Voyageur 79
Your Canadian Passport Now Opens More Doors Than the US One, and Canada Is Rebuilding Express Entry From Scratch.
News for residents of the “11th province”: Canadians abroad.
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Your Canadian Passport Now Opens More Doors Than the American One
The Canadian passport has overtaken the American one - and the gap is growing. According to the Henley Passport Index, Canada now ranks 7th in the world with visa-free access to 182 countries. The US has dropped to 10th with 179. Twenty years ago, when the index was first introduced, America was top dog.
Canadians can now visit China visa-free for up to 30 days (good through December 2026), along with Belarus and Papua New Guinea - none of which extend the same courtesy to American travelers. Canada also has working holiday agreements with 36 countries for citizens aged 18-35. The US has six.
Canada first pulled ahead in January 2025 and hasn't looked back. With Bill C-3 removing the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent (Voyageur 75), millions of Americans with Canadian ancestry can now apply for a Canadian passport without a residency requirement, test, or oath. For dual citizens and expats weighing which passport to flash at the border, the math is changing.
Read more: CIC News / Henley Passport Index
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Canada Is Rebuilding Express Entry From Scratch
Canada is planning to scrap all three of its federal skilled immigration programs and replace them with a single new system. The Federal Skilled Worker Class, Canadian Experience Class, and Federal Skilled Trades Class - the three streams that make up Express Entry - would all be repealed under IRCC's latest plan.
The replacement is described as one immigration class with streamlined eligibility requirements. IRCC says it will create "a more diverse pool of international talent" and be easier for applicants, employers, and partners to navigate. Consultations start this spring.
It's the biggest structural change to Express Entry since the system started in 2015. Last year, the program issued nearly 118,000 invitations to apply.
If you know anyone trying to get into Canada through the skilled worker stream - or you've been thinking about it yourself - this is story worth watching. Whether the new single door ends up wider or narrower than the three it replaces is still an unanswered question.
Read more: CIC News / Immigration.ca