The year 2025 became a major turning point for provincial immigration in Canada. Changes introduced during the year reshaped how provinces select immigrants and how many newcomers they can welcome. These shifts will continue to affect provincial immigration systems throughout 2026.
Federal and provincial governments made many adjustments in response to lower immigration targets. These included sharp cuts to nomination allocations, the closure or redesign of immigration streams, and the introduction of new systems to manage applications. Together, these updates changed how provincial immigration worked across the country.
This article offers a 2025 review of provincial immigration in Canada, including how changes to provincial immigration quotas reshaped regional immigration in Canada in 2025 and explains what these developments mean for provincial immigration candidates in 2026.
Sharp Decline In Provincial Immigration Landings
Changes to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) landing targets had a strong effect on provincial immigration in 2025. These targets determine how many new permanent residents can be admitted through provincial programs each year. When these numbers change, provinces must adjust how they select and accept applicants.
In the federal 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, announced in October 2024, the federal government reduced the PNP admissions target for 2025 to 55,000.
This was a major drop from 110,000 in 2024. In simple terms, the 2025 target represented a 50% reduction compared to the previous year.
Even more striking, earlier planning documents had projected much higher numbers. Under the 2024–2026 Immigration Levels Plan, the PNP target for 2025 had been set at 120,000. The revised plan reduced this by 65,000 admissions, or about 54%, in just one year.
These cuts sent a clear message to provinces and territories. With fewer permanent resident spaces available, provinces had to reduce the number of people they could nominate and rethink how their immigration programs operated.
The impact of these changes is shown in the table below:
| Levels Plan | Overall PR Admissions Target (2025) | PNP Admissions Target (2025) |
| 2024–2026 plan | 500,000 | 120,000 |
| 2025–2027 plan | 395,000 | 55,000 |
Lower landing targets also meant lower nomination allocations. Nomination allocations are the number of certificates that the federal government allows each province or territory to issue in a year.
By early 2025, most provinces reported nomination cuts of about 50% compared to their 2024 levels.
Initial 2025 Nomination Allocations By Province And Territory
The table below shows the initial PNP nomination allocations for 2025:
| Province/Territory | Initial 2025 Allocation |
| Alberta | 4,875 |
| British Columbia | 4,000 |
| Manitoba | 4,750 |
| New Brunswick | 2,750 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1,525 |
| Northwest Territories | 150 |
| Nova Scotia | 3,150 |
| Ontario | 10,750 |
| Prince Edward Island | 1,025 |
| Saskatchewan | 3,625 |
| Yukon | 215 |
NOTE: For Atlantic provinces, public reporting often combined PNP nominations with Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) endorsements.
How Provinces Adjusted To Lower Allocations?
In this 2025 review of provincial immigration in Canada, the next thing to discuss is how many provinces are adjusted to lower allocations.
Well, with fewer nomination spots available, provinces made several changes to manage demand and align immigration with local needs. While each province took a different approach, several common trends appeared across the country.
These included:
- Closing some existing immigration streams
- Changing eligibility rules to focus on key labour needs
- Introducing or expanding Expression of Interest (EOI) systems
These steps helped provinces manage smaller allocations while still selecting candidates who best matched local job shortages.
Below is a summary of how each province and territory responded.
Alberta
- Stricter Selection Rules: Alberta removed some selection factors, such as family connections and in-demand occupations, to better control who receives invitations under limited nomination spaces.
- Focus On Key Pathways: Most invitations were issued through Alberta Express Entry streams and the Alberta Opportunity Stream. Other pathways received far fewer invitations.
- End To Open Work Permit Support: Alberta stopped taking part in the policy that allowed some PNP candidates to apply for open work permits, mainly due to its reduced nomination allocation.
British Columbia
- General Immigration Slowed: British Columbia said its 2025 nomination quota was cut by 50% to 4,000 spots. Because of this, the province limited invitations and focused only on high-priority candidates.
- Student Streams Reduced: British Columbia paused the launch of new international graduate streams and placed more applicants on waitlists under existing streams to manage the smaller quota.
- Stricter Selection: The province also narrowed eligibility for some groups, such as applicants with Health Authority job offers, meaning fewer invitations and more careful selection.
Manitoba
- Focus On Skilled Workers: Manitoba issued most of its invitations through the Skilled Worker Overseas and Skilled Worker in Manitoba streams. The province mainly selected candidates invited through special recruitment programs.
- Open Work Permit Support: Manitoba was one of only two provinces that took part in IRCC’s optional pathway that allows some PNP candidates to receive open work permit support letters.
New Brunswick
- Careful Reopening Of Programs: New Brunswick said it was updating its immigration programs due to wider system changes and would reopen them slowly and in a controlled way starting February 5, 2025.
- EOI Pauses Due To Full Capacity: Early in 2025, New Brunswick announced that the Strategic Initiative stream already had enough applications and would not accept new EOIs. The exploratory visit option also did not return in 2025.
- Clear Focus On Priority Jobs: New Brunswick focused invitations on key sectors such as healthcare, education and social services, and construction trades. The province also limited the number of applications it processed in 2025 because of reduced capacity.
Newfoundland And Labrador
- Switch To An EOI System To Control Applications: Newfoundland and Labrador moved to an Expression of Interest system in 2025 to better manage the number of applicants and invite only those it could process.
