Canada plans to welcome up to 622,000 new permanent residents by the end of 2027, according to figures released in the latest federal budget and annual Immigration Levels Plan.
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On Nov 5., 2026 the government published Budget 2026, which announced measures to transition to permanent residence up to 200,000 in-Canada temporary residents by the end of 2027.
On top of the 2027 TR-to-PR transition measures (2027 TPTMs), the government’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, also published on Nov. 5, set a top-of-range target of 422,000 for incoming permanent residence admissions in 2027.
Of the up to 200,000 spaces accorded to the 2027 TPTMs, 100,000 will be earmarked for skilled workers through Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), in collaboration with the provinces and territories, according to the Budget.
On top of the 622,000 new permanent residents accounted for by the projected admissions for 2027 plus the 2027 TPTMs, the Plan indicates that the government plans on an additional cohort of new Canadian permanent residents in 2027: the remainder of the 148,000 permanent resident admissions promised under the two 2026–2027 one-time initiatives (2026–2027 OTIs) the government announced last year, when it unveiled plans to grant permanent residence to up to 115,000 protected persons and to 33,000 in-Canada workers.
The Plan did not specify how many of the 148,000 protected persons and foreign workers remain to be issued permanent residence before the end of 2027 under the 2026–2027 OTIs.
From January 2026 to August 2026, Canada welcomed 46,330 new permanent residents under the 2026–2027 OTIs, according to the most recent data, as of the time of writing, published on the government’s permanent residence numbers web page, suggesting that around 100,000 protected persons and skilled workers remain to be issued PR over the 16-month period running Sept. 2026 through Dec. 2027.
For the notional targets for permanent residence admissions for the years 2028 and 2029, the Plan set the same ranges and midpoints as for 2027:
| 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projected PR admissions | 380,000 (352,500–422,000) | 380,000 (352,500–422,000) | 380,000 (352,500–422,000) |
For each of the above years, the Plan breaks down the 380,000 admissions into mid-point targets of
- 244,700 under economic immigration;
- 81,000 under family reunification;
- 49,300 under refugees and protected persons; and
- 5,000 under humanitarian & compassionate and other.
The Plan set increasing targets for French-speaking admissions outside Quebec as a percentage of overall permanent residence admissions: 9.5% for 2027, 10.5% for 2028, and 12% for 2029.
Temporary residence targets
In the Plan, temporary residence admissions for 2027 have been set at 370,000, of which 220,000 spaces are for temporary foreign workers, and 150,000 for international students.
Of the spaces for foreign workers, 50,000 are for work permits issued under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), which require Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) to show that no qualified Canadian citizen or permanent resident could be hired.
The other 170,000 work permits are set to be issued through the International Mobility Program (IMP), and are exempt from the LMIA requirement.
For the notional temporary residence targets for the years 2028 and 2029, the Plan set precisely the same annual targets as those above for 2027.
The above 2027 targets for temporary residence admissions, as set out in this year’s Plan, are identical to the notional 2027 targets the government established in November 2025 when it published the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.
This is a breaking news article. CIC News will update the article as details emerge.
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