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TL;DR

The federal government is directing research funding and immigration spots toward highly skilled workers through an International Talent Attraction Strategy launched on March 23.

The plan combines up to $1.7 billion in research funding with targeted Express Entry selection and faster study-permit processing. The government says these measures will operate within the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, rather than increasing overall temporary or permanent immigration.

Canada plans to admit 380,000 permanent residents in 2026, down 4% from the previous target. The plan also targets 155,000 new international student arrivals and 230,000 new temporary worker arrivals. Extensions, visitors, asylum claimants, and changes of status within Canada are excluded from those temporary-arrival figures.

Economic immigration is expected to account for 63% of permanent resident admissions in 2026. That share is scheduled to rise to 64% in 2027 and 2028.

The Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative aims to recruit and support more than 1,000 researchers from outside Canada, including expatriate Canadians. Its funding covers senior researchers, early-career academics, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, and research infrastructure.

Roughly $1 billion will support about 100 Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada across 12 years. To be nominated, candidates must be based outside Canada, and those selected must begin a full-time role at their Canadian institution within 12 months of accepting the award.

A further $120 million will support early-career researchers entering tenure-track positions. Each Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders award provides $100,000 annually for six years, with a possible six-year extension at the same value.

The government has allocated $133.6 million over three years for Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards. The program offers 600 doctoral scholarships worth $40,000 per year for three years and 400 postdoctoral awards worth $70,000 per year for two years.

Candidates cannot apply directly to a federal research agency for these training awards. Universities nominate applicants through their own selection processes, which may include admission applications, supervisor endorsements, and internal deadlines.

The eight research priorities include artificial intelligence and quantum technology, health and biotechnology, climate resilience, food and water security, advanced manufacturing, and defence-related technology. Research involving sensitive technology is also subject to federal rules concerning affiliations with military, defence, or state-security organizations that could pose a national-security risk.

The remaining $400 million will fund laboratories, specialized equipment, and other facilities through the Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund. The Canada Foundation for Innovation says institutions receive a $4 million infrastructure allocation for each Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair that accepts a position.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced its 2026 Express Entry categories on February 18. New categories cover physicians, researchers, and senior managers with Canadian work experience, as well as transport workers and skilled military recruits.

The transport category covers pilots, aircraft mechanics, and inspectors. Military applicants must have an offer of employment from the Canadian Armed Forces, and the targeted roles include doctors, nurses, and pilots.

IRCC also refreshed the categories for French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, education, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and trades. For the renewed occupation-based categories, the minimum qualifying work experience increased from six months to one year. That experience may be gained in Canada or abroad, so long as it was within the previous three years.

“Canada’s future depends on a workforce ready to meet the challenges of a changing economy,” Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said when announcing the categories. “By refining Express Entry to focus on the skills our communities truly need, we are strengthening our labour market, supporting provincial priorities and ensuring newcomers can contribute from day one.”

The federal government’s Canadian Occupational Projection System projects that more than 100 occupations will face a moderate or strong risk of shortages between 2024 and 2033. Category-based draws supplement general and program-specific Express Entry rounds, but remain subject to the admissions available under the levels plan.

Eligible PhD students applying for study permits from outside Canada now have a 14-day processing standard. Accompanying family members can receive the same service standard if they submit their applications with the doctoral student.

Master’s and doctoral students attending public designated learning institutions are also exempt from provincial or territorial attestation letters. Graduate students attending private institutions remain subject to those requirements and the applicable provincial allocation.

The research awards do not create separate immigration pathways. Doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers still need to qualify through existing study-permit or work-permit programs.

Recruiting internationally trained workers does not guarantee they can immediately practise in regulated occupations. Licensing and credential recognition remain under provincial and territorial authority in fields such as healthcare and construction.

At a July 16 meeting in Halifax, federal, provincial, and territorial labour ministers agreed to create a deputy-ministers’ working group on labour mobility. They also committed to developing a digital platform for workers and preparing recommendations by fall 2026.

The ministers established a joint task force with their immigration counterparts to examine barriers facing internationally trained professionals, from pre-arrival preparation through entry into the Canadian labour market. Quebec is participating as an observer and is not bound by the credential-recognition decision.

The new strategy does not automatically make every skilled applicant eligible for permanent residence or research funding. Your occupation, Canadian work experience, language score, institutional nomination, and immigration program requirements still determine your options.