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IRCC's bold 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan spotlights transitioning temporary residents (work/study permit holders) to permanent residence (PR)—with 33,000 dedicated pathways for in-Canada workers, a new Express Entry CEC category for Canadian experience, Francophone boosts, and category-based draws. Perfect for Indian professionals building experience in Canada! Canada All Express Entry Draws January 2026 Overview: 21,350+ ITAs Fuel In-Canada PR Surge! Draw #389 – January 5, 2026 Category: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Invitations Issued: 1,200 CRS Cut-Off: 728 Key Highlights: January opened with the biggest PNP draw yet, underscoring IRCC's push for provincial labor solutions. High volume targets skilled migrants plugging regional gaps in construction, tech, and trades. Draw #390 – January 7, 2026 Category: Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Invitations Issued: 6,500 CRS Cut-Off: 518 Key Highlights: Record CEC volume prioritizes temps with 1+ year Canadian work exp, streamlining PR amid new 2026-2028 in-Canada focus. Moderate CRS rewards proven contributors. Draw #391 – January 8, 2026 Category: Healthcare & Social Services Occupations Invitations Issued: 1,200 CRS Cut-Off: 474 Key Highlights: Bolsters healthcare amid physician pathways launch. Targets nurses, docs, therapists—vital for post-pandemic recovery and 33K worker transitions. Draw #392 – January 12, 2026 Category: Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Invitations Issued: 450 CRS Cut-Off: 730 Key Highlights: Competitive PNP follow-up reinforces fed-prov partnerships, selecting economic anchors for underserved areas. Draw #393 – January 14, 2026 Category: Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Invitations Issued: 5,500 CRS Cut-Off: 512 Key Highlights: Month's lowest CEC CRS unlocks PR for integrated workers, aligning with Express Entry's Canadian exp category revamp. Draw #394 – January 21, 2026 Category: French Language Proficiency Invitations Issued: 6,500 CRS Cut-Off: 396 Key Highlights: Massive francophone draw with rock-bottom CRS (396!) drives bilingualism goals, eyeing Quebec and beyond. Additional Provincial Highlights January 2026: Ontario (OINP) issued 1,200+ noms (Human Capital/Employer streams), pacing 2026 quota after 2025 max-out. Alberta hit 800+ via Opportunity Stream (3,200 YTD) + Dedicated Healthcare (600+), leading PNP draws. British Columbia secured 700 noms post-fed boost, prioritizing tech/entrepreneurs per April priorities. Manitoba, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland & Labrador ran active draws for agricuture, IT, and trades growth. Key Recommendations and Highlights: January's 21,350 ITAs (across 6 draws) rank as 2026's hottest start, blending CEC accessibility (512-518), French ease (396), and sector targets. Ties into IRCC's in-Canada PR push: 33K pathways + new categories. Indian pros: Nab work permits/studies for CEC edge, ace French/IELTS for low CRS, chase PNP in ON/AB/BC. Healthcare stars new physician stream awaits! Update Express Entry profiles + provincial apps today. With 380K annual PR targets (63% economic), Canada's talent doors swing wide. #CanadaPR #ExpressEntry #CEC #PNP #ImmigrationCanada #HRRecruitment #StudyAbroad
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Why Skills-Based Recruitment Is Replacing Degree-Centric Hiring In 2026, recruitment in India is undergoing a fundamental shift. Organizations are no longer asking “What degree does the candidate have?” instead, they’re asking “What skills can the candidate deliver?” We Maxic Arrow, team see this shift every day. Skills-first hiring has emerged as a powerful, results-driven recruitment strategy that helps organizations hire faster, smarter, and more inclusively. This is not a passing trend. It is the future of talent acquisition. What Is Skills First Hiring?
Skills-first hiring is a recruitment approach that prioritizes:
Why Degree-Based Hiring Is No Longer Enough? Degrees still hold value, but they no longer guarantee workplace readiness. The Reality in 2026:
Why Skills-First Hiring Is Booming in India? India is uniquely positioned to lead the skills-first hiring revolution. 1. A Massive, Skill-Rich Talent Pool India’s workforce includes millions of professionals trained in:
2. Critical Skill Gaps Across Industries. Industries across India face shortages — not of people, but of job-ready skills. High-demand sectors include:
3. Faster Hiring and Better Retention. Organizations adopting skills-based recruitment report:
Business Benefits of Skills-Based Recruitment. Maxic Arrow recruitment services helps organizations unlock measurable outcomes through skills-first hiring. Key Advantages:
How Maxic Arrow Enables Skills-First Hiring? We don’t just recruit, we build talent strategies. Our skills-first recruitment framework includes:
Degrees Still Matter But Skills Decide! Skills-first hiring is not about eliminating degrees. It’s about putting skills at the center of hiring decisions. In 2026, successful organizations:
The Future of Recruitment Is Skills Driven. As job roles continue to evolve, the most important hiring question is no longer “Where did you study?” It’s “What value can you create?” Maxic Arrow team helps organizations embrace the future of recruitment by building agile, skilled, and future-ready workforces. Partner with Maxic Arrow for Skills Based Hiring Solutions. If your organization is looking to:
Maxic Arrow – Shaping Talent. Building Futures. In today’s global talent market, recruitment companies are no longer just hiring partners they are becoming true immigration allies for both employers and candidates. Maxic Arrow is right at the center of this shift, blending expert recruitment with structured, ethical immigration support to build complete global career journeys. Why this matters now and where Maxic Arrow fits?
