Temporary Resident Targets in Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2027–2029

Key Takeaways

• Canada has set a target of 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals in 2027, down 3.8 percent from 2026.
• The target includes 220,000 temporary workers and 150,000 international students.
• The 2027 targets remain unchanged from the projections announced in last year’s Immigration Levels Plan.
• Canada remains well above its goal of reducing temporary residents to less than 5 percent of the population by the end of 2027.
• Help is here if you need it. You can book a consultation with our in-house RCIC Rebecca Major if the levels plans have left you feeling uncertain.

The Temporary Resident Targets for 2027–2029

The 2027 and 2028 figures haven’t changed from the notional targets set in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan. But compared to 2026, the overall target for 2027 is 3.8% lower, dropping from 385,000 to 370,000.

Worker targets for 2027 declined compared to last year as well. Specifically, the TFW target for 2027 dropped to 50,000, down from 60,000 last year (a 16.6% decrease). The target for the International Mobility Program remained steady at 170,000.

The target for international student arrivals has also been decreased by another 5,000, reaching 150,000 in 2027.

Can Canada Hit Its Temporary Resident Population Target of Less Than 5% by 2027 End?

The Immigration Levels Plan reiterates Canada’s commitment to bring temporary resident numbers to under 5% of the country’s population by the end of 2027.

But is this goal realistic?

Let’s look at the facts. Since 2024, temporary resident arrivals have consistently been dropping. But as of July 1, 2026, non-permanent residents (NPR) still made up 6.69% of the population. That gives Canada a year and a half to reduce the NPR population by around 689,000 individuals.

2027 marks the third year for which Canada has set temporary resident targets. Keep in mind that the temporary resident targets in the Immigration Levels Plan refer to new arrivals, not the number of temporary residents living in Canada.

The targets also exclude asylum claimants, permit extensions, and most applications made from within Canada. Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) are also excluded because IRCC treats them as a change or extension of status rather than new arrivals.

Another thing that the Immigration Levels Plan doesn’t (and can’t) capture is expected exits. However, we do know that with permanent resident targets shrinking over the last few years, fewer temporary residents are expected to transition to PR. This means that they will ultimately have to leave the country.

So, it will realistically take at least three or four years for the lower targets to have an impact on the population numbers. This is because anyone arriving on a study permit or a work permit will continue to stay in Canada at least for the duration of their permit. Some of them may transition to a different status after that, for example, a student moving to a Post Graduation Work Permit or a worker getting PR.

In short, we expect to see the impact of the 2024 restrictions and targets in 2027. This will mean a sharper drop in the temporary resident population in Canada in 2027. Whether or not we’ll hit the less than 5% goal remains to be seen.

International Student Targets See Another Reduction — But Does It Really Change Anything?

Canada’s target for new international student arrivals will fall from 155,000 in 2026 to 150,000 in 2027, a decrease of just over 3 percent. This is in line with the notional target set last year.

Targets for international students were first set in the 2025–2027 levels plan, starting at 305,900 for 2025. The following year, the target was slashed to almost half.

But when you look at actual student arrivals, you’ll notice they fell significantly short of even these relatively low targets. For instance, in 2025, only 114,920 new students arrived in Canada — only 37.5% of the target.

Similarly, between January and August 2026, only 65,240 students arrived. This puts the country at 42% of the target for the year, with four months remaining.

The decline in student arrivals hasn’t just been due to lower targets, but also tighter policies. These include higher proof of financial support requirements, as well as restrictions on PGWP and spousal open work permit eligibility.

So, while an additional 5,000 cut in student targets might feel restrictive, it likely won’t have much practical impact.

Lower Targets for Temporary Workers Too

Canada has also reduced its target for new temporary workers, from 230,000 in 2026 to 220,000 in 2027.

However, as with international students, actual arrivals over the last year and a half have already been below the government’s targets.

Temporary Foreign Worker Program Sees a Steep Cut

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) will see almost a 17% reduction, with its target falling from 60,000 in 2026 to 50,000 in 2027, 2028, and 2029. In 2025, the TFW target had been 82,000, so that’s an almost 40% decrease in just two years.

The TFWP allows Canadian employers to hire foreign workers, generally after demonstrating through a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) that they cannot find suitable Canadian workers or permanent residents.

The program has faced several restrictions since 2024, particularly for employers hiring low-wage workers.

These include caps on the proportion of temporary foreign workers employers can hire and restrictions on processing certain LMIA applications in regions with higher unemployment.

Already, the impact of these changes is being seen on the ground, with only 29,485 TFW arrivals between January and August 2026. At this pace, we may even fall short of the 60,000 target for 2026.

The TFW has recently faced significant public backlash, which led major corporations like Tim Hortons to announce that they would scale back hiring of temporary foreign workers. Critics of the program state the TFW allows employers to hire cheaper foreign labour, artificially keeping wages low.

From a political standpoint, this further cut to the TFW target makes sense, especially as unemployment rates remain high across the country.

International Mobility Program Target Remains Unchanged

The International Mobility Program (IMP) will continue to have a target of 170,000 new arrivals in 2027-2029, unchanged from 2026.

The IMP covers several LMIA-exempt work permit pathways, including work permits issued under international agreements and programs that have significant benefit to Canada. Some of these include International Experience Canada (IEC) and Francophone Mobility Work Permits.

The IMP is also associated with higher-skilled workers, such as those who can make significant contributions in Canada and those with specialized knowledge or senior management experience. This aligns better with the kind of global talent Canada wants to attract.

Again, it’s important to note that Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) are now excluded from IMP targets, even though they are an LMIA-exempt work permit category. This is because transitioning from one type of permit to another does not count as an arrival.

TL;DR: Small Cuts but No Surprises

All in all, the temporary resident targets for 2027–2029 did not hold any surprises. In fact, almost the entire Moving2Canada team expected temporary resident targets for 2027 to echo the notional targets that had been set in the 2026–2028 plan — and they did.

The minor cuts that we see in these targets are unlikely to make an actual difference, given that temporary resident arrivals are already tracking behind the targets for 2026.

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