CIMM - 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan - December 4, 2025

Key Messages

• The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan delivers on our government’s commitment to sustainable rates of immigration and talent attraction.
• We have reduced temporary resident arrival targets (to 385k in 2026) and stabilized permanent resident admissions (380k) across the three years of the plan.
• We are focusing on supporting the economy, with the economic category representing the highest proportion of the plan in over a decade—reaching 64% by 2027.
• These targets support commitments to:
  • reduce the share of non-permanent residents (NPRs) to less than 5% of the population by the end of 2027,
  • stabilize permanent resident admissions under 1% of the population beyond 2027, and
  • achieve 12% of Francophone immigration by 2029.
• The Plan increases the target for Francophone admissions destined for outside Quebec, reaching 10.5% by 2028, and supports the broader goal of achieving 12% by 2029.

Key Facts and Figures

• Beginning with the 2025–2027 Levels Plan, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) expanded the Levels Plan to include targets for new temporary resident (TR) arrivals (i.e., international students and foreign workers) in addition to permanent resident (PR) admissions.
• The 2026–2028 Levels Plan presents an overall reduction to TR arrivals and a stabilization of PR admissions over the next three years:
  

  TR and PR Targets

  	2026	2027	2028
  TR Targets	385,000	370,000	370,000
  PR Targets	380,000	380,000	380,000

• Overall, targets aim to strike a balance between supporting Canada’s ambitious economic agenda, meeting labour market needs while prioritizing first and foremost the Canadian workforce, and reducing pressures on housing, healthcare and other services.

Government Commitments

• In the Speech from the Throne, the government committed to reducing the share of temporary residents, including international students and temporary foreign workers, to less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.
  • TR arrival targets under the 2026–2028 Levels Plan prioritize meeting this commitment.
• In addition, a commitment was made to maintain permanent resident admissions below 1% of Canada’s population beyond 2027.
  • PR admissions in the Levels Plan are expected to represent 0.9% of the population in 2028.
• The Government of Canada has also committed to a target of 12% Francophone PR admissions outside Quebec by 2029 to strengthen Francophone minority communities throughout Canada.
  • In line with this commitment, the Levels Plan sets targets for French-speaking PR admissions at 9% (30,267) of total admissions for 2026, 9.5% (31,825) for 2027 and 10.5% (35,175) for 2028.

One-time Initiatives to Recalibrate our Immigration System 

• As part of a broader recalibration effort to return our immigration system to sustainable levels, two one-time initiatives will also be implemented to transition some individuals in Canada who are already on a pathway to permanent residence: Protected Persons in Canada and some temporary workers.
• These initiatives complement the broader objectives of the 2026–2028 Levels Plan and will help to restore control, clarity and consistency to the immigration system.

Protected Persons in Canada

• Protected Persons have a recognized protected status in Canada and can reside in the country as long as they maintain this status.
• The government will undertake a one-time initiative to streamline the transition of approximately 115,000 Protected Persons in Canada who are already on a pathway to permanent residence over the next two years (2026 and 2027).
• This practical step delivers on Canada’s international humanitarian obligations, and will help provide greater stability to this vulnerable population.
• This approach is being taken in recognition of the fact that the vast majority of these people cannot return to their country of origin and those in genuine need of Canada’s protection have their permanent status recognized, accelerating their full integration into Canadian society and their path to citizenship. Admissions under this initiative are in addition to the above PR admission targets.

In-Canada Workers

• The government will also undertake a one-time measure to accelerate the transition of up to 33,000 work permit holders to permanent residency in 2026 and 2027.
• These workers have established strong roots in their communities, are paying taxes and contributing to the Canadian economy in a wide range of in-demand sectors, including in rural areas with known labour gaps, and will further support Canada’s ambitious economic goals.

