CIMM – Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence Pathways – November 25, 2024

Key Facts and Figures

• In 2023, Canada admitted over 200,000 permanent residents with prior temporary resident status, including over 25,000 former international students (representing approximately 44% of all permanent resident admissions in 2023).
• Between January and October 2024, close to 188,430 former temporary residents became permanent residents, including roughly 22,665^{Footnote 1} former international students.
• The 2025-2027 Levels Plan introduces a new structure for economic programs, with the addition of an In-Canada Focus line. This new line includes admissions from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and potentially other regional immigration pathways, and will focus on transitioning eligible temporary residents to permanent resident status, thereby contributing towards achieving the target of reducing existing temporary resident volumes to 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2026.
• It is anticipated that temporary resident transitions to permanent residence will represent 40% of admissions in 2025.

Key Messages

• Many of the temporary residents already in Canada comprise the volume of newcomers who become permanent residents each year. Our immigration pathways support this transition, in recognition of their skills and the contribution they are already making to the Canadian economy.

Supplementary Information

• The CEC, under Express Entry, specifically targets the transition of high-skilled workers with in-Canada work experience, including international student graduates.
• Individuals with prior temporary resident status also transition to permanent residence through various other programs such as: the Atlantic Immigration Program (where 69% of admitted individuals had prior temporary status in 2023), Provincial Nominee Program (58%), and economic pilots (67%), including the Agri-Food Pilot, Home Child Care Provider Pilot, Home Support Worker Pilot, and Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).
  • In particular, the RNIP largely transitioned international graduates and workers already in rural and northern communities to permanent residence, and 88% of applicants were in Canada at the time of application.
• On March 21, 2024, the government announced its intention to reduce existing temporary resident volumes to 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2026. Transitioning temporary residents who qualify for permanent resident programs to permanent residence will help to meet this target while also retaining workers who are already contributing to Canada’s economy. In 2024, to support these efforts, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has:
  • Increased the use of CEC specific invitation rounds in Express Entry, to specifically select skilled workers with Canadian work experience. Between May and October 2024, 25,700 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residence through these rounds;
  • Announced the Rural Community Immigration Pilot and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot. These pilots build on the success of the RNIP, which had the highest rate of temporary to permanent resident transitions last year, and helped rural and francophone communities face their unique economic and demographic challenges; and,
  • Amended the Agri-Food Pilot, giving applicants residing in Canada the option to either meet the job offer requirement, or the education requirement, providing an opportunity for more foreign nationals to transition to permanent residence.
• In 2021, IRCC launched the time limited Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway. While the pathway is now closed, IRCC continues to process applications. As of October 31, 2024, roughly 103,625 temporary residents and their families have been welcomed through this pathway, with the remaining applications to be processed by the end of 2025.

Please note that data in this note are preliminary and may be subject to change.