Hi Reader,
​
Happy Sunday, it's Tiffany!

Hope you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather, it's finally time for shorts and slippers!

The main Canadian immigration news is that the TR to PR Pathway will exclude applicants residing in CMAs.

Grab a cup of coffee. Let's go through the updates together.

This Week in Canadian Immigration (30-second summary)

• No new Express Entry draws this week.
• PR fees increase Thursday April 30.
• BC PNP announced major restructuring on April 23: Entry Level Semi Skilled (ELSS), tech and graduate streams eliminated, focus shifting to healthcare and trades.
• OINP has issued over 7,000 invitations in April. All 9 current streams will be replaced on May 30.
• TR to PR pathway: Minister mentioned that Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal residents do not qualify. Full criteria still pending.

IRCC Updates

PR Fees Increase April 30 — Next Thursday

Starting April 30 at 9:00 AM ET, all permanent residence application fees increase. Key amounts:

• Right of Permanent Residence Fee: $575 → $600
• Economic PR processing fee (principal applicant, including EE and PNP): $950 → $990
• Accompanying spouse or common-law partner: same increase to $990
• Dependent child: $260 → $270
• PNP stream: $950 → $990
• Family class: $545 → $570

If you have received an ITA and are preparing your electronic application for permanent residence, submit and pay before April 30, 2026 (Thursday) to lock in the current fee. This is confirmed.

One nuance worth knowing: if you apply now but choose to pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee later (some applicants defer it), you will pay the new $600 rate even if your application was submitted before April 30.

TR to PR Pathway — CMAs Excluded, Full Criteria Still Pending

On April 18, Immigration Minister Lena Diab confirmed in an interview that the 33,000-spot TR to PR pathway will exclude all 41 Census Metropolitan Areas. That means workers currently based in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, and all other urban regions classified as CMAs by Statistics Canada are not eligible. Roughly 84% of Canada's population lives in CMAs.

This has not yet been confirmed with an official IRCC announcement of operational instructions. The minister said full criteria would be published "in the coming weeks." This is the most significant detail confirmed so far. We are watching closely for the official announcement.

If you are based in a smaller community outside a CMA, this is worth monitoring closely.

Express Entry, PNPs, and category draws remain active and accessible for workers in major cities. The TR to PR pathway is one route among many.

Here is the Minister's interview clip on our Instagram.
Download our TR to PR CMA Checklist to find out if you are residing in a CMA.

PNP Updates — April 20 to April 24, 2026

Ontario (OINP)

Ontario has been running at historic pace this month. In April alone, OINP has issued over 7,000 invitations across draws on April 1 (mining, 759 ITAs), April 8 (healthcare, 1,828 ITAs), April 15 (agriculture and in-demand skills, 1,334 ITAs), April 22 (Masters and PhD graduate streams, 918 ITAs), and April 23 (regional employer job offer draws, 2,102 ITAs).

This week's notable draws:

April 22 — Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate Streams

• Masters Graduate: 674 invitations, minimum score 61
• PhD Graduate: 244 invitations, minimum score 56
• Both streams require Ontario university graduation. No job offer required.

April 23 — Regional Employer Job Offer Draws

• 2,102 invitations across Southwestern Ontario (797), Eastern Ontario (539), Central Ontario ex-GTA (463), and Northern Ontario (303)
• Streams: Foreign Worker, International Student, and In-Demand Skills
• In-Demand Skills cutoffs ranged from 34 to 35 — among the lowest scores in OINP history

📌 Why is Ontario moving this fast? Because all nine current OINP streams are revoked on May 30, 2026. Ontario is using its full allocation before the program redesign. What replaces the current streams has not been confirmed. If you have an active OINP profile or a job offer in Ontario, now is the time to ensure your profile is updated. Waiting past May 30 means waiting for an entirely new program framework with unknown eligibility rules.

British Columbia (BC PNP)
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​BC held a draw on April 22, 2026, issuing 484 invitations. Then on April 23, BC announced major structural changes to the program.

April 22 Draw:

• ITAs: 484
• Minimum score: 138
• Wage threshold: $62/hour or above

BC announced major changes on April 23, 2026

What's confirmed:

• The Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Stream (ELSS) is officially closed. Workers in tourism, hospitality, and food processing who relied on this stream will need alternative pathways.
• Dedicated tech occupation draws have been eliminated. The province will no longer hold targeted draws specifically for the 35 priority tech occupations.
• Graduate-specific streams remain suspended (they were paused in April 2025).
• BC's new focus is healthcare (31 target occupations across care, education, childcare, veterinary) and trades (9 construction occupations at TEER 2).
• BC is also requesting a higher nomination allocation from the federal government (beyond its current 5,254 for 2026).

📌 This matters if you are a tech worker or international graduate in BC who was relying on BC PNP as your pathway. The dedicated tech draw is gone. You can still receive an invitation if your occupation qualifies under general draws, but the targeted accelerated route no longer exists. Healthcare and trades workers in BC are now the province's explicit priority. This has not changed your federal Express Entry eligibility — it has only changed the BC provincial route.
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Learn more: English blog / Chinese blog​

Professional Insight

OINP's sprint and BC's restructuring are two provinces making deliberate choices about who they want to nominate. Ontario is moving fast because it has to. The window closes May 30. BC has made a clear statement that tech graduates are no longer its provincial priority, but healthcare and trades workers are. These are not signals of a broken system. They are signals of a system becoming more occupation-specific.

There is a fee deadline on Thursday. Ontario's window closes in 5 weeks. BC's new priorities are confirmed. The next CEC draw is likely next week.

What You Should Do This Week

1. If you have received an ITA and are preparing your PR application → Submit and pay before 9:00 AM ET Thursday, April 30. The fees increase that morning. Paying the Right of Permanent Residence Fee at the same time protects you even further.
2. If you are a temporary foreign worker outside a Census Metropolitan Area → The TR to PR pathway may be relevant for you. Full criteria are not yet published.
3. If you have specific Canadian immigration questions on your immigration pathway → A 30-min consultation is the most direct way to get that answer. I will review your profile, and give your advice based on your personal situation.

Time to plan is your biggest advantage. Don't wait till your time is running out to get professional advice.

👉 Book your 30-Min Personal Zoom Consultation — $150 + 5% GST​

Your Canadian story starts with the next action you take.

Have an excellent week ahead! I look forward to connecting with you soon.

Tiffany Chia​
Owner/Director/RCIC
1to1Immigration

​WhatsApp | Website | LinkedIn​

🔗 Resource Links

• ​30-Min Personal Zoom Consultation — $150 + 5% GST
• ​TR to PR Blueprint - $500 + 5% GST - Your 30-Day PR Preparation Strategy
• ​TR to PR Webinar Replay​
• ​Express Entry Quick Start Guide (English)​
• ​Express Entry Quick Start Guide (Chinese)​
• ​Immigration Blog (English)​
• ​Immigration Chinese Blog (Chinese)​

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