Canada will announce its Immigration Levels Plan for 2027 to 2029 in less than a month, setting new targets for permanent residents, international students, and temporary foreign workers.
Canada’s current plan calls for 380,000 new permanent residents in both 2027 and 2028. However, these targets are not set in stone. The federal government often revises the targets set in the previous three-year rolling plan when it releases the new version.
And there are already signs that a change could be coming.
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently said the government is starting to consider when Canada can resume a “controlled increase” in its population. His comments came after significant reductions in new international student and foreign worker arrivals, and as Canada’s population growth slowed.
At the same time, the government is still working toward its goal of reducing temporary residents to less than five percent of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.
So, what could the next Immigration Levels Plan look like? Here are our predictions for Canada’s immigration targets in 2027 and beyond.
Key Takeaways
- Canada currently plans to admit 380,000 permanent residents in both 2027 and 2028.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney has signalled Canada could eventually return to controlled population growth.
- Express Entry, PNPs, and Francophone immigration are likely to remain major priorities.
- International student and temporary worker arrivals are likely to remain restricted as Canada reduces its temporary resident population.
When Will Canada Announce the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan?
Canada is likely to announce its 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan by early November.
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires the immigration minister to table the Immigration Levels Plan for the following year by November 1. If a House of Parliament is not sitting on November 1, the legislation allows the report to be tabled within 30 sitting days.
November 1 falls on a Sunday this year. So we expect the new Immigration Levels Plan to be announced within the first week of November at the latest, likely alongside the Federal Budget.
IRCC has already completed public consultations for the 2027–2029 plan.
The new plan will set targets for 2027, 2028 and 2029 and could revise the targets already announced for 2027 and 2028.
What Are Canada’s Current Immigration Targets for 2027 and 2028?
According to the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada aims to admit 380,000 permanent residents in both 2027 and 2028.
| Immigration category | 2027 Range | 2027 Target | 2028 Range | 2028 Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Planned Permanent Admissions | 350,000-420,000 | 380,000 | 350,000-420,000 | 380,000 |
| Economic Immigration | 229,000-268,000 | 244,700 | 229,000-268,000 | 244,700 |
| Family Reunification | 75,000-90,000 | 81,000 | 75,000-90,000 | 81,000 |
| Refugee, Protected Persons, Humanitarian and Compassion, and Other | 46,000-62,000 | 54,300 | 46,000-62,000 | 54,300 |
| French-speaking Permanent Resident Admissions outside quebec | - | 31,825 | - | 35,175 |
Within the economic immigration target, Canada currently plans 111,000 Federal High Skilled admissions and 92,500 admissions through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) annually.
Family reunification is expected to include 15,000 admissions under the Parent and Grandparent Program.
Canada has also set separate targets for temporary residents. The current plan calls for 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals in both 2027 and 2028, including 220,000 temporary workers and 150,000 international students.
Canada is also steadily increasing its target for Francophone permanent resident admissions outside Quebec. French-speaking newcomers are expected to account for 9.5 percent of admissions in 2027 and 10.5 percent in 2028.
These targets represent a major change from where Canada was heading just a few years ago. The 2024–2026 Immigration Levels Plan had originally targeted 500,000 permanent resident admissions in 2026. That was subsequently reduced to 380,000.
The question now is whether the federal government believes those reductions have gone far enough, and whether there is room to begin increasing permanent immigration again.
Factors That Could Shape Canada’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan
Several factors could determine whether Canada maintains, increases or reduces its current immigration targets.
Canada’s Population Growth Has Slowed
Canada’s population growth has slowed following restrictions on temporary immigration and lower permanent resident admission targets.
Canada’s population reached approximately 41.8 million on July 1, 2026, increasing by just 0.5 percent over the previous year.
The number of non-permanent residents has also started to fall. Statistics Canada estimated there were approximately 2.78 million non-permanent residents on July 1, down by more than 154,000 compared with one year earlier.
Population growth impacts both the size of Canada’s labour force and overall economic growth.
Canada Is Still Trying to Reduce Temporary Residents Below Five Percent
Although the temporary resident numbers have started to decline, Canada is still some distance away from achieving its target of bringing temporary residents to under five percent of the population by the end of 2027.
As of July 1, 2026, non-permanent residents still represented approximately 6.7 percent of Canada’s population.
That could make the government reluctant to loosen restrictions on international students and temporary workers, even if it decides to increase permanent immigration.
Canada Still Needs Economic Immigration
Canada continues to face the longer-term challenge of an aging population, while some industries and regions need more workers. The existing Immigration Levels Plan already reflects this.
Economic immigration is expected to account for about 64 percent of permanent resident admissions by 2027, including immigrants selected through Federal High Skilled programs, PNPs and regional economic programs.
If the government does increase immigration, we expect economic immigration to receive much of the additional space.
Family reunification targets, meanwhile, are more likely to remain relatively stable, with the current plan already targeting 81,000 admissions in both 2027 and 2028.
Provinces Want More Control Over Economic Immigration
Provincial and territorial governments are also pushing for greater control over economic immigration.
At a June 2026 meeting on the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, provincial and territorial immigration ministers called for stable and adequate PNP allocations. They also requested increases to Provincial Nominee Program and Atlantic Immigration Program allocations.
Our Predictions for Canada’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan
So, what do we expect when the 2027–2029 immigration targets are announced?