Maxic Arrow actively guides candidates towards suitable routes such as permanent residency, LMIA-based roles, skilled migration options, healthcare pathways, and graduate or post-study visas, aligning each profile with realistic, compliant options. Our team coordinates with licensed and experienced immigration professionals, helps employers structure immigration-friendly offers and documentation, and manages expectations and timelines to reduce offer-to-joining dropouts and protect everyone from fake agents and non-compliant practices. How Maxic Arrow’s services will evolve in the coming future? Over the next 3–5 years, recruitment and immigration will become even more integrated, and Maxic Arrow is building itself around this reality. The vision is end-to-end global mobility solutions: from job search, screening, and shortlisting to offer, visa filing support (through trusted partners), relocation coordination, and onboarding – especially in sectors like healthcare, IT, engineering, finance, and skilled trades. Tech-enabled, globally recognized partner. Maxic Arrow aims to enhance its services through data-driven advisory and digital candidate experience platforms where applicants can track job status, documentation progress, and visa milestones in one place. By strengthening alliances with licensed immigration firms and overseas employers, expanding country-wise service portfolios, and consistently sharing expert insights on overseas careers, Maxic Arrow is positioning itself as a one-window, internationally recognized, ethical, tech-enabled global recruitment and immigration support brand. The future of global hiring belongs to partners who do not just fill positions but build migration journeys. Maxic Arrow is designed to be that partner for employers seeking reliable international talent pipelines and for candidates planning serious, compliant, and result-oriented careers abroad. The category-based selection draws in Express Entry invite candidates who meet the eligibility criteria for a specific category established by the Minister. These categories are designed to help Canada achieve its economic goals by targeting candidates with specific skills and qualifications that are in high demand in the country. Examples of these categories can include healthcare professionals, IT specialists, tradespersons, or any other occupation that is in demand in the Canadian labour market. By inviting candidates from these specific categories, Canada aims to attract individuals who can contribute to the country's economic growth and development. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 1500 invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates in the first-ever Express Entry draw based on targeted category for candidates in the trades on August 3, 2023. The cut-off score for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 388. The IRCC issued the inaugural Express Entry category-based draw for candidates with expertise in trades professions. Carpentry, plumbing, and welding are among the occupations included in the category, which will help Canada draw in more people to its construction sector.
Candidates in many sectors, including trades such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors, benefit from category-based selection draws. Canada can fulfil its economic goals and guarantee that its labour market has the essential expertise to support its growth and development by attracting applicants with specified skills and credentials. If your trade occupation fall in this category, this is perfect opportunity for you.. As a newcomer to Canada, it essential to learn about the Canadian laws regarding wages and deductions. In Canada, employers are required to make deductions from employees' gross income for things like income tax, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions, and Employment Insurance (EI) premiums. These deductions are mandatory and are based on the amount of income you earn. It's important to note that the number of deductions taken from your pay cheque may vary depending on your personal situation, such as your marital status, number of dependents, and other factors. Wages - In Canada, employers are required to pay their employees on the regular payday that has been established. As you mentioned, it is common to be paid twice a month, but this can vary depending on the employer and the type of work being performed.