Economic Impacts of Immigration

• PRs admitted through federal economic pathways under Express Entry consistently demonstrate significantly higher average earnings than the median Canadian employment earnings (source: IMDB, Statistics Canada).
• PRs admitted through regional economic immigration pathways—such as the Provincial Nominee Program, Atlantic Immigration Program, and the Rural and Francophone Community Immigration Pilots—are selected by provinces, territories, and participating communities based on their ability to address specific local labour market needs.
• In 2024, immigrants (NPRs and PRs) of all ages represented:
  • 23% of people working in construction;
  • 40% of those working in professional, scientific and technical services;
  • 44% of those working in the transportation and warehousing sector; and
  • 43% of those working in accommodation and food services. (source: LFS data, Statistics Canada)
• Immigrants (NPRs and PRs) accounted for one in three health care sector workers in 2024, playing a critical role in key health care occupations. For example, in 2024, immigrants accounted for:
  • 49% of nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates;
  • 41% of pharmacists; and
  • 36% of licensed practical nurses.(source: LFS data, Statistics Canada)
• International students have a direct positive impact on the Canadian economy, including indirect support for jobs in the education sector, domestic tuition rates and domestic student opportunities (program choice and access to education facilities).
• In 2024:
  • International students contributed $39B to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP), or 1.2% of GDP.
  • International students spent $47.5B in Canada.
  • International students generated $9.4B in tax revenue and supported over 407,000 jobs in the Canadian economy.

Levels Plan Development and Consultation

• The annual Immigration Levels Plan sets targets and ranges for each immigration category in line with the government’s economic, social, and humanitarian priorities.
• To support the development of the 2026–2028 Levels Plan, IRCC analyzed updated demographic projections from Statistics Canada, including how the Levels Plan could affect workforce composition and regional labour supply.
• Macroeconomic modelling from other federal departments also contributed to the analysis, providing assessments of broader economic indicators—such as real GDP, GDP per capita, household formation, and labour force growth.
• These data sources were leveraged to analyze employment trends, wage growth and structural labour shortages across key sectors of the economy. This sectoral analysis, combined with broader demographic and labour market indicators, provided a robust evidence-base to inform advice and recommendations for the development of the 2026–2028 Levels Plan.
• Levels planning enables the Department and its partners to allocate resources appropriately for the review and management of applications and plan settlement supports.
• Each year, the Levels Plan is developed following extensive consultations, including engagement with provinces and territories (PTs), partners, stakeholders, and the public.

• More specifically, engagement includes:
  • Provinces and Territories: Engagement with PTs is conducted bilaterally and multilaterally, guided by the Joint Federal-Provincial-Territorial Immigration Levels Consultation Framework, as approved through the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration (FMRI).
    • The Minister of IRCC and officials engaged with PT counterparts several times over the course of the levels planning cycle. Regular engagement with all PTs also occurred through the FMRI Levels Working Group.
  • Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has responsibility for the selection of immigrants destined to the province (except Family Class and in-Canada refugee claimants). The Accord commits the federal government to take into consideration Quebec’s desired levels in all categories. Quebec’s immigration levels plan is established annually.
  • Stakeholder consultations: The Department conducts an annual consultation survey, which is shared with key stakeholders (e.g., business representatives, educational institutions, multicultural or ethno-cultural associations, municipalities, urban planners, settlement or resettlement organizations, etc.).
    • For the 2026–2028 Levels Plan, a total of 840 stakeholders and partner organizations completed the survey, as well as 18,135 individual respondents.
    • The Department also held thematic conversations with a number of stakeholders to explore key elements of the Levels Plan. Participants included urban planners, municipalities involved in welcoming newcomers, economists from Canadian banks, small and medium-sized businesses, Francophone organizations, as well as experts who shared insights on how Canada can strategically attract global talent.
  • Indigenous peoples: IRCC prioritizes engagement with Indigenous peoples and makes efforts to increase response rates from Indigenous organizations.
    • For the 2026–2028 Levels Plan, the Department invited 530 individuals from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit serving and/or representing organizations to provide feedback.
  • Public opinion: While public opinion research shows that Canadians still believe that immigrants make important contributions to Canada's economy and society, the proportion of Canadians who believe there are too many immigrants coming to Canada has risen substantially over the last two years. In fall 2025, 56% of Canadians believe the country accepts too many immigrants. On the other hand, some employers, post-secondary institutions, and small/medium sized communities are calling for more immigrants to meet their specific regional, economic and labour needs.

Canadian Population (NPR, PR, Citizens)

• The Canadian population composition as of July 1, 2025, based on the Statistics Canada Population Estimate of September 24, 2025, is as follows:
  • Non-permanent residents comprise 7% of the Canadian population, or 3.02M people.
  • Permanent residents comprise 8% of the Canadian population, or 3.13M people.
  • Citizens by birth comprise 67% of the Canadian population, or 28.1M people.
  • Citizens by naturalisation comprise 18% of the Canadian population, or 7.4M people.