November 25, 2025 - 11:02 AM

Canada’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan 

Written by Philippe Rousseau

The Government of Canada has unveiled its new multi-year Immigration Levels Plan covering 2026 to 2028, setting a major policy shift toward a reduction of temporary and permanent resident admissions.

Permanent Resident Admissions

For the first time in nearly a decade, Canada will stabilize its permanent resident (PR) targets at 380,000 admissions per year for 2026, 2027, and 2028. This represents a moderate adjustment from the previous plan, which had aimed for 395,000 in 2025. The plan also establishes an operational range between 350,000 and 420,000 to accommodate economic and humanitarian contingencies.

The economic class will remain the cornerstone of admissions, accounting for roughly 64% of all newcomers by 2027–2028. This includes federal programs such as Express Entry (with category-based draws focusing on in-Canada workers), the Provincial Nominee Programs (which will continue to expand), and regional or pilot initiatives designed to address sectoral labor shortages.

Canada’s family reunification stream is set to bring between 81,000 and 84,000 newcomers annually, while refugees and humanitarian categories will stabilize around 54,000 to 56,000 per year.

A new and explicit Francophone immigration target has also been introduced: 9.0% in 2026, 9.5% in 2027, and 10.5% in 2028, reflecting Canada’s desire to strengthening French-speaking communities outside Quebec.

The plan continues to prioritize in-Canada transitions, meaning that a significant share of future PR admissions will come from temporary residents already living and working in Canada. The federal government is allocating additional resources to accelerate processing for up to 33,000 in-Canada workers over 2026–2027.

Temporary Residents

In parallel, Canada has and this is a first, set explicit intake targets for new temporary residents including both workers and international students. Starting in 2026, the total intake will be limited to 385,000, declining to 370,000 in 2027 and 2028.

Out of those 385,000, 230,000 new work permit holders will be admitted, divided between approximately 170,000 under the International Mobility Program (IMP – LMIA-exempt work permits such as Free Trade Agreements or Intra-company transfers) and 60,000 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP – LMIA-based stream); and 155,000 international students, decreasing to 150,000 in subsequent years.

The overarching policy objective is to reduce Canada’s temporary resident population to below 5% of the total national population by the end of 2027. This represents a sharp reduction.

Quebec

Quebec retains independent authority over its economic immigration programs. Its own levels plan, to be tabled later, will determine how the national totals adjust to maintain the overall federal-provincial balance. Federal projections already anticipate modest adjustments once Quebec confirms its admissions targets.

Implications for Employers and Stakeholders

For Canadian employers, the 2026–2028 plan signals a shift toward strategic workforce stabilization rather than expansion.

Employers should anticipate:

  • Tighter access to TFWP permits, especially in low-wage sectors.
  • A stronger need to rely on International Mobility Program categories (intra-company transfers, free-trade agreements, significant benefit exemptions, etc.).
  • Increased emphasis on permanent pathways for existing foreign workers (CEC, PNP, category-based Express Entry).
  • For educational institutions, the study-permit cap and PGWP restrictions will sharply affect enrolment and post-graduation employment pipelines, particularly in non-degree programs.
  • For temporary residents already in Canada, the plan presents both challenges and opportunities: entry pathways are narrowing, but transition pathways to PR remain open and prioritized.
  • All existing work permits should be reviewed without delay to establish a coordinated strategy for both extending current statuses and initiating permanent residence processes.

Conclusion

These new limitations are presented as an attempt to restore a certain balance in the housing, healthcare, and education sectors. Yet once again, Canadian businesses are bearing the cost of policy missteps made at the governmental level in recent years. The measures also deeply affect individuals and families who came to Canada with the hope of building a temporary or permanent home, and who have dedicated significant time and effort to contributing to the Canadian economy.

There is, however, a glimmer of hope: these figures remain targets, and the actual numbers tend to be slightly higher in practice.