Canada is reducing its targets for the admission of both permanent and temporary residents.
Permanent resident targets
In the Immigration Levels Plan announced on October 24, the government revealed a revised strategy for permanent resident admissions over the next three years:
- 2025: Target set at 395,000, reduced from 485,000 for 2024 and the earlier goal of 500,000 in the 2024-2026 plan.
- 2026: Target decreased to 380,000 from the 500,000 target in the same plan.
- 2027: Target further reduced to 365,000.
While the overall immigration numbers are being scaled back, the government is shifting its focus toward economic immigration.
For 2025, economic immigration targets have seen a modest decrease of just 17%, from 281,000 to 232,000. Notably, over 40% of these economic immigrants are expected to be temporary residents already living in Canada.
The government has outlined the following permanent resident admissions plan for the upcoming three years:
| Immigration Category | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
| Total PR admissions and ranges | 395,000 (367,000 – 436,000) | 380,000 (352,000 – 416,000) | 365,000 (338,000 – 401,000) |
| French-speaking admissions outside of Quebec | 8.5% (29,325) | 9.5% (31,350) | 10% (31,500) |
| Economic Immigration | 232,150 (215,000 – 256,000) | 229,750 (214,000 – 249,000) | 225,350 (207,000 – 246,000) |
| Family Reunification | 94,500 (88,500 – 102,000) | 88,000 (82,000 – 96,000) | 81,000 (77,000-89,000) |
| Refugees, Protected Persons, Humanitarian and Compassionate, and Other | 68,350 (63,500 – 78,000) | 62,250 (56,000 – 71,000) | 58,650 (54,000 – 66,000) |
In a surprising shift, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the lead in announcing the immigration updates, a task usually reserved for the Immigration Minister. He emphasized the importance of Canadian immigration by saying, “It has made our economy the envy of the world.”
Both Trudeau and Miller confirmed Canada’s ongoing support for immigration.
Reduction of Provincial Nominee Programs.
This year’s Plan has halved the targets for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) admissions:
- 2025: 55,000, down from last year’s targets of 110,000 for 2024 and 120,000 for 2025.
- 2026: 55,000, reduced from the previous target of 120,000.
- 2027: 55,000.
This significant cut in PNP targets marks a major shift in the federal government’s immigration policy.
Rise in federal high-skilled economic immigration.
The federal government is allocating a greater share of economic immigration to the federal high-skilled (FHS) programs managed through Express Entry.
While targets for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) have seen significant cuts, the FHS targets have actually risen:
- 2025: 124,680, up from last year’s targets of 110,770 for 2024 and 117,500 for 2025.
- 2026: 123,230, increased from last year’s target of 117,500 for 2026.
- 2027: 118,730.
To determine these FHS numbers for this year’s Plan, we combined the “Federal Economic Priorities” and “In-Canada Focus” categories from the supplementary information, excluding Federal Business. Last year, the government had presented FHS as a separate category.
Rise in French speakers choosing to settle outside Quebec
The federal government is committed to boosting the targets for French-speaking immigrants settling outside Quebec as part of its overall permanent residence admissions strategy.
- 2025: 8.5%.
- 2026: 9.5%.
- 2027: 10%.
Temporary resident levels
This year’s Plan introduces targets for temporary resident admissions for the first time, moving away from previous Plans that did not set such goals.
The announcement on October 24 follows a series of significant changes in Canada’s immigration system, particularly concerning temporary residents—those on work or study permits. The government aims to decrease the proportion of temporary residents in Canada’s overall population from 7% to 5% by the end of 2026.
Here’s the proposed breakdown for temporary resident admissions over the next three years:
| Temporary Resident Category | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
| Total TR Arrivals | 673,650 | 516,600 | 543,600 |
| Workers | 367,750 | 210,700 | 237,700 |
| Students | 305,900 | 305,900 | 305,900 |
The notable decline in worker admissions from 2025 to 2026 is largely due to a significant reduction in work permits under the International Mobility Program (IMP), which is set at 285,750 for 2025 but drops to just 128,700 in 2026. Meanwhile, work permits issued under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) will remain steady at 82,000 annually over the next three years.
The government anticipates that many temporary residents will transition to permanent residency through pathways like the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Express Entry draws and provincial nominee programs (PNPs), helping to achieve the target of reducing the temporary resident percentage from 7% to 5%.
The government anticipates that Canada’s total population of temporary residents will drop by approximately 445,000 in 2025 and another 445,000 in 2026, before seeing a slight increase of about 17,000 in 2027. This decline is expected to result from two main factors:
- Temporary residents transitioning to permanent residency.
- Expiration of status for many temporary residents.
2024 limit on study permit applications.
On January 22, IRCC announced a cap on international student admissions to address the growing number of foreign nationals on study permits in Canada.
Originally a temporary policy limiting new study permits for undergraduates and college students to 360,000 in 2024, it was later made permanent and expanded to include master’s and PhD students.
IRCC also updated eligibility for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs), stating that from September, students in programs with curriculum-licensing agreements would no longer qualify for a PGWP.
Changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has faced criticism recently.
On October 24, Trudeau condemned Canadian businesses for “exploiting cheap foreign labour and called for reforms. Earlier this year, the government suspended labor market impact assessments (LMIAs) for the low-wage stream in Montreal and in areas with an unemployment rate of 6% or higher.
They also cut the duration of TFWP work permits for the low-wage stream from two years to one year.
Earlier measures to cut study permits, PGWPs, and spousal open work permits.
On September 18, Miller announced changes expected to reduce:
- 300,000 study permits
- 175,000 Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs)
- 150,000 spousal open work permits
Key changes include:
- PGWPs limited to college graduates from in-demand programs
- Language test requirement for PGWPs
- Master’s programs must be at least 18 months for spousal work permits
- Spousal permits restricted to spouses of workers in in-demand jobs
Eligible Bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD graduates can still get PGWPs, but college graduates need a CLB 5, while university graduates need a CLB 7.
About the Immigration Levels Plan
The Immigration Levels Plan serves as the government’s official framework for its immigration strategy.
Each year, the Plan sets targets for the upcoming year and the two subsequent years. The targets for the next year are generally stable, while those for the following two years are provisional and may be adjusted.
Although the targeted number of new permanent residents has decreased, the goals for 2025 are still higher than pre-pandemic levels.
It’s important to note that the Plan does not account for all foreign nationals staying in Canada long-term, such as asylum seekers, parents and grandparents on super visas, or seasonal workers.
