Canada Commits New Funding and Initiatives for Returning Ukrainian Children, Detained Civilians, and Prisoners of War

What changed

Canada has announced an investment of roughly $1.2 million through the Francophone Immigration Support Programme. The Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration manages this programme. This funding supports new projects in Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan. These projects are designed to increase the number of French-speaking and bilingual immigrants moving to these provinces. The initiatives focus on recruiting people from overseas, helping them get their qualifications recognised, and supporting their cultural integration. The main goal is to boost population growth and meet the demand for workers in French-speaking minority communities. This programme shows a continued commitment to making French-speaking communities across Canada, outside Quebec, more lively and strong.

What changed

On 24 September 2026, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Programme (BC PNP) changed the requirements for its Innovate: High Economic Impact stream invitations. The lowest hourly wage for certain job offers is now $52, and the minimum annual salary is $105,000. At the same time, the minimum points score for other invitations in this stream was set at 131, and 714 invitations were sent out.

What changed

The Government of Canada has significantly expanded passport service options at the Charlottetown Service Canada Centre in Prince Edward Island. Effective from 15 September 2026, the centre now offers express passport service (2 to 9 business days) and urgent service (by the end of the next business day), enabled by new on-site printing. This change eliminates the need for residents to travel off-Island for faster passport processing.

What changed

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Programme (MPNP) conducted Expression of Interest (EOI) Draw No. 279 on 10 September 2026, issuing 793 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) for provincial nomination. The draw combined four selection groups: 233 LAAs for candidates currently working in Manitoba in Broad Occupational Category 3, Health occupations; 11 for candidates declaring French as their language of communication with the MPNP and holding a valid French-language test; 508 for top-scoring candidates who indicated that they or their spouse had completed post-secondary education in Manitoba; and 41 for candidates under the Skilled Worker Stream who had been directly invited through specified strategic recruitment initiatives. The lowest published ranking score was 825 for the Manitoba post-secondary education selection. Of the 793 LAAs, 272 went to candidates who declared a valid Express Entry profile number and job seeker validation code.