If you are working in a federally regulated business or industry, you have certain protections related to the payment of wages. As you mentioned, you are entitled to receive at least the minimum wage. The minimum wage can vary depending on the province or territory you are employed in. Deductions -As mentioned earlier, employers in Canada are required to make certain deductions from their employees' gross income. These deductions are used to fund public systems such as income tax, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions, and Employment Insurance (EI) premiums. Income tax is a mandatory deduction that is based on the amount of income you earn. It's important to note that there may be other deductions that your employer can take from your salary, such as contributions to a pension plan or union dues. Latest Express Entry Draw: Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 4800 invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates on May 24, 2023. The cut-off score for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 488. Since April 26, this was the first all-program draw. Additionally, it's important to understand your rights as an employee in Canada. The Canadian government has laws in place to protect workers from unfair treatment, discrimination, and unsafe working conditions. You can learn more about your rights as an employee by visiting the Government of Canada's website. We hope this information helps you navigate the Canadian workplace and feel more confident about your earnings and deductions. Keep Your Workplace Efficient And Happy To Make Your Employee Stay Longer By Expert Experiments18/5/2023 There are certain distinctions between each company's retention strategy, but there are always possibilities for improvement. Experimentation is key in this time where a really transformative HR procedure must keep nimbleness and strength within the bleeding edge. We don't know if it's okay to play Taylor Swift's song at work, but we should try it to see. It's important to try new things at work to stay strong and adaptable in today's business world. If a company is doing well in how its employees feel, how engaged they are, and how much money it's making, there are still ways it can improve to keep its employees working there for longer. Many companies are changing how they suggest businesses to improve their reputation. Things to improve within a company to make your employees stay longer: Begin with survey Begin by asking a series of questions to gather information. If a company wants to keep its employees happy and committed to their work, they should measure how employees feel about different things, such as if they want to continue working there, if they feel connected to their colleagues, and if they trust their boss. Gartner studied how much people feel involved in their work. They found out that there are five important things that affect this feeling: understanding the job, getting along with your boss, thinking highly of the people in charge, having chances to grow in your career, and having good working conditions. Get the company’s culture detoxed In a recent study we have found that bad work environments and fear of losing their jobs were the main reasons why employees quit. Our study also found that companies with a good reputation for treating their employees well had less people quitting during the first six months of the great resignation. Making the culture better might depend on getting feedback and using accurate information to know how employees feel and fix any problems. With more accurate information and some extra team members to understand it and explain it, HR leaders can show that making employees happy will make the company do better. This can help them get more help and resources to keep employees happy and keep them working for the company. Make new employees feel more welcome and help them learn faster You have to make a good impression the first time you meet someone because you might not get another chance. Onboarding is the first experience you have when you start a new job. It's important to choose the right person for an important job. But, if that person doesn't succeed in the first 90 days, they may decide to quit. After studying hundreds of cases Maxic Arrow’s expert team has found that if new joiner stays and work at the company for three months, he will probably stay for at least a year. Due to the pandemic, more people are working from home or using a mix of in-person and remote work. As a result, the process of starting a new job has changed to become more online and flexible for employees. Mentorship programs can help new employees find good examples to follow and make connections with more people in the company. A company offers a funny class to welcome new workers. The CEO thinks it helps the company's culture and keeps people working there longer. Allow people to work from a distance Being flexible can help you have a better view of your surroundings and avoid getting too tired. People who can choose to work from home or go to the office are 57% more likely to say that their company's culture has gotten better in the past two years than those who don't have that choice. People who have the ability to be flexible at work are more productive by 39% and can concentrate better by 64%. Prepare yourself well to achieve your goals Getting better training for managers and employees can help a company do well and stay strong. Managers are important for keeping a good culture at work, and it's also important to teach workers new skills for the future. One way to see how much a company values their workers is by checking how many hours of training they give them each year. "Training can help employees move up within the company, which makes them more likely to stay." Why not try something new or different? If you want to make big changes at work, you could consider things like working five days a week, changing how your office looks, giving better benefits, or letting people work from home. It depends on what your company thinks. The average hourly wages in Canada continues to rise for both Temporary and Permanent workers. According to newly released Statistics Canada (StatsCan) statistics, both salaried and hourly employees in Canada will benefit from an increase in average hourly pay since February 2023. Salary employees around the country had their monthly pay rise from $42.37 to $42.58 on average between January and February 2023. The same is true for hourly employees, whose average compensation increased from $29.25 to $29.44. These increases in both situations continue previous trends. Salaried workers in Canada have witnessed their hourly pay climb for a period of six months in a row, while hourly workers have seen their wages rise for a total of eight months in a row. Overtime hours are included in both average hourly increases in salary. Broken down by area, & top three industries in the province/territory where salaried workers have had the highest average hourly salary gains.
