Canada Immigration Tracker
Immigration rules change quietly — and agents charge thousands to 'explain' them. This tracker reads the official IRCC announcements and rewrites each change in plain language: what changed, who it affects, and what your deadline is. New here? The tracker has just started — every new change will be added on this page.
18 February 2026 — New Express Entry categories for 2026
What changed: IRCC announced the 2026 Express Entry categories. New categories: foreign medical doctors with Canadian work experience; researchers and senior managers with Canadian work experience; transport occupations (including pilots, aircraft mechanics and inspectors); and highly skilled foreign military applicants recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces. Category rounds also continue for French-language proficiency, health care and social services, STEM, trades and education.
Who it affects: Express Entry candidates working in these occupations — including people already in Canada on work permits.
Your deadline: No application deadline — category rounds run through the year. If your occupation is listed, make sure your Express Entry profile is up to date.
2026 — Study permit cap: 408,000
What changed: For 2026, IRCC's total study permit target is 408,000. Of these, 180,000 are for applicants who need a provincial attestation letter (PAL/TAL), divided between provinces (Ontario's issuance target is 70,074). Master's and doctoral students enrolling at public institutions do NOT need a PAL/TAL.
Who it affects: New international students. Most college and undergraduate applicants still need a PAL/TAL from their province before applying.
Your deadline: Apply early — when a province's spaces fill, applications stop for the year.
1 January 2026 — Parents & Grandparents Program: no new applications in 2026
What changed: Under Ministerial Instructions (MI89), from 1 January 2026 IRCC will not receive any new Parents and Grandparents Program sponsorship or permanent residence applications until further instructions. IRCC will still process up to 10,000 complete applications that were received as part of the 2025 intake.
Who it affects: Anyone hoping to newly sponsor a parent or grandparent in 2026. If you were not already invited and in the system, you cannot start a new PGP application right now. The Super Visa (long visits) remains the open alternative.
Your deadline: There is no date to apply by — watch this tracker and the official program page for news of the next intake.
Official links
- IRCC news release (Express Entry categories)
- IRCC 2026 student cap allocations
- Ministerial Instructions MI89 (Parents & Grandparents)
Sources: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) — Canada.ca news release, 18 February 2026; IRCC notice on 2026 provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap; Ministerial Instructions 89 (MI89), Canada.ca.