Canada’s 2026

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released details of the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan (Levels Plan).

This year’s Levels Plan (here) includes further decreases to temporary resident and international student arrivals and ranges for new arrivals of international students and temporary foreign workers, along with stabilised permanent resident targets.

The government is committed to reducing Canada’s temporary population to less than 5% of the total population by the end of 2027. Targets for new temporary resident arrivals are set at 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028. These figures represent new temporary worker and student arrivals to Canada. The targets for workers are allocated to temporary workers under both the International Mobility Program (IMP) and the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program.

The government is implementing a one-time initiative over a two-year period to streamline the transition of approximately 115,000 Protected Persons in Canada who are already on a pathway to permanent residence and in alignment with their protected status under domestic and international law.

The Government will also accelerate the transition of up to 33,000 temporary workers to permanent residency in 2026 and 2027.

Targets are not set for visitors arriving with temporary resident visas or electronic travel authorisations (eTAs), permit extensions, in-Canada study/work permit applications and asylum claimants.

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