Prince Edward Island (PEI) - Information and Cultural Industries (+$17.74) New Brunswick (NB) - Information and Cultural Industries (+$11.55) Northwest Territories (NWT) - Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (+$10.05) In PNP specific draw, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 589 invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates on May 10, 2023. The cut-off score for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 691. This was twelth Express Entry Draw by IRCC. This is the fourth PNP draw for 2023. The most recent one was held on March 1 and invited 667 applicants. Since then, all draws have considered candidates from all Express Entry program. The rising average hourly wages for both salaried and hourly employees in Canada is a positive development for immigration as it makes the country an even more attractive destination for skilled workers. This trend indicates a strong economy and a high demand for skilled labour, which can encourage more immigrants to come and contribute to Canada's workforce. Furthermore, the higher wages can also help immigrants to better integrate into Canadian society by affording them a higher standard of living and greater economic stability. Overall, the rising average hourly wages in Canada bode well for the country's immigration policy and its ability to attract and retain top talent from around the world. In 2022, Statistics Canada published a study that looked at the relation between pre-immigration education in Canada and post-immigration incomes. One of the study's primary outcomes was that economic principal applicants with Canadian study experience earned significantly more than those who did not pursue education in Canada within the first two years after immigration. The report goes on to say that the applicants' higher incomes were due to their improved official language skills and Canadian work experience. International students in Canada are authorised to work while studying and may be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) after finishing their studies, allowing them to earn Canadian work experience. They may then be eligible for permanent residence through one of Canada's more than 100 economic immigration streams. Long-term advantages of a Canadian study experience The Statistics Canada study also discovered that, when compared to applicants with identical language profiles and pre-immigration Canadian work experience, those with Canadian study experience gained less in the first years than those without, owing to a higher proclivity to pursue additional education in the first years after immigrating to Canada.
In an all-program draw, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 3,500 invitations to apply (ITAs) to candidates on April 26, 2023. The cut-off score for the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was 483. Candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) are considered in an all-program draw. This draw subsequently followed an all-program draw on April 12 in which 3,500 candidates got invitations to apply (ITAs). Candidates have to have a CRS score of at least 486. Despite this, the long-term value of Canadian study experience was clear. Pre-arrival characteristics became less essential in accounting for the earning advantages of studying in Canada as economic immigrants worked more in the Canadian labour market. Economic immigrants who had studied in Canada earned more than those who had studied in Canada ten years later. Canada, IRCC again invited 7000 applications in surprise 8th Express Entry draw In the most recent development, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued another invitation to apply (ITAs) to 7,000 individuals in an unexpected all-program draw, with a minimum CRS score of 484. Instead of waiting a week between Express Entry, IRCC issued 7,000 invites for the second straight draw. Candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class are considered in all-program draws (CEC). Earlier, a few days back, a record number of candidates were invited to the March 15 all-program draw, which comprised 7,000 applications, and those individuals had a minimum CRS score of 490. On January 18, IRCC invited 5,500 applicants. Previously, Canada's Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced a work permit extension of up to 18 months for holders of Post-Graduate Work Permits (PGWP). Post-graduation workers with expired work permits may apply for an extension of their Open Work Permit until April 6, 2023. For those whose PGWP expires in 2023, the extension will be available.
Also eligible are individuals whose PGWPs expired in 2022 and who submitted an application for an Open Work Permit extension with the IRCC last year. Candidates can fill out an application for the extension on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website starting on April 6. After applying for an extension, applicants will receive an interim work permit authorization via email, which they can present to employers to continue working legally in Canada. The top Canadian industries that are currently hiring while government added 15000 new jobs16/2/2023 Canada, a total of 150,000 jobs were added in the month of January alone, significantly above expectations. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained stable at 5%, close to a record low. The study indicated that there are broad-based improvements during what was a fifth consecutive month of job increases, bringing total employment growth since September. The rate of employment creation is speeding; January's total was more than double that of December, when almost 70,000 positions were added. A welcoming immigration policy has contributed to Canada's rapid population expansion, and survey data reveals that non-permanent residents, such as students and temporary employees, are seeing significant job growth. As the labour force grew by 153,000 people, or 0.7%, the labour force participation rate improved by 0.3 percentage points to 65.7%. The list of sectors that added the most employment in 2023 is as follows: 651,335 people work in hospitals. 531,399 people work in full-service restaurants. 431,287 people are employed in supermarkets and food businesses. 402,477 people work at fast food establishments. 321,838 people are employed in colleges and universities. There are 320,499 people employed in IT consulting in Canada. 278,186 people are employed in commercial banking. Engineering Services employs 195,828 people. 191,252 people are employed in janitorial services in Canada. 187,025 people work in pharmacies and drug stores in Canada. IRCC held the fifth Express Entry draw of 2023 on February 15, 2023. In 2023, this was the third program-specific draw; the first two were held on February 1 and 2, respectively. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 699 Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 791 to become permanent residents. Moreover, A record number of immigrants are also expected to arrive in Canada in the upcoming months. According to projections, Canada will likely accept close to 190,000 immigrants this year under the two immigration streams combined: Express Entry and PNP. In 2025, this number is expected to increase to approximately 230,000 immigrants. As of January 31, there were 66,214 PNP candidates and 47,868 Express Entry applicants in line, according to the most recent information from IRCC. This is major good news for candidates, if you intended to immigrate to Canada. In the last several months, the government has created a record number of employment. |
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