- First EOI Invitations Issued: In April 2025, the province sent out its first invitations to candidates who had submitted an EOI.
Nova Scotia
- Focus On Priority Jobs: In July, Nova Scotia said it would give priority to people already living and working in Canada whose work permits expire in 2025. Extra priority was given to skilled workers in healthcare and construction.
- Province-Wide EOI System Introduced: In November, Nova Scotia announced plans to launch an Expression of Interest system to better control how applicants are selected.
Ontario
- Long Pause In Invitations: Ontario did not hold any economic immigration draws until June 2025, resulting in over six months with no invitations.
- Focus On Job Offer Candidates: Ontario issued all its invitations through Employer Job Offer streams and did not invite any candidates through graduate streams.
- Skilled Trades Stream Paused: In November, Ontario paused its Express Entry Skilled Trades stream due to concerns about false information in applications.
- Plans To Change Immigration Streams: Ontario proposed a two-step plan to merge Employer Job Offer streams into one, remove other streams, and add new pathways.
Saskatchewan
- Permanent Closure Of Some Categories: Saskatchewan has permanently closed some business-related immigration programs, including:
- Entrepreneur category
- International Graduate Entrepreneur category
- Farm Owner/Operator category
- Pause On Job Approval Forms (JAFs): The SINP stopped issuing new JAFs until March 27, 2025, to reduce the number of new applicants.
- Priority Sectors And Limits: The SINP introduced priority sectors and set limits on the number of candidates in certain jobs.
Yukon
- Fewer Nominations And New Intake System: In 2025, Yukon’s nomination limit was cut by 50% to 215. Because of this, Yukon started using an Expression of Interest (EOI) system, inviting candidates from a pool instead of accepting unlimited applications.
- Open Work Permit Policy: Yukon, along with Manitoba, took part in IRCC’s new PNP open work permit program, where federal support letters are linked directly to Yukon.
Northwest Territories
- New Application System: NWT set up a new system with three separate application windows for candidates to apply.
- Stream Limits: In October, the employer-driven and francophone streams reached their caps, but applications for the business stream were still accepted.
Quebec
- Slow Start To 2025: Quebec paused some major permanent programs until June 30, 2025, including the regular skilled worker and PEQ graduate programs, to reset how it selects and accepts applicants.
- Skilled Worker Program Restarted: In July 2025, Quebec restarted the PSTQ with a structured points-and-invitation system using Arrima. French language skills became more important, and early invitations focused on candidates already living in Quebec.
- PEQ Ends: The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) ended on November 19, 2025, closing a major path for temporary workers and Quebec graduates to get permanent residency.
- Family Sponsorship Limits: By July 9, 2025, Quebec stopped accepting new applications to sponsor spouses, partners, and dependent children 18+, as the cap was reached. The province soon also reached its cap for sponsoring parents and grandparents.
NOTE: Quebec does not operate a Provincial Nominee Program. Instead, it runs its own immigration system under agreements with the federal government. In 2025, Quebec continued efforts to reduce immigration levels due to housing and affordability pressures.
Ottawa Reverses Course Later In 2025
As provinces faced pressure from employers and labour shortages, many provincial governments pushed for higher nomination allocations. In response, the federal government began granting additional spots in the second half of 2025.
By late October 2025, most provinces and territories had received increased allocations. Ontario was the main exception, as its allocation remained unchanged.
Although unused nominations cannot carry over into the next year, these increases helped shape federal planning for 2026.
Two important conditions appeared during these adjustments:
- Some provinces reported that 75% of nominees had to already be in Canada
- In some cases, increases were linked to broader agreements, such as accepting more asylum claimants
Provinces And Territories That Received Increased Allocations
| Province/Territory | Initial 2025 | Later 2025 (After Increases) | Net Change |
| Alberta | 4,875 | 6,403 | +1,528 |
| British Columbia | 4,000 | 6,214 | +2,214 |
| Manitoba | 4,750 | 6,239 | +1,489 |
| New Brunswick | 2,750 | 4,250 | +1,500 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1,525 | 2,525 | +1,000 |
| Northwest Territories | 150 | 300 | +150 |
| Nova Scotia | 3,150 | 3,709 | +559 |
| Ontario | 10,750 | 10,750 | +0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 1,025 | 1,600 | +575 |
| Saskatchewan | 3,625 | 4,761 | +1,136 |
| Yukon | 215 | 282 | +67 |
2026 Outlook: More Space For Provincial Nominations
In the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, released in November 2025, the federal government raised the national PNP admissions target to 91,500 for 2026. This represents a 66% increase compared to the 55,000 target used for 2025.
The federal government stated that this increase would help meet regional labour needs while keeping overall permanent resident admissions stable at 380,000 per year.
For provinces and territories, the higher target offers more flexibility. It allows for:
- More invitations from EOI pools
- The reopening or expansion of paused streams
- Better planning for employers
The plan also continues to focus on transitioning people already living and working in Canada into permanent residence.
Overall, 2025 reshaped provincial immigration across Canada. While the year brought sharp cuts and difficult adjustments, the outlook for 2026 suggests a more balanced approach, with provinces regaining room to meet local economic needs through immigration.
Explore your pathway to move to Canada with Immigtoronto. Our team of skilled RCICs offers customized immigration solutions, ensuring a trustworthy and professional process. Contact us at [email protected].
