Major Canadian cities excluded from new TR to PR pathway, minister says
Temporary workers in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal won't be eligible for Canada's new TR to PR pathway.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab said the program will exclude all Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), in an interview with "I'm Canada" on April 18, 2026 — a classification that covers Canada's largest urban centres.
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Diab also indicated that she expected "much more” of the full selection criteria for the TR to PR pathway to come out “in the next coming weeks”.
In an earlier interview on March 6, Diab said that the pathway had already launched, but had not provided further information, and that more details would be released in April.
Foreign nationals who wish to prepare their documents for the launch of the pathway can refer to our article on the topic.
What is a CMA?
Statistics Canada defines a CMA as one or more neighbouring municipalities centred on an urban core with a total population of at least 100,000, of which at least 50,000 live in the core. Canada has 41 CMAs, home to about 84% of the country's population according to the 2021 census.
Beyond the three cities the Minister named, Canada's CMAs include (but are not limited to):
- Calgary;
- Edmonton;
- Halifax;
- Hamilton;
- Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo
- Ottawa-Gatineau;
- Winnipeg; and
- Quebec City.
You can check whether your area is a CMA using Statistics Canada's full list of census metropolitan areas.
About the TR to PR pathway
The TR to PR pathway is a one-time federal measure that will grant permanent residence to 33,000 temporary workers over 2026 and 2027.
IRCC launched the program quietly in March, with more details expected in April. It targets temporary foreign workers already living and working in Canada, with a focus on those in rural communities.
An earlier TR-to-PR pathway launched on April 14, 2021, and hit its application cap on July 16 that same year.
Recent push towards rural immigration
The CMA exclusion fits a wider pattern of federal and provincial measures aimed at directing immigration away from major cities.
Since April 1, 2026, rural employers outside CMAs have been able to take advantage of temporary measures under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) that make it easier to hire and retain low-wage temporary foreign workers. Eligible employers can retain their current share of low-wage temporary foreign workers above the usual cap, and can hire up to 15% of their workforce through the TFWP — up from the standard 10% limit.
Three provinces have opted in so far. Nova Scotia and Manitoba have both taken up the full set of measures, while Quebec has opted into the retained proportion measure only. The remaining provinces and territories are still to confirm their participation.
The measures run until March 31, 2027 — the same window as the TR to PR pathway itself. If you're a temporary foreign worker employed by a rural employer in one of these provinces, both measures may be relevant to your path to permanent residence.
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