IRCC Finally Announces TR to PR, Confirms 33,000 In-Canada Workers on Path to PR

On May 4, 2026, IRCC released an update on the TR to PR pathway, now named the In-Canada Workers Initiative. This measure was first introduced in Budget 2025 and reiterated in the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan. 

According to IRCC’s TR to PR announcement, the In-Canada Workers Initiative will initially target work permit holders who have already applied for PR through specific programs and will accelerate their transition to permanent residence. Only applicants who have been living outside major urban centres for at least two years are eligible for this accelerated processing. IRCC will accelerate eligible applications on its own, and no action will be required from you. 

This announcement comes as a disappointment to many workers in Canada who hoped the TR to PR pathway would be their golden ticket to remain in Canada after their work permit expiry. Unfortunately, the “initiative” is not a program after all but only fast-tracking of existing PR applications. 

Key Takeaways 

• IRCC is accelerating TR to PR for up to 33,000 workers in smaller communities in 2026 and 2027, with 20,000 targeted for 2026. 

• Workers must have been living in smaller communities for at least two years and have an active PR application through one of the eligible programs. 

• The eligible programs are the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, the community immigration pilots, the caregiver pilots and the Agri­-Food Pilot. 

• Between January and February 2026, 3,600 workers were granted PR under this initiative, representing 18% of the 2026 target. 

• No application is required. Eligible workers are being selected from existing inventories. 

Who Is Eligible for the In-Canada Workers Initiative? 

The one-time In-Canada Workers Initiative focuses on foreign workers who already have an active PR application through one of the following programs: 

• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) 

• Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) 

• Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP) 

• Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) 

• Caregiver pilots 

• Agri-Food Pilot 

You also need to have been living in a smaller community in Canada for at least two years. 

Earlier ministerial comments suggest that “smaller community” means areas outside the 41 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) in Canada. A CMA is an area with a total population of at least 100,000, of which at least 50,000 people live in the urban core. This would exclude cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal, while including a wide range of smaller cities and towns across the country. 

The programs covered by this initiative are specifically designed for workers filling regional labour needs, which is consistent with the initiative’s focus on communities that are experiencing labour force gaps. 

TR to PR Target for 2026 

The one-time In-Canada Workers Initiative is a two-year measure, through which IRCC aims to transition 33,000 temporary residents to permanent residence. Of this, at least 20,000 workers will receive PR in 2026, while the remaining 13,000 will be completed in 2027. 

Although no formal TR to PR launch date was announcement, IRCC has clarified that the program is already under way. Between January 1 and February 28, 2026, 3,600 workers were granted permanent residence under this initiative. That represents 18% of the target for 2026. 

IRCC’s announcement also says that the department is on track to meet its 2026 TR to PR target. Progress on this initiative will be updated monthly on IRCC’s website. 

The one good thing about the In-Canada Workers Initiative is that this 33,000 target is over and above IRCC’s stated permanent resident admissions target. So, even though the initiative pulls from PR applications already being processed, it means that 20,000 additional workers who ordinarily would not have received PR will get it in 2026.

The Broader Context Behind the In-Canada Workers Initiative 

This initiative is part of a broader federal effort to reduce the share of temporary residents to less than 5% of the population by the end of 2027. The In-Canada Workers Initiative aims to converta portion of the existing temporary resident population into permanent residents, specifically those who have established ties to their communities and are contributing to rural economies that need foreign talent the most.  

That said, only a very small percentage of work permit holders will benefit from this measure. In February 2026, there were 1,492,935 workers in Canada. This means the 2026 In-Canada Workers Initiative target of 20,000 will only cover 1.3 per cent of existing workers. 

By accelerating applications of those who’ve already initiated a PR application, IRCC can focus on applicants who meet the minimum eligibility criteria for selected PR programs. 

The programs covered by this initiative are built around regional labour needs and employer or community support. Workers admitted through these pathways have, in most cases, already been vetted for their fit with local economies. Accelerating their PR decisions is, from IRCC’s perspective, a more efficient and lower risk move than processing applicants under a specially designed program. 

Applying for the TR to PR Initiative 

There is no separate application process for the In-Canada Workers Initiative. Only applicants who already have a PR application in process under an eligible regional immigration program(PNP, AIP, RCIP, FCIP) or occupation-based pilot (caregiver or agri-food pilot) will be considered for the TR to PR pathway. As their existing applications will only be fast-tracked, applicants do not need to take any action. 

IRCC is working through existing inventories. If you have an active application through one of the eligible programs and meet the other criteria (work permit holder living in a smaller community for at least two years and working in an in-demand sector), your application may already be in the queue. 

In the months preceding the formal announcement of the In-Canada Workers Initiative, some unscrupulous immigration agents had been charging clients in advance for the TR to PR application. Today’s announcement, however, makes it clear that there is no separate application required for the TR to PR initiative.  

The initial reactions following the announcement ranged from disbelief to disappointment. Some noted that applicants would be “mad and shattered” while others called out IRCC for the “dishonest framing”.

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What We Still Don’t Know About the In-Canada Workers Initiative 

The announcement still leaves out several pertinent pieces of information. It does not specify the following:  

• Which in-demand occupations or sectors are being prioritized for the In-Canada Workers Initiative  

• How IRCC will verify addresses, since most PR applications typically do not require proof of address. 

• Whether applicants living in a CMA and working remotely for a company in a smaller community (or vice versa) will qualify 

• How applicants will be selected for faster processing, whether there will be any weightage based on years spent in Canada, occupation, or region 

• What the processing times for applications fast-tracked under the In-Canada Workers Initiative will look like 

• Whether applicants will receive any formal communication from the IRCC explaining their application has been fast-tracked 

If you are currently working in Canada on temporary status and have applied for PR under a program not listed above, the TR to PR initiative does not apply to you. That does not close off other routes to permanent residence, but it does mean you would be on a different timeline through a different program. 

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