Canada | 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan published

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, continuing to reduce temporary resident arrivals and permanent resident admissions while filling critical labor gaps in high-demand occupations.

Key Points

• Targets for new temporary resident arrivals, which include temporary workers and students, are set at 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028.
• Overall permanent resident admissions will stabilize at 380,000 from 2026 to 2028.
• The share of economic migrant admissions under the Federal High Skilled and Provincial Nominee Program will increase from a projected 59% to 64% for 2026.
• The target for Francophone admissions destined for outside Quebec will increase, reaching 10.5% by 2028.
• The overall proportion of family class admissions will remain stable to support family reunification.
• Canada will continue to dedicate a percentage of admissions to refugees and protected persons, as well as additional admissions spaces to fulfill the country’s humanitarian commitments.
• In addition to the permanent resident admission targets, Canada is implementing a one-time initiative over a two-year period to streamline the transition of approximately 115,000 Protected Persons 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.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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