Canada’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan is a pivot toward “sustainable” immigration: temporary resident arrivals are being cut and tightly capped, while permanent resident admissions are frozen at 380,000 per year but increasingly focused on economic and Francophone immigration. At the same time, IRCC is launching one‑time measures to quickly convert protected persons and key temporary workers already in Canada into permanent residents, using a two‑stage model that leans on in‑Canada experience to drive long‑term population and labour market goals.
Strategic shift: fewer temporary residents, stable PR
The core political objective of this plan is to “return to sustainable immigration levels” by shrinking the temporary resident share of the population while keeping permanent immigration stable. The federal government commits to reducing Canada’s temporary resident population to under 5% of the total population by the end of 2027, mainly by cutting new inflows and relying on departures or transitions to PR.
To operationalize this, Canada now sets explicit numerical targets for new temporary workers and international students: 385,000 arrivals in 2026, then down to 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028, with ranges of ±10,000 each year. These caps do not include visitors, permit extensions, in‑Canada study/work applications, or asylum claimants, but those groups are still part of the modelling used to reach the under‑5% temporary population target.
Temporary residents: workers and students
Within the temporary stream, the government is clearly prioritizing work over study, and LMIA‑exempt mobility over LMIA‑based programs:
50,000 in both 2027 and 2028
Overall temporary arrivals:
2026: 385,000 (range 375,000–395,000)
2027: 370,000 (range 360,000–380,000)
2028: 370,000 (range 360,000–380,000)
Workers (Total):
230,000 in 2026
220,000 in 2027
International Mobility Program (IMP): 170,000 new arrivals per year, 2026–2028, focused on LMIA‑exempt categories such as free‑trade agreements, intra‑company transfers, and many public‑policy work permits. Post‑Graduation Work Permits are treated as extensions/change of status and are explicitly excluded from these new arrival targets.
Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program:
60,000 in 2026
- Overall temporary arrivals:
- 2026: 385,000 (range 375,000–395,000)
- 2027: 370,000 (range 360,000–380,000)
- 2028: 370,000 (range 360,000–380,000)
TFW targets include non‑seasonal workers staying longer than a year but exclude seasonal workers who come and go in the same year, such as many agricultural and seasonal low‑wage roles under about 270 days. The plan explicitly says it will still consider sectors heavily dependent on foreign labour and the distinct needs of rural and remote communities when administering these caps.
On the student side, new arrivals are being reduced modestly but remain large in absolute terms: 155,000 in 2026, then 150,000 in both 2027 and 2028, limited to foreign nationals studying for six months or more at Designated Learning Institutions. This is layered on top of the separate national cap policy and is integral to slowing the growth of Canada’s temporary resident population.
Permanent residents: 380,000 a year, economy first
IRCC holds the overall planned permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year for 2026, 2027, and 2028, with an operational range of 350,000–420,000 to manage backlogs and shocks. Within that fixed total, the composition shifts strongly toward economic immigration while keeping stable shares for family and humanitarian streams.
By 2027 and 2028, economic immigrants will represent about 64% of annual admissions, driven mainly by the Federal High Skilled programs and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Family class admissions remain around 21.3–22.1% of the total, while refugees and protected persons are allocated roughly 13%, preserving Canada’s reputation for humanitarian leadership.
Economic class: Express Entry, PNP, pilots
Key economic targets for 2026–2028 include:
- Federal High Skilled (Express Entry – FSW, FST, CEC):
- Federal Business (Start‑up Visa & Self‑Employed): steady at 500 admissions per year (range 250–1,000).
- Federal Economic Pilots (Caregivers, Agri‑Food, Community pilots, Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot):
- Atlantic Immigration Program: 4,000 admissions annually, with a 3,000–5,000 range.
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP):
- 2026: 91,500 (82,000–105,000)
- 2027 & 2028: 92,500 (82,000–106,000)
Quebec’s economic immigration targets are not included because they are determined independently under the Canada–Quebec Accord and will be tabled in Quebec’s own levels plan.
