CIMM – Immigration Levels Plan – May 04, 2026

Key Messages

• Canada is taking back control of its immigration system to restore balance and sustainability, while continuing to uphold its humanitarian commitments.
• Our approach has put immigration on a responsible trajectory that allows us to meet the economic and labour needs of our communities.
• Under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, permanent resident (PR) admissions will remain below 1% of the population beyond 2027 and the total temporary resident (TR) population will be reduced to under 5% of the population by the end of 2027.
• We have reduced TR arrival targets (to 385,000 in 2026) and stabilized PR admissions (380,000) across the three years of the Plan.
• In 2025, Canada welcomed approximately 393,500 PRs, meeting the admissions target set out in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan.
• Compared to 2024, 2025 also saw 53% (or 361,935) fewer arrivals of international students and temporary workers to Canada, supporting the government’s commitment to reduce Canada’s temporary population. This decrease is continuing into 2026.
• Canada’s non-permanent resident (NPR) population has reduced from a peak of 7.6% down to 6.5% of the total population.
• Work is underway to develop the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, which will be tabled in fall 2026.

Key Facts and Figures

• The 2026–2028 Levels Plan presents an overall reduction to TR arrivals and a stabilization of PR admissions over the next three years:

  	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.
• 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 NPRs to less than 5% of the population by the end of 2027;
  • stabilize PR 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.

Government Commitments

• In the Speech from the Throne, the government committed to reducing the temporary population to less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.
  • TR arrival targets under the 2026–2028 Levels Plan were reduced to ensure the government remains on track to meet 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 indefinitely.
• The government will undertake a one-time initiative to streamline the transition of approximately 115,000 Protected Persons and their in-Canada dependents 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. It will ensure that those in genuine need of Canada’s protection have their permanent status recognized, accelerating their full integration into Canadian society. Admissions under this initiative are in addition to the above PR admission targets.

Responsive—If pressed on Quebec’s participation

• Quebec opted not to participate in this initiative.
• This means that, in 2026, admissions to Quebec for protected persons and dependant family members will remain between

4,800–5,100 which is the levels target set by the province. Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec sets its own immigration targets including for humanitarian categories.

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.

Responsive—If pressed on Quebec’s participation

• Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has the authority to select economic immigrants destined to its province and to set its own immigration targets including for economic categories.

Temporary Resident Targets 2026–2028

• To advance the less than 5% NPR commitment, overall arrival targets for new TRs have been reduced from 673,650 to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028.
• In 2026, targets for workers under the 2026–2028 Levels Plan include:
  • 170,000 in the International Mobility Program;
  • 60,000 in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
• Student arrivals decrease from 305,000 to 155,000 in 2026 and 150,000 in 2027 and 2028.
• Across 2026, 2027 and 2028 workers make up close to 60% of all TR arrivals and are prioritized to help meet critical labour market needs and to support Canada’s ambitious agenda for talent attraction.

Permanent Resident Targets 2026–2028

• PR admissions in the Levels Plan are expected to represent 0.9% of the population in 2028.
• The economic class represents the largest proportion of PR admissions each year, reaching approximately 63% of overall admissions in 2026, and 64% in both 2027 and 2028—the highest percentage in over a decade.
• The overall proportion of family class admissions will remain relatively stable, between 21–22% in order to support family reunification, a cornerstone of Canada’s tradition as a welcoming country.
• Canada will continue to be a global leader in refugee resettlement with 13% of overall admissions dedicated to programs in the Resettled Refugees and Protected Persons category.
• Finally, 16 900 admissions over three years will be dedicated to the Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other category to help fulfill Canada’s humanitarian commitments (e.g., Sudan, Ukraine, Hong Kong), as well as for applications based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
• 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% of total admissions for 2026 (30,267), 9.5% (31,825) for 2027 and 10.5% (35,175) for 2028.

Talent Attraction

• Canada is attracting the best talent in the world to grow the economy while restoring balance in the immigration system to rebuild Canadians' trust.
• Through our International Talent Attraction Strategy, the government is taking targeted measures to bring top talent to Canada, such as:
  • introducing new Express Entry categories for physicians, senior managers, researchers, and transport occupations, while renewing existing categories in the skilled trades, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, education, and healthcare;
  • launching the 1.7B $ Canada Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative, which will welcome over 1.000 researchers across all career stages to Canada;
  • exempting postgraduate students enrolled at a public designated learning institutions from the requirement to submit a provincial or territorial attestation letter with their study permit application;
  • offering expedited 14-day study permit processing for international doctoral (PhD) students, as well as their accompanying family members, and;
  • hosting global skills missions that connect employers in priority industries with the top talent that they need.
• This is a targeted approach, being done within the space of our Immigration Levels Plan, that will complement existing domestic workforce development efforts to grow the 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, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (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 gross domestic product (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. As of 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.

Key Achievements (2025)

• In 2025, Canada welcomed approximately 393,500 PRs, meeting the admissions target set out in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan.
  • Approximately 48% of these PR admissions had prior permit holder status.
• Throughout 2024 and early 2025, a series of measures were introduced to decrease the number international students and temporary foreign workers coming to Canada.
• 2025 saw significant progress in reducing TR arrivals compared to 2024. Overall, new arrivals of workers and students fell by 53% or 361,935.
  • Arrivals for international students fell by 61% or 177,595, while arrivals for temporary workers fell by 47% or 184,340.
• In addition, 34% fewer people submitted an asylum claim in 2025 compared to 2024.
• These reduced arrivals have begun to result in meaningful declines to Canada’s NPR population. Between October 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026, the NPR population fell by over 170,000, or from 6.8% to 6.5% of the population.
• This progress has continued into 2026—in January and February, total arrivals of workers and students fell by 13,210 (30%) compared to the same period in 2025. Asylum claims have also declined by 6,890 (35%) over that same period.
• In addition, as of February 28, 2026, Canada has welcomed 53,400 permanent residents against the 2026 target of 380,000.