Newspunjab
21 Nov 2025
The Canadian government has closed its Skilled Trades stream. All applications submitted under this program are now being returned. These applications were pending for the past one and a half to two years. The government says that both their files and fees will be returned.
This decision will have a huge impact on Punjabis, as the skilled trades sector in Canada has the largest number of Punjabi workers and thousands of people were hoping to get PR through this stream. The number of applications being returned is also in the thousands.
The Canadian government says that this stream was being used on a large scale to spread misinformation and fraud. The current design of this stream has the potential to be abused, which is why Ontario has decided to close it.
Many Punjabis work in these fields as electricians, plumbers, welders, construction workers and automotive technicians, and the skilled trades category was considered the easiest route to PR.