Francophone immigration outside Quebec
The Plan deepens the federal emphasis on Francophone immigration as a tool for both economic growth and demographic renewal in minority communities. For permanent residents outside Quebec, IRCC sets explicit French‑speaking targets as a share of all admissions:
- 2026: 9% (about 30,267 admissions)
- 2027: 9.5% (about 31,825 admissions)
- 2028: 10.5% (about 35,175 admissions)
These targets are calculated on the portion of planned admissions outside Quebec and may be adjusted once Quebec’s own levels are finalized, but they point firmly toward a broader goal of 12% Francophone admissions by 2029. IRCC will lean heavily on Express Entry category‑based draws, Francophone pilots, and community‑driven initiatives to meet these numbers.
Family reunification and humanitarian commitments
Despite the strong economic tilt, the plan maintains Canada’s traditional pillars of family reunification and protection:
- Family class:
This keeps family class at roughly 81,000–84,000 admissions annually, corresponding to about 21–22% of the total plan.
- Refugees and protected persons:
- Protected persons in Canada + dependants abroad: 20,000 per year (17,000–30,000).
- Resettled refugees – Government Assisted: 13,250 per year (10,000–15,500), including dedicated streams for human rights defenders and LGBTQI+ individuals.
- Resettled refugees – Blended Visa Office Referred: 50 per year (up to 100).
- Resettled refugees – Privately Sponsored: 16,000 per year, with minor range adjustments over the period.
Together, these bring total refugee and protected persons admissions to about 49,300 annually, with a range of 42,000–55,000.
In addition, the Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other category accounts for 6,900 admissions in 2026 (range 6,000–9,000) and 5,000 per year in 2027 and 2028 (4,000–7,000). This includes H&C decisions, certain public policies, permit holders, and special responses to crises such as Ukraine, Sudan, and Hong Kong.
One‑time recalibration: 115,000 protected persons and 33,000 workers
The Levels Plan is backed by two major one‑time initiatives designed to “recalibrate” the system while recognizing people already in Canada:
- Fast‑tracking approximately 115,000 protected persons in Canada to permanent residence over two years.
- These individuals already hold protected person status and can remain in Canada indefinitely as long as they maintain that status, but are not counted as temporary residents like workers or students.
- Prioritizing their PR admissions will accelerate their integration, give them full access to the rights and stability of permanent residence, and strengthen compliance with Canada’s international protection obligations.
- Accelerating the transition of up to 33,000 temporary workers to PR in 2026 and 2027.
- This measure targets workers with strong community ties, tax records, and proven Canadian work experience, especially in in‑demand sectors and some rural and remote regions.
- It aligns with the broader shift to a two‑stage model in which many future permanent residents will first arrive as temporary workers or students and then be selected for PR based on in‑Canada performance.
These one‑time moves sit on top of the core 380,000 annual PR targets, effectively using already‑present populations to rebalance the system without sharply increasing gross arrivals.
What this means for prospective immigrants and stakeholders
For prospective applicants and policy watchers, this plan signals:
- Hard caps and more competition on the temporary side. New student and worker arrivals will face tighter quotas, program‑specific caps, and greater scrutiny tied to labour market outcomes and regional needs.
- A premium on Canadian experience and language. Those already in Canada—especially with strong English/French skills, in‑demand occupations, and established roots—will have clearer pathways to PR through Express Entry, PNPs, pilots, and targeted transitions.
- Growing advantage for Francophone applicants. With dedicated percentage targets for French‑speaking permanent residents outside Quebec rising to 10.5% in 2028, Francophone and bilingual candidates will see expanding opportunities across economic and community‑driven streams.
In practice, the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan is not about opening the door wider, but about rebalancing who comes, how they arrive, and how quickly those already here can secure permanent status, while keeping economic performance, housing pressures, and demographic needs at the centre of IRCC’s design choices.
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