Canada launches new streams to attract and retain top research talent from abroad
The Canadian government has launched its Research Talent Initiative—a new suite of programs that will help the country attract “leading international researchers” to the country.
As part of this initiative, Canada will launch three new streams to welcome and retain "leading international and expatriate researchers” who can deliver “direct economic, societal and health benefits for Canadians”.
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These new streams will support the recruitment of international talent in STEM, healthcare, francophone studies, and other fields, who will then arrive in Canada through existing study permit and work permit pathways.
These three new streams are the:
- Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program;
- Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders program; and
- Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards.
Through these pathways, the Canadian federal government plans to welcome more than 1,000 researchers and will invest up to $1.7 billion CAD over the next decade to support their work and settlement in the country.
These three new streams will target researchers in the following priority areas:
- Advanced digital technologies (AI, quantum, cybersecurity);
- Health, including biotechnology;
- Clean technology and resource value chains;
- Environment, climate resilience, and the Arctic;
- Food and water security;
- Democratic and community resilience;
- Manufacturing and advanced materials; and
- Defence and dual-use technologies.
In addition to the above three streams, the government has also launched the Canada Impact+ Research Infrastructure Fund to help institutions cover related expenses to the intake of new researchers, such as advanced lab equipment and relevant tools, as well as other research infrastructure costs. The fund will invest $400 million CAD over the next six years.
Canada Impact+ Research Chairs
The Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program is a one-time program to welcome and fund roughly 100 world-leading researchers in key priority areas, to the tune of more than one billion dollars over the next 12 years.
Individuals do not apply directly to this program—rather, they are nominated by eligible institutions that apply on their behalf. This stream is run in a competition format, with the government considering different applicants simultaneously and against each other for priority.
Successful nominees can receive between $4-8 million CAD or more over 8-12 years, which will include salary as an eligible expense for the institution that nominates them. In addition, Canadian institutions are explicitly expected under the program to help facilitate and support chairs nominated under this initiative—including settlement supports and immigration assistance.
The first registration deadline under this program is set for March 10, 2026.
Nominees to the program must:
- Be internationally based – both working and residing outside Canada at the first intake deadline;
- Be appointable as full or associate professors (or equivalent if recruited from industry); and
- Take up a full-time faculty position in Canada within 12 months of accepting the award.
For more information on the program, visit the government’s dedicated webpage.
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Pathway to Canada
At the time of writing, there is no new visa class announced for chairs in these positions.
As such, eligible foreign nationals through this pathway may enter Canada through the existing International Mobility Program (IMP) categories for academics.
Canadian universities are already permitted to hire certain foreign academics without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)—this includes post-docs, research award recipients, eminent individuals, and visiting professors.
After being hired, these individuals usually then apply to IRCC for a work permit that is employer-specific under the IMP. They then arrive in Canada as a high-skilled worker (Training Education Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) 0 or 1).
As TEER 0/1 high-skilled foreign workers, chairholders’ spouses and certain dependents should remain eligible for family open work permits (OWPs), even under tightened family-OWP rules—meaning that these family members can study and even work in Canada.
Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders
A companion program to the Impact+ Research Chairs stream, the Impact+ Emerging Leaders stream gives institutions $100,000 per year for six years (with the possibility of another six-year term) to recruit international early career researchers (ECRs) into tenure-track roles.
Similar to the Impact+ Research Chairs stream, the program is run in a competition format with eligible institutions applying directly to the program and nominating researchers who meet the nominee criteria. Institutions are similarly expected to provide settlement support and immigration assistance to successful candidates.
The Emerging Leaders stream will only issue awards once the Impact+Research Chair program has nominated a chair, with the idea that the ECRs nominated under the Emerging Leaders program will be anchored to the chair’s department.
The first registration deadline under this program is set for March 10, 2026.
Nominees to this program must:
- Be ECRs with an independent program of research, who will hold a tenure-track position at the host university;
- Must be internationally based—working and residing outside Canada; and
- Must start full-time at the Canadian institution within 12 months of chair acceptance.
- Likely immigration pathway to Canada
For more information on the program, visit the government’s dedicated webpage.
Pathway to Canada
Eligible nominees under this pathway (who will take up positions as full-time, tenure-track academics in Canada) will likely receive an LMIA-exempt employer-specific work permit, similar to nominees under the Impact+ Research Chairs program.
As with chairs, spouses and certain family members should usually qualify for family OWPs, since the successful nominee (the principal applicant) is high-skilled in a TEER 0/1 occupation.
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Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (Doctoral & Postdoctoral)
The Impact+ Research Training Awards is a one-time, $133.6 million CAD initiative to fund 600 doctoral students and 400 postdoctoral researchers from outside of Canada for research awards, to entice recruitment to the country.
Award amounts are substantial for each level of funding:
- Doctoral: $40,000/year for 3 years.
- Postdoctoral: $70,000/year for 2 years.
All awards under this initiative must be activated by March 31, 2027—meaning that after this date, doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers will not be eligible to come to Canada through this stream. The government notes that relocation timing may be affected by immigration processing.
Nominees to this program:
- must not have a current affiliation with a Canadian institution, and
- must currently be studying or working abroad.
- Doctoral nominees must be admissible to a PhD program at the nominating institution;
- Postdoc nominees must be qualified for postdoctoral research.
International students/postdocs already in Canada are ineligible under this stream.
Pathway to Canada
The government’s official news release clearly stated that there would be no special processing or fast-tracking of applications under these awards.
Nominees must apply for a study permit or work permit through the regular processes as needed, but can benefit from already existing exemptions under Canada’s immigration system:
- Doctoral students (PhD) will need admission to a Canadian PhD program plus a study permit.
- As part of the International Talent Attraction Strategy, Canada has committed to 14-day processing standards for PhD study-permit applications lodged from outside Canada.
- Postdoctoral awardees will generally come to Canada on LMIA-exempt, employer-specific work permits as post-doctoral fellows or research award recipients.
For doctoral students, spouses/common-law partners remain eligible for spousal open work permits if the principal student is in a doctoral program, under IRCC’s tightened January 2025 rules.
For postdocs, spouses and eligible family members can generally access family OWPs as family members of high-skilled foreign workers (TEER 0/1 and some TEER 2/3) under the new family-OWP framework.
Funding/settlement supports once in Canada
The awards for this program are designed to cover living and training costs; however, the government is explicit that no additional funds are provided for travel or relocation for the nominee or their family—airfare and moving costs must be covered by institutional top-ups, supervisor funds, or personal resources.
Award holders are also eligible for paid parental leave.
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