Aligning Global Training with Canadian Immigration Canada’s identity and success have long been shaped by the contributions of immigrants / Aligning Global Training with Canadian Immigration Canada’s identity and success have long been shaped by the contributions of immigrants The prime minister has reaffirmed the ongoing value of immigration: his mandate letter to cabinet and the speech from the throne committed to “attracting the best talent in the world to Canada… while returning our overall immigration rates to sustainable levels.” The 2026-28 Levels Plan further emphasized these commitments, stating that Canada is taking a new approach to immigration that focuses on “filling labour gaps, strengthening key sectors of the economy and supporting communities across the country.” To achieve these goals, changes to the immigration system will be necessary. Right now, the immigration system is not adequately considering the types and scale of labour gaps the country faces when selecting economic immigrants. However, several immigration programs are working to address labour market gaps. Category-based selection of Express Entry As part of the Express Entry program, certain candidates are invited to apply for permanent residence who are eligible for a specific category established to meet an identified economic goal. Current categories include: French-language proficiency; health care and social services occupations; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations; trade occupations; agriculture and agri-food occupations; education occupations. Federal Skilled Trades Program Managed by the Express Entry program, this program prioritizes individuals with training in a skilled trade, such as construction, transportation, manufacturing, natural resources, and agriculture. Applicants must have a job offer in Canada or be qualified to work in their trade in Canada. Home Care Worker Immigration pilots (Child Care and Home Support) Supports individuals who have a job offer in their field to immigrate to Canada permanently. There are streams for people who are currently working in Canada and those who are not yet in Canada (this stream is opening at a later date). Province-specific programs This includes the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), Quebec-selected skilled workers, and the Atlantic Immigration Program. Provinces can nominate individuals to come to Canada if they have the skills, education, and work experience to contribute to the economy. Often a job offer is required to be nominated. Immigrants with college and trade certifications are currently underrepresented among economic immigrants: only 12 per cent of economic immigrants have college certifications and four per cent have trade certifications However, labour market gaps are continuing to grow: these programs only bring in a fraction of the total number of individuals necessary to fill Canada’s skills gaps. Many of these programs are ‘two-step’ pathways that focus on transitioning individuals who are already in Canada on work visas to become permanent residents. These programs have been an important component of Canada’s immigration system, but they do not generate a net inflow of talent into Canada to fill labour demands. These approaches will be under pressure in coming years following decreases in temporary residence permits. Canada’s immigration system is also failing to adequately prioritize individuals who have technical and vocational skills, despite the large skilled labour gaps in these sectors. Immigrants with college and trade certifications are currently underrepresented among economic immigrants: only 12 per cent of economic immigrants have college certifications and four per cent have trade certifications. Instead, many immigration programs, including Express Entry, prioritize those with university degrees over those with more technical training. Many people with a one- or two-year post-secondary degree do not earn a high enough score to be considered competitive for immigration through Express Entry. With recent reductions in immigration targets, it is more important than ever to ensure that Canada is maximizing and targeting the skilled talent entering the country. Permanent resident admissions targets have decreased by 21 per cent from 2024 to 2026. Meanwhile the government has also reduced the number of people admitted to Canada temporarily from 673,650 admissions in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026 – over a 40 per cent decrease. If Canada intends to use immigration to fill much needed labour market gaps, the country needs to re-envision how it attracts skilled immigrants. Temporary Entry to Canada 42% decrease in total entries Case Study Current economic immigration pathways Current immigration pathways do not work well for those who are trained (or seeking training) in technical and vocational professions, as demonstrated by the following two illustrative, hypothetical case studies: The skilled immigrant pathway Priya is a 25-year-old from India who has trained and currently works as a nurse aide (which is similar to a PSW). She received her certification to be a nurse aide from an NGO, wherex she studied for eight months. She wanted to immigrate to Canada and applied through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, which prioritizes skilled work, including nurse aides. Priya has strong English language skills, work experience as a nurse aide, and is under the age of 35. However, she only scored 411 points in Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), below what is commonly a cut-off of close to 500 points. Until recently, if Priya had a job offer when applying, she would have received an additional 50 points – potentially giving her a chance at Express Entry. However, points for job offers were removed from the CRS in March 2025 in an attempt to avoid fraudulent applications. Priya explored other immigration streams, such as Provincial Nominee Programs. However, to be eligible, Priya would need a job offer from an employer in the province. Priya applied for jobs as a PSW but struggled to receive an offer since employers tend to value applicants with Canadian credentials and tend to hire internationally trained nurses instead of nurse aides. Unfortunately, Priya cannot access Canadian training abroad and moving to Canada for training is too costly for her, especially without guaranteed work. Priya’s story emphasizes the challenges with the disconnect between Canada’s immigration system and labour market gaps. While Canada needs more PSWs, the Express Entry program does not provide enough points to allow many PSWs to move to Canada. Other immigration programs require job offers, but employers prefer candidates with credentials that they can only get in Canada. Priya is just one example of qualified nurse aides who want to work in Canada but struggle to be able to make it to Canada to fill those gaps. Case Study The international student pathway Aiman is 23 years old and from Malaysia. He came to Canada to study to be an Early Childhood Educator (ECE). He enrolls in a two-year diploma program at a public college in Toronto, which costs him $15,000 per year. While the program is available online, he has to take it in person, or else he will not be eligible to apply for a post-graduate work permit. After moving to Toronto, his living expenses amount to about $23,000 per year, significantly more than in Malaysia. Aiman is taking on a large amount of debt, yet ECE salaries are only between $30,000 to $40,000 annually in Ontario. As a result, Aiman will be financially burdened by his debt for many years. Aiman benefits from doing placements in child care centres, where he learns valuable context of daycare settings and builds connections with employers. Once he graduates, he is successful in getting a Post-Graduate Work Permit for three years and secures a job at a daycare where he’d done a placement. However, it will take him several more years to qualify to become a permanent resident in Canada. Aiman is an aspiring Canadian who wants to work in a sector facing massive job shortages. Yet the cost of training and living in Canada is prohibitively expensive, and at the end of his program, he isn’t even guaranteed a place in Canada. The international student pathway is not adequately setting up people for success. The Path Forward Global Skilling Centres intend to create a new pathway for individuals who want to migrate to Canada as an economic immigrant. The GSC pathway (explained in further detail on page 28-29), with government support, would include the benefits of the pathways mentioned above while removing their challenges. That way, immigrants are able to get Canadian-recognized credentials abroad and only come to Canada when they are ready and able to start working. Introducing the Challenge Current approaches to correcting labour shortages are not sufficient Canada’s Skills and Labour Market Gaps Significant skills and labour shortages threaten Canada’s prosperity Aligning Global Training with Canadian Immigration Canada’s identity and success have long been shaped by the contributions of immigrants. Global Examples of International TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Global Skilling Centres Applying International Insights to the Canadian Context Recommendations To effectively support trainees to develop Canadian-recognized skills, we need a supportive environment of policy and partnerships