Canada has maintained its annual immigration targets for permanent and temporary residents through 2029 while announcing up to 200,000 additional permanent residence admissions in 2027 for eligible people already living in the country. The federal government, on November 6, 2026 unveiled the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan as part of its budget, retaining the overall admission targets set out in last year's plan while revising allocations across economic immigration programs.
According to IRCC, Canada will admit 380,000 permanent residents annually over the next three years. The plan also sets a target of 370,000 new temporary residents each year, including foreign workers and international students.
The additional permanent residence measure will operate beyond the annual target and is intended to help eligible workers, their families and certain family and humanitarian applicants already in Canada transition to permanent status.
Provincial immigration allocation increased
Economic immigration will account for 244,700 permanent resident admissions annually, representing 64.4% of the total. The remaining annual targets include 81,000 family-class admissions, 49,300 refugees and protected persons, and 5,000 people admitted under humanitarian and compassionate categories.
The government has made adjustments to some economic immigration pathways compared with its previous projections for 2027. Provincial Nominee Program admissions will increase from 92,500 to 95,000, while the Atlantic Immigration Program allocation will rise from 4,000 to 6,000.
{{/usCountry}}The government has made adjustments to some economic immigration pathways compared with its previous projections for 2027. Provincial Nominee Program admissions will increase from 92,500 to 95,000, while the Atlantic Immigration Program allocation will rise from 4,000 to 6,000.
{{/usCountry}}However, admissions under the Federal High Skilled category, which includes programs managed through Express Entry, will fall from 111,000 to 100,000. Fragomen said these revised allocations would remain unchanged across all three years of the new plan.
The changes could shift some permanent residence opportunities towards provincial and regional immigration pathways, although the impact will depend on how the government implements selection priorities.
Canada sets 2 lakh additional PR spaces for people already in country
The new time-limited measure provides up to 200,000 additional permanent residence admissions in 2027. This includes up to 100,000 spaces for eligible workers and their families and another 100,000 for certain family and humanitarian applicants through existing immigration pathways.
Canada will also continue initiatives announced last year to accelerate permanent residence for 33,000 work permit holders and up to 115,000 eligible protected persons during 2026 and 2027.
The government says the measures are intended to improve processing efficiency and support the economy without adding pressure on public services and infrastructure, since the applicants are already living in Canada.
Temporary resident targets remain unchanged through 2029
Canada's annual target for new temporary resident arrivals will remain at 370,000 through 2029. This includes 220,000 workers and 150,000 international students.
The worker allocation comprises 170,000 arrivals under the International Mobility Program and 50,000 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The targets apply to new arrivals and exclude permit extensions and work or study permit applications made by people already in Canada.
The plan also aims to increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec, setting targets of 9.5% in 2027, 10.5% in 2028 and 12% in 2029.
The overall targets provide greater predictability for employers, provinces and educational institutions, although the impact of revised program allocations and processing priorities will become clearer as the government implements the plan.