Will Canada Include a Diversity Quota / Citizenship Cap in the Immigration Levels Plan?

But, is this a problem? And if so, would Canada’s government consider introducing measures to ensure more diversity among the immigrants flowing into the country?  

We share our thoughts on this topic in this post, including what a citizenship cap might look like in Canada and why it’s not totally out of the question (though, we don’t necessarily agree with it!).  

Key Takeaways 

• Those with Indian citizenship have made up 26-31% of overall permanent resident admissions to Canada annually since 2021.  
• Canadians polled by Environics increasingly believe that too many immigrants are not adopting Canadian values (60%, up 3 from 2024).  
• Citizenship caps or diversity quotas are not unheard of around the world, with the US having a 7% cap on green cards for any one citizenship per year.  
• Caps come with drawbacks, like hindering competition, reducing attractiveness, and limiting the potential contributions of those with that citizenship.  

What Does the Data Say About Diversity of Newcomers to Canada?  

First things first: does Canada even have a ‘diversity’ problem in immigration?  

The data does show that Indian PR admissions to Canada are high, and have been high, compared to other citizenships in the past five years. You must go as far back as 2016 to find a year where another citizenship earned more Permanent Resident admissions in Canada than Indians (it was Philippines). Though, those with Indian citizenship have consistently ranked among the highest earning permanent residence admissions in Canada since 2015.  

But levels of high immigration from specific regions aren’t unheard of in Canadian immigration history. For example, almost 20% of immigrants between 1954 and 1988 came from the United Kingdom. 

Indian Citizens as an Overall Percentage of People Admitted as Permanent Residents to Canada by Year 

2025 (through to July): 27.5% 

2024: 26.3% 

2023: 29.6% 

2022: 27% 

2021: 31% 

2020: 23%.  

For context, other countries in the top five citizenships admitted as PRs in Canada consistently in the past five years include China and the Philippines.  

Citizens from the Philippines made up 4.44% on the low end in the past five years (2020) and 6.7% in 2024. Though, rates for Filipinos attaining Canadian PR trended as high as 18% in 2015. 

Rates of Canadian PR admissions for citizens of China have ranged between 5.5% and 8.9% between 2020 and July 2025. They reached as high as 10.5% in 2017.  

In other words, yes – Indian citizens do make up a large percentage of overall permanent resident admissions to Canada today, and have over the past decade.  

But, is it a bad thing that one country is driving a significant amount of immigration to Canada? 

We’d argue that there are signs pointing to no. India is the country with the largest volumes of net migration in the world, according to Migration Policy. It’s a country with a huge population of more than 1.4 billion people, or around 17-18% of the world’s overall population. So, it makes sense that India is a significant source country for immigration to Canada.  

What’s Driving Discussions of Diversity Quotas in Canada? 

In our opinion, there are multiple drivers behind the discussions happening about diversity quotas for Canadian immigration, including:  

1. On Reddit, there’s widespread (and very valid) frustration from those in the Express Entry pool hoping to receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence in a period of historically high competition. Changes that would potentially open more immigration ‘spots’ for other hopeful immigrants are welcomed by some, since they may not otherwise be able to achieve permanent residence in the next two to three years without changes.  
2. Increasing reports of fraud in Canada’s immigration system, with a focus on some Indian applicants who have misrepresented themselves during the application process. It’s worth noting that we could not find data about the percentage of overall fraud Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) suspects Indian applicants are responsible for. 
3. Growing sentiment in Canada that newcomers are not adopting Canadian values. Note, however, that this research does not support the view that it is Indian newcomers that are not adopting Canadian values. It’s a broad sentiment about newcomers generally based on a poll.  

Plus, diversity restrictions aren’t completely unheard of in Canadian immigration. Quebec actually had a diversity quota in place between 9 October 2024 and 9 October 2025, that limited overall admissions to 25% from any one country of citizenship. This change in policy really opened the door for more discussions around diversity quotas in Canada.  

What Factors May Contribute to Diversity Quotas / Country Caps in Canada? 

In our opinion, the first reason we outlined above – commentary on Reddit – wouldn’t be a compelling reason for IRCC to change its internal policies about the volumes of people immigration to Canada from any one location.  

I do want to note that the current immigration climate is extremely hard for applicants, especially those who have been living and working in Canada for a number of years. The team at Moving2Canada really empathizes with those of you in the Express Entry pool hoping for an invitation (and other backlogged immigration categories). However, it is important to not demonize others for being in a similar spot to you just based on their nationality or other personal traits. We’re all human at the end of the day.  

While the first reason outlined above may not (in our opinion) lead to systemic changes, the second reason (if true) and third may prompt changes to Canada’s immigration system – based on what we’ve seen in the past 12 months. 

Fraud as a basis for immigration policy change 

IRCC has demonstrated that it is willing to make significant changes to address rampant fraud. We saw this play out late last year with the removal of the job offer points for Express Entry, due to widespread LMIA fraud. 

 If IRCC believed that diversity quotas could help to reduce fraud within Canada’s immigration system, then it may consider diversity quotas.  

And, it is possible that a diversity quota or country cap could help reduce immigration fraud in Canada by spreading opportunities more evenly across countries. When higher percentages of applications come from just a few places, it opens the door for fake consultants or document scams. Setting limits could spread demand, while also making it harder for fraud networks to game the system or mass-produce falsified profiles to exploit specific immigration streams. 

This approach could come with a few additional benefits for IRCC, including that it could potentially cancel applications in the backlog from applicants with certain citizenships – lowering the overall backlog for which it receives regular criticism. This would require a change in existing laws though – but, again, it is possible (if unlikely).  

Sentiment that newcomers aren’t adopting Canadian values 

This could be an under-the-radar reason that IRCC may consider change. Last year, the IRCC’s industry consultations clearly indicated that most of those surveyed thought immigration levels (at 500,000 PR admissions per year) were either about right (44%) or too few (28%).  

However, the survey results from Canada’s broader public showed decreasing support for immigration (alongside headlines blaming international students for Canada’s multifaceted housing crisis and ballooning healthcare waiting times). In the face of these results, Canada’s government changed course on immigration and decreased its planned immigration levels for 2025-2027.  

With Canada’s public increasing concerned that newcomers aren’t adopting Canadian values, it’s possible that Canada may consider diversity quotas to show it is responding to public sentiment.  

We aren’t saying it will work or that it’s a good plan, but it’s possible.  

Our Prediction on Diversity Quotas in the Immigration Levels Plan 

On balance, we would be very surprised to see diversity quotas or country caps in the upcoming Immigration Levels Plan for 2026-2028.  

We would have expected to see consultation on the public from the Canadian government before introducing such significant changes to the immigration system. At the very least, we would have expected to see references to upcoming changes from the government in a press release. We haven’t seen anything to that effect.  

If you’re currently in the Express Entry pool or otherwise applying for Canadian permanent residence, our message is to focus on what you can control. Rumours about things like diversity quotas, removal of points for family in Canada, and even for Canadian education, are rampant online. It’s not helpful to assume these are true.  

Instead, it’s usually better to work within the system you know to be true today, create a backup plan if that’s an option, and adapt when formal changes come through from government sources. 

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