September 15, 2025 Edition
Hi there,
As promised, we’re back with another News. For Newcomers, this time, rounding up everything that’s happened over the past few days!
A huge thank-you for all the amazing feedback on this new series. We’re so excited to hear you’re finding it helpful, and we can’t wait to keep bringing you even more tips, insights, and updates to help you navigate your Canadian journey with confidence.
Rebecca and Stephanie
Your Immigration Update
More people are leaving Canada than ever before, reporting by Dane reveals. In 2024, over 106,000 citizens and permanent residents left, and the trend is accelerating in 2025. For the first time in years, temporary residents are leaving in greater numbers than arriving, with a net loss of over 60,000 in just the first quarter.
What’s driving the trend?
Immigration caps on study and work permits are pushing newcomers out.
Express Entry now rewards foreign work experience, leading some to leave strategically.
High housing and living costs make Canada less affordable—especially in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.
The outlook remains uncertain, but Statistics Canada warns departures may continue to climb. Read the full report.
Recent data shows variability in approval rates for temporary and permanent resident streams. Based on the data from earlier this year, approval rates seem to be lower for Federal Skilled Workers than those in the Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Program draws.
In the temporary resident categories, International Experience Canada candidates enjoy exceptionally high approval rates (95% of applications are approved!), but those waiting on study permits and work permit extensions have much lower rates of approval.
We dig into the trends, and how they impact your application, in the article we just published today. Read it here.
Alberta has received 1,528 additional immigration nominations for 2025 from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This brings the province’s total nominations for the year to 6,403.
We don’t yet know how these extra nominations will be divided across Alberta’s immigration streams. Once the details are released, we’ll share a full breakdown with you. Read the official notice here.
Immigration in The Media
Canada’s controversial Strong Borders Act (Bill C-2) includes provisions that would make it possible for the government to mass-cancel immigration applications. It’s unclear how the power would be used (if at all) and — to be extremely clear — this is a proposed law, not a finalized law. So, it’s worth keeping an eye on, but it’s not worth fretting about at this stage since it’s not clear if, when, or how this law may operate. The Toronto Star has covered it in more detail here.
Did Somebody Say Draw?!
Express Entry PNP on September 15
As expected, we saw an Express Entry draw today, targeting 228 candidates with a provincial nomination. This continues the trend of smaller PNP draws, though we expect this pattern may shift in the coming months. We break down the key takeaways from this draw here.
Money Matters
The Canada Child Benefit will be paid on September 19, 2025 to eligible families. The monthly payment of up to $666.41 per child is available to the primary caregiver for children in Canada (with other eligibility criteria too, including that one caregiver is a Canadian citizen or PR). Keen to learn more about childcare in Canada? Our detailed guide contains a host of information!
Today’s Tip: Better Networking on LinkedIn
In a recent article published by the Globe and Mail, a newcomer noted:
When you are reaching out to people on LinkedIn, it’s important to be very specific. You can’t just say, ‘I’m looking for a job, help me.’ Do your research. What is this person’s background? What is their skill set? What is their network? Be specific about why you want to connect with them.
We’ve covered Tips to Succeed in detail on our website — including plenty of personal insights from our team. And one of our main pointers is Do Not Lead With Asking For A Job! This can be off-putting and doesn’t usually make a good first impression.
Here’s what to do instead:
Make sure your LinkedIn profile looks professional and clearly highlights your skills, experience, and career goals. Use a quality headshot, craft a compelling headline and summary, detail your achievements, collect endorsements and recommendations, and create a custom profile URL to boost visibility and credibility.
Building your personal brand on LinkedIn can be a gamechanger. If you think of your profile as a platform to showcase your unique skills and experiences, you never know who will see it and what opportunities could come from that.
Networking on LinkedIn is about making real connections, not just asking for jobs. Send friendly, personal requests, join groups, follow companies you like, and keep your messages short, clear, and professional.
Thanks for reading! We hope you found this helpful.
Talk to you tomorrow,
Rebecca and Stephanie
