What to Expect from Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2026–2028

The Canadian federal government is preparing to release its 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan, outlining how many permanent and temporary residents Canada will aim to admit over the next three years.

The plan, to be published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on or before November 1, 2025, will set official immigration targets for 2026 and include projected figures for 2027 and 2028.

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Each year, the Immigration Levels Plan acts as a roadmap for Canada’s immigration strategy, balancing economic growth, population expansion, and the country’s capacity to integrate newcomers.

Stabilizing Permanent Resident Levels

If the federal government follows through on its election promise, the target for permanent resident admissions in 2026 will likely remain below 416,500.

This upper limit reflects the Liberal Party’s commitment to keeping immigration at less than one percent of Canada’s total population each year. As of July 1, 2025, Canada’s population was approximately 41.65 million.

Last year’s Immigration Levels Plan already reflected this stabilization policy, as permanent resident targets for 2025 were cut by 20 percent compared to the plan released in 2023.

These totals include economic immigration, family reunification, and refugee or humanitarian admissions.

Express Entry: Continued Focus on Economic Immigration

Even though overall permanent resident targets were reduced last year, IRCC increased the allocation for economic immigrants through the Express Entry system.

The 2025 to 2027 plan introduced two new categories that replaced the former Federal High Skilled (FHS) stream:

• Federal Economic Priorities, which targets in-demand occupations and French-speaking applicants.
• In-Canada Focus, which prioritizes candidates already living and working in Canada on temporary status.

For 2025, these two categories combined represent a total of 124,680 admissions, compared to 117,500 under the old FHS category in the previous plan.

This change shows IRCC’s growing emphasis on aligning immigration with labor market needs and helping temporary residents transition to permanent status.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): Possible Increases in 2026

Last year’s plan marked a major shift in Canada’s approach to the Provincial Nominee Program. Federal admission targets for the PNP were cut by half, reducing annual admissions from 110,000 in 2024 to 55,000 for each of 2025, 2026, and 2027.

While this reduction initially limited provincial allocations, several provinces, including British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick, have since negotiated increases to their nomination spaces for 2025.

On October 16, 2025, Immigration Minister Lena Diab met with provincial and territorial representatives to discuss additional allocation increases. If these trends continue, the 2026 plan may include a higher PNP admissions target.

Including Temporary Resident Targets

For the second year in a row, IRCC is expected to include temporary resident targets in its Immigration Levels Plan.

During consultations for the 2026 to 2028 plan, IRCC confirmed that it aims to reduce the non-permanent resident population to below five percent of Canada’s total population by the end of 2027.

Temporary residents include foreign workers and international students. In the 2025 to 2027 plan, international students accounted for the majority of temporary resident admissions.

Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP): Reforms Expected

Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated that changes are coming to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, with a focus on making it more strategic and region-specific.

The current annual target of 82,000 workers is expected to remain in place for now, but future adjustments may occur.

Recent policy updates include:

• A moratorium on low-wage LMIA applications in regions with unemployment above six percent.
• A higher wage threshold for high-wage stream eligibility.
• Lower employer caps on the percentage of workers hired through the TFWP.
• Stricter spousal open work permit eligibility, now limited to specific high-demand occupations (TEER 0 to 3).

The TFWP has faced political scrutiny, with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre calling for its complete elimination earlier this year.

Expanding Francophone Immigration

The federal government remains committed to increasing francophone immigration outside Quebec.

In the 2025 to 2027 plan, the government set the following targets for French-speaking newcomers:

• 8.5 percent in 2025
• 9.5 percent in 2026
• 10 percent in 2027

Prime Minister Carney has pledged to raise this figure to 12 percent by 2029.

To support this, IRCC continues to:

• Conduct French-language category-based draws under Express Entry.
• Launch new francophone immigration pathways such as the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot.
• Expand settlement and integration services for French-speaking immigrants.

International Student Admissions: Ongoing Caps

It is unclear whether the new plan will modify the targets for international student arrivals.

To manage these numbers, the federal government has introduced an annual cap on study permit applications. Students who are not exempt must include a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) with their application. The cap is updated each year, typically in January.

Outlook

The 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan will represent the second year of Canada’s new integrated approach, which combines both permanent and temporary resident targets.

While overall immigration levels are expected to stabilize, economic immigration, provincial nominations, and francophone recruitment will likely remain central to Canada’s long-term strategy.

IRCC’s upcoming announcement in November 2025 will set the direction for Canada’s immigration policy, balancing labor market needs, population growth, and integration capacity in the years ahead.