This article was originally posted on the website of Corporate Immigration Law Firm.
Starting off 2026, there have been a multitude of developments and announcements.
Physicians Who Are Self-Employed in Ontario – Expanded Eligibility Under the OINP
Ontario has expanded the eligibility criteria for self-employed physicians under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream. Due to the nature of their work in which they often work with multiple health organizations, physicians are often self-employed. As per the OINP, physicians under National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes 31100 (Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine), 31101 (Specialists in surgery) and 31102 (General practitioners and family physicians) who are members in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and hold a provisional certificate of registration, are now eligible to apply as self-employed to the OINP for a certificate of nomination as long as they have an Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) billing number.
Additionally, the postgraduate license has been removed from the list of eligible licenses since postgraduate license-holders are unable to meet the requirement of having an OHIP billing number. Instead of the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream, recently graduated license-holders may be eligible under the OINP’s Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream if they have a job offer with an Ontario employer.
More Regions Now Eligible for Low-Wage LMIAs
The unemployment rate has dropped below 6% for multiple regions in Canada. In the context of Labour Market Impact Assessments (“LMIAs”), low-wage LMIAs can now be applied for in these regions. These include Halifax, NS; Moncton, NB; Saint John, NB; Fredericton, NB; Montréal, QC; Kingston, ON; Winnipeg, MB; and Vancouver, BC. A full list of the unemployment rates by region can be viewed here: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/foreign-workers/refusal.html.
United States Customs and Border Protection Pre-Clearance Expansion Moving Ahead
Pre-clearance with United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Canada prior to travelling to the United States is available at multiple airports and one seaport of entry. This process allows travellers to clear customs and immigration for the US before travelling. CBP has confirmed that expanding pre-clearance is part of its border security strategy and it will move ahead with this despite the US Ambassador to Canada casting doubt on this due to the decreased travel of Canadians to the US. One of the expanded pre-clearance facilities will be Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto. The current pre-clearance locations in Canada are listed here: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/brdr-strtgs/prclrnc/index-en.aspx?wbdisable=true.
Driver’s Licenses Could be Impacted by Long Work Permit Extension Processing Times
Applicants who have applied prior to the expiry of their existing immigration status can benefit from maintained status and continue to remain in Canada and work or study under the conditions of their expired work or study permit until a decision is made on their pending application. However, these individuals often run into issues in renewing their provincial or territorial healthcare coverage. Experiences differ from province/territory to province/territory, and from officer to officer.
Ontario and some other provinces are now considering amending the requirements for a driver’s license requiring proof of an applicant’s valid immigration document. Consequently, we predict this could lead to issues, especially for those on maintained temporary resident status who need to drive to get to work or who drive for work. We will follow developments on this and provide updates.
Francophone Immigration Targets Exceeded
As the federal government continues its initiative to expand the proportion of French-speaking immigrants outside of Québec to 12% by 2029, it has announced that in 2025, French-speakers accounted for 8.9% of new permanent residents outside of Québec.
It has further announced that 5,000 permanent resident spaces will be allocated to the provinces and territories for their nominee programs to designate French-speaking immigrants. The goal is to reduce the shortage of Francophone and bilingual workers in order to strengthen the dynamic of French as an official language of Canada.
CRS Scores for Express Entry Draws Slowly Dropping
As the number of temporary residents, comprising students, workers, and those staying long-term under visitor status, in Canada is reduced in line with the government’s goal of less than 5% temporary residents as a proportion of the total population by the end of 2027, the lowest draw for the Canadian Experience Class since September 2024 occurred on January 21, 2026. The Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) cutoff was 509. On January 7, 2026, a draw also occurred with a cutoff CRS score of 511. We expect to see the CRS cutoffs come down slowly as fewer temporary residents are admitted to Canada.
Changes to Interim Federal Health Program Coverage for Refugee and Protected Person Claimants
IRCC has announced that co-payments will be introduced for supplemental health products and services as well as prescription medications for eligible refugee and protected person claimants covered under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP).
What counts as supplemental services can be viewed here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/help-within-canada/health-care/interim-federal-health-program/coverage-summary.html.
Beginning May 1, 2026, IFHGP beneficiaries will be responsible for the following co-payments:
- $4 for each eligible prescription medication filled or refilled under the IFHP
- 30% of the cost of all other eligible supplemental health products and services, including dental care, vision care, counselling and assistive devices.
Beneficiaries covered by the IFHP will be asked to pay these amounts directly to their health care providers when they receive IFHP-eligible supplemental products or services. Basic health care benefits, including doctor visits and hospital care, will remain fully covered under the IFHP, with no co-payments required.
