The Future of Canadian Immigration: 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan Released

Near the end of each year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada releases a new Immigration Levels Plan, as it must be tabled before November 1 of each year. Each Immigration Levels Plan outlines the Canadian government’s plan for immigration in Canada over the next three years. The newest Plan, the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, was released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in late October 2025.

Although a new Plan is released every year, the plan for subsequent years informs the future of Canadian immigration policy. Nonetheless, the Plan for 2026 will likely be adhered to closely, and the information within is essential to know, as it dictates the programs that Canadian Immigration will focus on. The Plan indicates that the numbers for 2027 and 2028 are notional targets and ranges; however, they remain informative in illustrating prevailing immigration trends, even if the numbers are not absolute. Furthermore, specific immigration objectives for permanent resident numbers, temporary resident numbers, Francophone immigration outside of Quebec, and other areas are outlined in the Plan.

Permanent Residency

Permanent residence admissions are to remain closely aligned with the numbers put forth in the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan. However, there are some essential differences between the plans. Overall, the 2026-2028 Plan anticipates 380,000 total permanent resident admissions, representing a slight decrease from the 395,000 admitted as part of the 2025-2027 plan. However, the total number remains consistent with the projection for 2026 that was included as part of the 2025-2027 Plan; however, the admissions are proportioned slightly differently between the different categories of permanent residents.

The current Plan calls for a slight increase in economic permanent resident admissions, while there is set to be a slight decrease in family reunification and refugee and humanitarian admissions. These numbers are expected to remain relatively stable from 2026 to 2028, with only slight changes. However, the proportion of French-speaking admissions outside of Quebec as part of permanent resident admissions is set to rise from 9% in 2026 to 10.5% in 2028, so this will have an impact on the permanent residents that are admitted to Canada, as proportionally more French speakers will be admitted over the next few years.

Economic Admissions

As part of the planned economic admissions, Provincial Nominee Program admissions are expected to increase with the 2026-2028 Plan compared to the 2025-2027 Plan. Currently, the target is 91,500 permanent resident admissions in 2026, representing a significant increase from the 55,000 allocated under the 2025-2027 Plan. However, the Provincial Nominee Programs are not the biggest source of allocated admissions, as the Federal High Skilled category is allotted 109,000 permanent resident admissions. A smaller number of admissions, around 10,000 in total, are allocated to economic pilots such as the Caregivers pilot and the Agri-Food pilot. An additional 4,000 admissions are allocated to the Atlantic Immigration Program.

Family Admissions

Overall, there are set to be 84,000 family permanent resident admissions in 2026, which is slightly down from the 88,000 predicted for 2026 in the 2025-2027 Plan. Most family admissions are allocated to spouses, partners, and children of Canadian permanent residents, as 69,000 admissions are designated for this category. Comparatively, the proportion of admissions for parents and grandparents is minor, as only 15,000 admissions are reserved under this category. The Parents and Grandparents program has a notoriously large backlog, as sponsors who were issued invitations in 2025 submitted their forms during the 2020 intake. However, an intake occurred in 2025, so newer applicants may have their applications considered for admission in 2026.

Refugees and Protected Persons

The Plan calls for a total of 49,300 refugees and protected persons to be admitted to Canada as permanent residents in 2026. Furthermore, an additional 6,900 Humanitarian & Compassionate applications, as well as other applications, will be admitted as permanent residents in 2026. These numbers both represent slight declines from 2025, as well as the predicted numbers for 2026 in the 2025-2027 Plan.

Temporary Residency

According to the Plan, the number of temporary residents in Canada is expected to decrease year over year. There is currently an overarching goal to limit the number of temporary residents in Canada to less than 5% of the country’s total population. In this context, the declining numbers of planned temporary resident admissions in the plan are consistent with the stated immigration aims of the current Canadian government.

The Plan calls for 385,000 total arrivals of temporary residents in 2026, with that number expected to decline to 370,000 in each of 2027 and 2028. The total number of temporary residents slated for admission into Canada in 2026 can be divided into students and workers. The Plan calls for 155,000 student admissions in 2026, with that number dropping slightly to 150,000 in both 2027 and 2028. This represents a stark decrease of more than 50% from the planned 305,900 student admissions in the 2025-2027 Plan.

The reduction in international student admissions is consistent with the general Canadian Government post-pandemic policy of reducing international student admissions. Certain policies, such as the implementation of a cap on international students, and other measures, including attestation letters, have made it clear that the Canadian Government has a goal of reducing the number of international students in Canada.

The Plan calls for 230,000 workers on temporary visas to be admitted in 2026. This included 60,000 workers on temporary foreign worker permits, and 170,000 workers admitted as part of the international mobility program. The international mobility program allows Canadian employers to fill labour needs that support Canada’s economic, social, and cultural priorities. The 170,000 workers slated for admittance under the program represent an increase of around 30% from the number in the 2025 Plan.

Future of Canadian Immigration

The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan makes it clear that the Canadian Government is focused on curbing temporary resident admissions to Canada to meet its goal of having no more than 5% of Canada’s population as temporary residents. Furthermore, the goal of increasing the proportion of French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec is evident, as the proportion is expected to rise each year. Permanent resident admissions are expected to remain around the same level, but the increased focus on the Provincial Nominee Programs is noteworthy, and it remains to be seen whether these programs will continue to receive more admissions in the future compared to the Federal High Skilled program. Overall, the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan largely reaffirms the existing trends in Canadian immigration and is consistent with the Canadian Government’s aforementioned intentions.

Contact Garson Immigration Law for Assistance with Canadian Immigration

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