Canada immigration changes in September 2026: studying without a study permit, a 12-month Express Entry bar and new provincial fees in Nova Scotia

From 4 September workers can study for up to six months without a separate permit, students must show more money, and Nova Scotia now charges to assess applications. Here is what changes and where the catch is.

From 4 September 2026, foreign nationals who hold a valid Canadian work permit can take a course or programme of up to six months without a separate study permit. Since 1 September, prospective students must also show more money for living costs, and Nova Scotia now charges, for the first time, to assess provincial nominee applications. Meanwhile the 2026 Express Entry categories bring new lanes and a higher experience bar. Here is what actually changes relocation plans, and what matters less than the headlines suggest.

What changed at a glance

Studying without a study permit: who qualifies and on what terms

The temporary public policy (a ministerial instrument that waives a specific rule for a defined group) was signed on 5 August 2026 by Lena Metlege Diab, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. It took effect 30 days later, on 4 September, and runs until 31 December 2027 unless revoked earlier.

The only condition is a valid work permit. The rules:

• Length. The programme must be six months or shorter. You can study for six months or until your work permit expires, whichever comes first.
• No application. If the school asks for proof, your valid work permit is enough.
• Permit conditions. Study-related conditions on your work permit do not apply under the measure.
• Quebec. Workers in Quebec can also study there without a study permit from 4 September 2026.

Legally, the change is narrower than it sounds. Short courses without a study permit were already allowed, but the course normally had to end within the period of stay authorised on entry. For anyone who had extended a work permit inside Canada, that was a trap, and the new policy removes it. The stated goal is to help workers obtain licensing or credentials, including in shortage sectors such as health care.

What the measure does not give you

• It is not a new route to permanent residence. It lets you study; it creates no pathway and adds no points.
• Full-time study costs you experience. If you study full-time under this policy, work experience gained during your studies does not count toward the Canadian Experience Class or toward Canadian work experience points in Express Entry.
• Longer programmes still need a study permit. A one-year college course or a master's degree is outside the measure.
• Co-op with a different employer. A placement with a different employer or in a different occupation needs a new work permit.

Express Entry 2026: new categories and a 12-month bar

Express Entry is Canada's federal selection system for permanent residence: candidates are ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) runs draws, including ones targeted at occupational categories. The minister announced ten categories for 2026 on 18 February.

New categories:

• Physicians with Canadian work experience - three NOC codes (National Occupational Classification) covering specialists, surgeons and family physicians.
• Researchers with Canadian work experience - professors, lecturers and research or teaching assistants.
• Senior managers with Canadian work experience - NOC codes 00012-00015.
• Transport occupations - pilots, aircraft mechanics and inspectors, avionics specialists, automotive technicians; Canadian or foreign experience.
• Skilled military recruits - 10 or more years of foreign military service and a Canadian Armed Forces job offer.

Renewed: French-language proficiency (NCLC 7 in all four abilities), health care and social services, STEM, trades and education. Removed: agriculture and agri-food.

The biggest change is the experience bar: occupation-based categories now require at least 12 months of full-time work (or the equivalent in part-time work) within the past three years, up from six months.

The first draw for physicians with Canadian experience took place on 19 February: 391 candidates were invited with a CRS cut-off of 169. Tempting, but for physicians, researchers and senior managers only Canadian experience counts. You cannot enter these categories from abroad: you first have to work legally in Canada in your occupation for a year.

Study permit funds: what to show from 1 September

For study permit applications submitted on or after 1 September 2026, IRCC raised the minimum amount for living expenses. The table applies outside Quebec, which sets its own requirements.

This is a year of living costs only. On top of it you must prove first-year tuition and return travel. The figure is revised every year with the cost of living, so budgeting right at the minimum is a bad idea.

Nova Scotia starts charging, and it is not the first

From 1 September 2026, Nova Scotia charges a processing fee in its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP, under which a province nominates candidates for permanent residence) for the first time:

• CAD 1,000 for the worker streams: Skilled Worker, Nova Scotia Graduate and Nova Scotia: Express Entry;
• CAD 2,000 for the entrepreneur streams.

Submitting an expression of interest (EOI) remains free. You pay once your EOI is selected for assessment, and this covers every selection from 1 September, whenever the EOI was submitted. Worker-stream candidates have 7 calendar days to pay; entrepreneurs have 90 or 180 days. The fee is non-refundable (except for administrative error or where the law requires) and there are no waivers. The province says demand exceeds its federal nomination allocation.

For comparison: Manitoba charges CAD 500, Alberta CAD 1,500 (plus CAD 135 per worker EOI since 7 April 2026), British Columbia CAD 1,750 and Ontario CAD 1,500 to 2,000. Paying does not guarantee a nomination.

What it means in practice

• You already work in Canada. A short course or licensing programme no longer needs a separate application. But if you are still short of a year of experience for Express Entry, avoid full-time study: that period will not count.
• You are aiming for permanent residence through Express Entry. Check your NOC code and count experience against the 12-month bar. For categories that require Canadian experience, you first need a legal way in to work, for example the Global Talent Stream if you have an offer from a Canadian employer.
• You are an entrepreneur. The federal Start-up Visa and the self-employed persons programme stopped accepting new applications on 1 January 2026. IRCC has promised a new pilot for entrepreneurs, but as of publication its terms are not known. The realistic options today are provincial entrepreneur streams or residence in another country through a business.

Which routes to Canada work right now

For many the end point is a passport. For an adult the only way there runs through permanent residence, followed by 1,095 days of physical presence within five years before applying for citizenship by naturalisation. Canada allows dual citizenship, and a child born in the country acquires citizenship by birth. If Canada's timelines and thresholds do not fit, compare talent visas elsewhere and second citizenship programmes.

Our Canada services

We help you choose the route that fits your situation and follow it from the first permit to the passport.

We also handle where people most often get stuck: CRS scoring, proving experience against NOC codes, tax residency and company registration. For the full picture see Canada: all programmes; city guides cover Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

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