The Canadian federal government has released its 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, setting an annual target of 380,000 new permanent residents for the next three years. While the total number remains stable, the composition will change significantly — aiming to better align with labor market needs and ease housing and public service pressures. The plan focuses on increasing economic immigration, reducing family reunification and humanitarian categories, and expanding provincial nominee and French-speaking immigrant quotas. However, some reduction measures have sparked concern among community groups.
Under the new plan, the proportion of economic-class immigrants will gradually rise from 59 percent in 2025 to over 64 percent by 2028, with intake growing from 232,000 to 244,700 — primarily to meet labor market demands.
Meanwhile, family reunification (spouses, parents, grandparents) will drop from 24 percent to 21percent, cutting the annual quota from 96,000 to 81,000. The refugee and humanitarian category will fall from 14.8 percent to 13 percent, with total numbers reduced from 56,000 to 54,000.
Refugee programs will see sharp cuts:
- Privately sponsored refugees: 23,000 → 16,000
- Government-assisted refugees: 15,250 → 13,250
- Humanitarian programs (including those for Ukrainians and Hong Kongers): 10,000 (2026) → 6,900, and down to 5,000 in 2027–2028.
To ease housing and public service strains, temporary resident levels will also be reduced:
- New international students: 305,900 → 150,000 per year
- Foreign workers: 367,750 (2026) → 230,000, then further down to 220,000 in 2027–2028.
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Massive expansion for provincial nominee and French-speaking programs
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will be the main driver of economic immigration growth, with allocations jumping from 55,000 in 2025 to 92,500 in 2028, a 66 percent increase.
Beneficiaries include:
- Candidates in the provincial nominee pool;
- Applicants with low CRS scores;
- Those ineligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
- Workers in low-skill occupations (TEER 4 or 5);
- Entrepreneurs and investors.
The increase will allow provinces to widen eligibility after earlier 2024 quota cuts restricted applications. Early in 2025, the federal government had halved PNP quotas, but under Prime Minister Mark Carney and Immigration Minister Diab, allocations have been raised for all provinces except Ontario and Prince Edward Island — a sharp contrast to the policies of former PM Justin Trudeau and former minister Marc Miller.
French-speaking immigration outside Quebec will also rise from 29,325 in 2025 to 35,175 in 2028, increasing its share from 8.5 percent to 10.5 percent, to strengthen Francophone communities.
Transition measures and policy controversy
To resolve temporary resident backlogs, two transition measures are included:
- Over the next two years, 115,000 people who have been granted asylum but lack permanent status will receive PR (outside the main plan).
- 33,000 temporary foreign workers will be fast-tracked to PR between 2026–2027.
These steps aim to reduce processing backlogs in the immigration system.
However, cuts to family reunification and humanitarian programs have drawn criticism, with some warning that Canada’s humanitarian image could suffer. The Immigration Minister said the government will continue monitoring labor and housing conditions to ensure sustainability.
While the plan’s “survival of the fittest” strategy is meant to optimize immigration structure, its long-term effects remain to be seen.
Immigration targets at a glance
- 2026: 239,800 (economic), 84,000 (family), 56,200 (refugee/humanitarian) — total 380,000
- 2027: 244,700 (economic), 81,000 (family), 54,300 (refugee/humanitarian) — total 380,000
- 2028: 244,700 (economic), 81,000 (family), 54,300 (refugee/humanitarian) — total 380,000
