Canada will hold permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year in 2027, 2028 and 2029, under the federal government's new Immigration Levels Plan, with a further 370,000 new temporary residents arriving each year.

The plan was released on 5 November alongside Budget 2026 by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It keeps the targets set in the previous plan, which the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney says will bring immigration back to sustainable levels after years of rapid growth.

What the plan sets

Permanent resident admissions will stay at 380,000 a year, with more than 64% of places going to economic immigrants. New temporary resident arrivals will be held at 370,000 a year, made up of 220,000 workers and up to 150,000 international students in each of the three years.

The government says the targets will keep permanent resident admissions below 1% of Canada's total population beyond 2027 and help slow population growth so housing and public services can catch up. Statistics Canada data cited by the government shows the population growing at its slowest annual rate in more than a century, with the number of non-permanent residents falling over the past two years.

The plan also raises the target for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec, from 9.5% of admissions in 2027 to 10.5% in 2028 and 12% in 2029, and increases planned admissions under the Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Program. The Rural Community Immigration Pilot, which helps smaller communities fill labour shortages, will be made permanent.

One-time route for 200,000 already in Canada

Alongside the main targets, the government will open a time-limited measure in 2027 to move up to 200,000 people already living in Canada to permanent residence. Half of the places are for a workers' cohort, including people already working in Canada and their families, and half are for a humanitarian cohort, including people waiting years for a decision and applicants under the Hong Kong and Ukraine family pathways.

The government has set aside 302 million Canadian dollars over four years, starting in 2027-28, to support the transition. It says the measure will help clear application backlogs and bring waiting times for spouses and partners closer to 12 months.

Opposition says housing cannot keep up

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has rejected the government's claim that the numbers are sustainable, arguing that Canada cannot absorb the combined total next year, which reaches roughly 660,000 once the one-time measures are included, given shortages of housing, health care and entry-level jobs. He has pointed in particular to young Canadians struggling to find work and affordable housing.

Unemployment rose to 6.7% in October after the economy shed 4,700 jobs, with falls in private-sector and full-time employment. Carney has said the overall numbers are sustainable and pointed to reductions already achieved in asylum claims, international student numbers and temporary foreign workers.

The plan sets national targets and does not change any individual's application. Applicants should check the official IRCC pages, as immigration rules change.