Immigration policy moves through several documents, and they do not all have the same legal effect. Understanding the hierarchy prevents expensive mistakes.
Start with the instrument
A ministerial instruction, a regulation published in the Canada Gazette, or a program delivery update carries more weight than a news release. The release tells you what the government wants you to know; the instrument tells you what the law says.
Check the effective date
Announcements often describe changes that apply from a future date, or only to applications received after a cut-off. A change announced today may not affect an application already in the queue.
Check the transition rules
Most changes include transitional provisions. These determine whether your application is assessed under the old or new rules and are frequently the most consequential paragraphs in the document.
Look for what is not said
Quotas, funding and processing capacity are often omitted from announcements. A program can be “open” and still be effectively inaccessible if allocations are exhausted.
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