Canada published its 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan on 5 November 2026, the same day as Budget 2026. The plan sets how many new permanent residents, international students and temporary workers the country intends to admit in each of the next three years.
The top-line numbers hold steady. The changes sit one level down, in how the permanent resident spaces are split between federal and provincial programs, and in a separate one-year measure for people who are already in Canada.
Canada plans 380,000 new permanent residents and 370,000 new temporary residents (220,000 workers, 150,000 students) in each of 2027, 2028 and 2029, with fewer federal Express Entry spaces, more provincial nominee and Atlantic spaces, and up to 200,000 extra PR spaces in 2027 for people already in Canada.
A one-year 2027 measure adds up to 200,000 PR spaces for people already in Canada. Who is covered, what is unknown, and what to do now.
What are the headline targets for 2027 to 2029?
IRCC's supplementary information sets the same targets for all three years. The ranges are what IRCC can move within without changing the plan (IRCC, supplementary information, 5 Nov 2026).
| Category | Target, each year 2027–2029 | Range |
|---|---|---|
| New permanent residents | 380,000 | 352,500 – 422,000 |
| New temporary residents (workers + students) | 370,000 | 355,000 – 385,000 |
| Temporary workers | 220,000 | no separate range |
| International students | 150,000 | no separate range |
The 2028 and 2029 figures are notional. IRCC confirms or adjusts them by 1 November of the following year, so the next plan, due in autumn 2027, can still change them.
How are the 380,000 permanent resident spaces divided?
Economic immigration takes 244,700 spaces a year, or 64.4% of the total. Family takes 81,000 (21.3%), refugees and protected persons 49,300 (13%), and humanitarian and other cases 5,000 (1.3%).
| Program (2027 target) | 2027–2029 plan | Last year's plan for 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Federal High Skilled (Express Entry: FSW, FST, CEC) | 100,000 | 111,000 |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 95,000 | 92,500 |
| Atlantic Immigration Program | 6,000 | 4,000 |
| Rural Community Immigration Program | 5,500 | (inside the pilots line) |
| Federal economic pilots | 7,900 | 8,775 |
| Federal Business (Start-up Visa, Self-employed) | 1,500 | 500 |
| Spouses, partners and children | 66,000 | 66,000 |
| Parents and grandparents | 15,000 | 15,000 |
Sources: IRCC supplementary information for the 2027–2029 and 2026–2028 plans. Last year's pilots line also held the community pilots that now have their own rural line, so those two rows are not a like-for-like comparison.
What actually changed from last year's plan?
Four shifts matter for anyone planning a permanent move.
- Express Entry's federal share falls. Federal High Skilled drops from the 111,000 pencilled in for 2027 to 100,000. IRCC pairs this with "continued reforms to Express Entry" to select "more high-potential workers, including skilled tradespeople".
- Provinces get more. The Provincial Nominee Program rises to 95,000 a year. IRCC describes it as "modestly increasing provincial programs to address regional labour needs".
- Atlantic Canada and rural communities grow. The Atlantic Immigration Program goes from 4,000 to 6,000, and the Rural Community Immigration Program gets its own line, rising from 5,500 in 2027 to 6,500 in 2029.
- The business line moves, though the main program is paused. Federal Business, which covers the Start-up Visa and Self-employed Persons programs, goes from 500 to 1,500 in 2027, 2,725 in 2028 and 1,000 in 2029. The Start-up Visa has been closed to new applications since 30 June 2026, so these spaces finish files already in the queue. IRCC has not said what the higher 2028 figure is for.
Students and temporary workers do not change against last year's notional figures. IRCC's own summary page calls them "consistent with last year's plan".
What is the 2027 time-limited measure?
Alongside the targets, IRCC announced extra space, outside the 380,000, to process permanent residence for people already living in Canada. It runs for 2027 only. IRCC says it "is not a new pathway" and that applicants "do not need to apply separately or take any additional steps" (IRCC, measures page, 5 Nov 2026).
- Workers cohort, up to 100,000 spaces: workers outside Quebec and their families who are waiting for a decision under programs now closed to new applications (the Start-Up Visa, Self-Employed Persons, the Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programs), or who are eligible to apply through the Provincial Nominee Program. Provinces and territories take part.
- Humanitarian cohort, up to 100,000 spaces: spouses, partners and children of Canadians and permanent residents who have already applied, the remaining Hong Kong and Ukrainian-family pathway files, and in-Canada humanitarian cases approved in principle.
Budget 2026 describes the same measure as "up to 200,000 temporary residents already in Canada" becoming permanent residents by the end of 2027, and funds it with $302.3 million over four years. The budget describes the worker half as people "eligible for Express Entry or the Provincial Nominee Program", which is broader wording than IRCC's list. Until IRCC publishes more detail, treat IRCC's page as the operative description.
The two one-time initiatives from Budget 2025 also continue: up to 115,000 protected persons in Canada and 33,000 work permit holders moving to permanent residence across 2026 and 2027.
Which sectors does Canada say it is selecting for?
IRCC names education, healthcare, construction, AI and digital innovation, defence, energy and critical minerals as the sectors where it will prioritise highly skilled workers. The budget adds the skilled-trades picture: more than 7 million job openings projected over the next decade and 1.4 million people needed in the trades by 2033 (Budget 2026, chapter 3).
For Express Entry candidates, these sectors are where category-based draws are likely to keep landing. The plan does not set draw sizes or cut-off scores; those come draw by draw.
What about French speakers outside Quebec?
The French-speaking share of permanent residents settling outside Quebec rises each year: 9.5% in 2027 (31,825 people), 10.5% in 2028 (35,175) and 12% in 2029 (40,200). Last year's plan had 9% for 2026. Quebec selects its own economic immigrants and publishes its own plan, so its numbers are marked "TBD" here.
How does this compare with 2023 and 2024?
The budget's own chart shows how far the numbers have come down. New temporary resident arrivals were 971,815 in 2023 and 686,010 in 2024; the new annual target is 370,000. Permanent resident admissions were 471,820 in 2023 and 483,655 in 2024; the target is 380,000 (Budget 2026, Chart 3.1, IRCC data to 31 August 2026).
Between January and August 2026, new international student arrivals were 71% lower than in the same months of 2024, and new worker arrivals 57% lower, according to the budget.
What does this mean if you are planning a move?
- Skilled workers: the federal Express Entry pool shrinks a little and the provincial route grows. If a province has a stream that fits your occupation, it carries more weight in 2027 than it did a year ago. Our provincial nominee guide compares the provinces.
- People already in Canada: the time-limited measure is the biggest single change. Keep your status valid and your file current; IRCC says no extra application is needed.
- Students: 150,000 new study permits a year is a tight number. Competition for a place, and for a provincial attestation letter where one is required, stays high.
- Business owners: the federal Start-up Visa is paused. The Budget mentions a "high-impact startup pilot" in development, with no criteria, cap or date published. For now, the open business routes are provincial entrepreneur streams, covered in our Start-up Visa status page and the provincial guides.
IRCC says more detail will follow in the 2026 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. We will update this page when program-level guidance appears.
Sources
- IRCC: Canada's immigration levels (5 Nov 2026)
- IRCC: Supplementary information for the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan
- IRCC: Supplementary information for the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan
- IRCC: Managing a responsive and predictable immigration system (time-limited measure)
- Department of Finance Canada: Budget 2026, chapter 3.4