TL;DR: We expect IRCC to stick fairly close to the targets that were set for 2027 last year. But at this time, it’s all speculative, based on what we know about immigration trends and political pressures. Here’s what we predict.
Prediction 1: Permanent Resident Admissions Will Stay Stable
We expect Canada to keep its overall permanent resident target within the planned 350,000 to 420,000 range in 2027. That would be consistent with the current Immigration Levels Plan, which already targets 380,000 permanent resident admissions in 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Carney’s recent comments about eventually returning to controlled population growth suggest further cuts are less likely. But Canada is still working to reduce its temporary resident population and has committed to keeping permanent resident admissions below one percent of the population after 2027.
So, we do not expect the new plan to push the overall 2027 target significantly above the 380,000 already planned.
Instead, we expect the more important changes to happen within that target, particularly through economic immigration.
Prediction 2: Economic Immigration Will Remain Canada’s Biggest Priority
It probably comes as no surprise, but we expect Canada to maintain its focus on economic immigration, with a modest increase in admissions rather than a major expansion.
The 2026–2028 plan already points in this direction. Economic immigration is set to increase from 239,800 admissions in 2026 to 244,700 in 2027, an increase of about 2 percent.
Within that allocation, Federal High Skilled admissions are scheduled to increase from 109,000 to 111,000, while Provincial Nominee Program admissions will rise from 91,500 to 92,500.
We expect the new Levels Plan to maintain these increases, giving economic immigration a slightly larger share of the overall 380,000 permanent resident target.
The Federal High Skilled allocation will also be worth watching because IRCC is considering changes to Express Entry that could replace the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program and Federal Skilled Trades Program with a single Federal High Skilled program. These reforms are not yet final.
Prediction 3: Provincial Nominee Program Targets Could Increase
Canada currently plans 92,500 PNP admissions in both 2027 and 2028. This is around a one percent increase over the 2026 target of 91,500.
With provinces asking for higher and more predictable allocations, there is a reasonable possibility that this number could increase — possibly going up to 96,000, or five percent over the 2026 target.
An increase is not guaranteed, and any increase would have to fit within Canada’s overall permanent resident targets.
But if Ottawa wants immigration to respond more directly to regional labour needs, giving provinces more nomination spaces would be one way to do it.
Prediction 4: Francophone Immigration Will Continue to Increase
The government has remained vocal about its goal of continuing to increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec.
Canada currently targets French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec at 9.5 percent of admissions in 2027 and 10.5 percent in 2028. We expect the new plan to continue this upward trajectory, ultimately reaching 12 percent by 2029.
For Express Entry candidates, French could therefore remain particularly valuable. Strong French ability can provide additional CRS points (despite the proposed removal of bonus points for French) and help you qualify for French-language category-based draws.
Prediction 5: International Student and Temporary Worker Targets Will Stay Low
We expect Canada to maintain its lower targets for new international students and temporary workers in 2027.
Canada is still aiming to reduce temporary residents to less than five percent of the population by the end of 2027. But we don’t expect more drastic cuts until the full impact of earlier temporary resident restrictions and caps becomes clear.
The current plan already calls for fewer temporary resident arrivals in 2027 than in 2026. The international student target falls from 155,000 new arrivals in 2026 to 150,000 in 2027, while the temporary worker target drops from 230,000 to 220,000.
That said, as of July 2026, Canada was well behind on its new student and worker arrivals targets for the year anyway. In fact, it seems unlikely that IRCC will hit its 2026 target for student arrivals. If that trend continues, lowering the targets further for 2027 may have relatively little impact on actual arrivals.
Prediction 6: 82,000 Additional Permanent Residents Will Be Admitted Through One-Time Initiatives
Canada’s regular permanent resident target may remain at 380,000 in 2027, but two one-time initiatives that will continue from 2026 could push the actual number of new permanent residents higher.
IRCC plans to transition up to 69,000 protected persons and their in-Canada dependants to permanent residence in 2027.
A separate ongoing initiative will accelerate permanent residence for up to 13,000 temporary workers already in Canada in 2027. This pathway, known as the In-Canada Workers Initiative, is not a new permanent residence pathway. It is only available to foreign workers who’ve already applied for PR through the PNP and other regional immigration or pilot programs.
Combined, that could mean around 82,000 additional permanent resident admissions in 2027 — bringing the total PR admissions target to 462,000, which is roughly 1.1 percent of the current population.
What Could the New Immigration Levels Plan Mean for You?
If you are hoping to become a permanent resident, don’t focus only on Canada’s overall immigration target.
The individual program allocations could be more important.
For Express Entry candidates, watch the Federal High Skilled target and the proposed reforms to CEC, FSWP and FSTP. French-speaking candidates will likely continue to benefit from Canada’s growing Francophone immigration targets.
PNP candidates should look beyond just admission targets. You should also track whether your target provinces receive more nomination spaces and how they choose to use those nominations.
If you are an international student or temporary worker, you should not assume that higher permanent immigration would also mean higher temporary immigration.
Canada is still trying to reduce its temporary resident population, and restrictions are likely to remain while that process continues.
While the new Immigration Levels Plan will set Canada’s immigration targets for the coming years, it may not necessarily change your individual immigration strategy. If you’re unsure about your ideal pathway for moving to Canada, speak to a regulated immigration consultant for personalized guidance.
About the author
