Canada shut down or indefinitely paused several permanent residence pathways in 2025 across federal and provincial immigration programs, affecting skilled workers, international graduates, entrepreneurs, caregivers, and refugees.
These changes were announced by provincial governments and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada at different points throughout 2025 as part of broader immigration system adjustments.
The closures come amid mounting pressure on Canada’s immigration system, including high application volumes, long processing times, and concerns around program integrity.
Here are the pathways that were closed and the alternatives still available.
The federal Agri-Food Pilot closed on February 13, 2025, about three months earlier than planned due to high demand. The pilot, launched in 2020 and extended in 2023, was originally set to run until May 14, 2025.
Eligible sectors under the pilot included meat product manufacturing, greenhouse and nursery production, mushroom production, and animal production.
Alternatives for agri-food workers
- Some occupations previously eligible under the Agri-Food Pilot remain eligible through Express Entry, including skilled roles such as retail and wholesale butchers and agricultural service contractors or farm supervisors. Some of these occupations also qualify under Express Entry’s agriculture and agri-food category-based draws.
- Provincial Nominee Programs also remain an option, especially in provinces with agriculture-focused streams. Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Talent Pathway, for example, targets several agri-food occupations.
- The Atlantic Immigration Program and the Rural Community Immigration Pilot also continue to prioritize agricultural and food-processing roles in select provinces and communities.
