Slow Down For The Rest Of 2026
The first half of 2026 was one of the most aggressive Express Entry invitation periods in the system’s recent years. That pace and momentum is now mathematically unsustainable for the remainder of the year. IRCC has issued approximately 97,000 Express Entry invitations through the first week of July 2026. The full-year total for 2025 was…
New Canada CDB Payment Of Up To $204 Coming On July 16
The first increased Canada Disability Benefit payment of up to $204.20 per month is scheduled to arrive in bank accounts on Thursday, July 16, 2026. This deposit marks the beginning of the 2026–27 benefit year and the first time the CDB has received an annual inflation adjustment since the program launched in mid-2025. The maximum…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.