Canada’s 2025 permanent residence numbers: Actuals versus targets

That said, the numbers make sense in light of the government’s revised immigration priorities. Canada is prioritizing in-Canada applicants and provincial selection, while working to stabilize new PR admissions to less than 1% of the total population.  

If you’re planning to immigrate to Canada, here’s what you need to know. 

Key Takeaways

• Express Entry admissions for 2025 were 45,000 below target. This aligns with the government’s newer focus on reducing overall permanent residence levels.
• Provincial Nominee Program admissions exceeded the projected range, confirming a stronger role for provinces in economic immigration.
• In-Canada pathways like Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and provincial streams remain important.
• Family sponsorship and refugee admissions were largely on track.

Why the 2025 PR numbers make sense in context

In late 2025, the federal government revised its immigration levels and priorities. The updated framework emphasized:

• Reducing overall permanent resident admissions
• Increasing the share of newcomers already in Canada (temporary residents transitioning to PR)
• Supporting housing capacity and infrastructure pressures
• Giving provinces a stronger role in economic selection
• Better aligning admissions with labour market needs

The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan reflects these priorities, with lower targets and a continued emphasis on “in-Canada” categories. That said, the 2025 numbers show that the government’s intended direction was clear even before the new plan was announced.

2025 PR approvals vs. targets: A detailed breakdown

We reviewed the 2025 permanent residence data released by the government, which shows new PRs admitted under various programs based on the applicants’ intended province or territory in Canada. Here’s how the actual numbers compared to those laid out in the original 2025 Immigration Levels Plan:

Express Entry 

• Target: 124,680 (range of 69,000 to 151,000)
• Actual admissions: 79,650
• Difference: -45,030, though still within the target range.

Express Entry had the largest gap between projected and actual admissions. The target of nearly 125,000 was split into Federal Economic Priorities (41,700) and In-Canada Focus (82,980). However, less than 80,000 applicants were granted PR through Express Entry — about 64% of the target.

This includes applications approved under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Category-based selection. This does not include PNP programs delivered through Express Entry. Those numbers are included in the next section.

What stood out

• Despite a shortage of tradespeople in Canada, only 35 applicants were granted PR under the Federal Skilled Trades Program in 2025.
• The 2025 Immigration Levels Plan suggested that the Canadian Experience Class would be a key pathway to meeting the In-Canada Focus target of more than 80,000 admissions. However, just under 50,000 CEC applicants were admitted.
• Admissions under the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program came in lower compared to 2024. This decrease also coincided with an increased refusal rate for FSW applications.
• Although fewer applicants were admitted through the CEC program than expected, the admissions made up 62% of all admissions from Express Entry programs, up from 52% in 2024.

What this means for you?

If you are an Express Entry candidate:

• Being in Canada (work experience or Canadian education) continues to matter. Between January and December 2025, 188,000 former temporary residents became permanent residents, even though the CEC program was not utilized as much as anticipated. This means that CEC-eligible candidates should look at additional PR options available to them outside the Express Entry system.
• Based on current draw trends, we expect that applicants with experience in priority categories will have a higher chance of selection.
• While Express Entry admissions fell significantly below target, PNP admissions exceeded their target. This suggests provinces played a larger-than-expected role in meeting overall immigration levels in 2025. Applicants should take this into account when planning for 2026, as provincial pathways may continue to be a critical route to PR for many candidates.
• IRCC’s 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan clearly indicates an increasing emphasis on Francophone applicants who want to settle outside of Quebec. Learning French can make candidates more competitive in the Express Entry pool. It can also help you qualify for Francophone category-based selection.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

• Target: 55,000 (range of 20,000 to 65,000)
• Actual admissions: 85,095
• Difference: +30,095

PNP admissions exceeded not only the target, but also the published upper range. In fact, PNP emerged as the single largest PR category in 2025.

This confirms that provinces continued to rely heavily on their nomination streams to meet labour market needs. It also aligns with the federal government’s broader goal of distributing newcomers more evenly across the country.

What stood out

• Ontario welcomed 25,385 permanent residents through PNP streams. British Columbia and Alberta tied for second place with 12,145 each.
• Roughly 41% of all successful PNP applications were for PNP streams delivered through Express Entry.

Does this affect you?

If you’re hoping to immigrate to Canada:

• Provincial pathways, including non-Express Entry streams, continue to be a good option, especially for those with work experience or a job offer in Canada.
• Provinces are more active in non-Express Entry streams, so do not limit your provincial search to Express Entry aligned PNP streams.
• Even with higher admissions in 2025, there are still over 120,000 PNP applications waiting to be processed (as of February 18, 2026). This number exceeds the high-end of the 2026 target. So even with higher PNP allocations for 2026, we may not see an increase in provincial nominations until IRCC clears more of the PNP backlog.
• Employer-driven PNP streams are especially important.
• PNP may be the only available option for foreign entrepreneurs wanting to move to Canada, since the Federal Start-Up Visa and Self-Employed Program have been paused.

Quebec Skilled Workers & Business

• Target: 34,500 (range of 33,000 to 50,000)
• Actual admissions: 42,370
• Difference: +7,870

Quebec admitted substantially more economic immigrants than projected under the federal plan. Although Quebec sets its own immigration targets and policies, this increase aligns with the overall shift towards provincial selection.

What stood out

2025 saw a sharp decline in business immigration to Quebec. In 2024, 5,465 applicants were granted PR to Quebec under the Entrepreneur, Investor, and Self-Employed streams. This number fell to 570 in 2025.

Atlantic Immigration Program

• Target: 5,000 (range of 4,000 to 7,000)
• Actual admissions: 5,175
• Difference: -175

Admissions under the Atlantic Immigration Program landed almost exactly where planned. This confirms the federal government’s continued support for employer-driven regional immigration in Atlantic Canada.

AIP remains a key part of IRCC’s strategy to strengthen smaller labour markets and support population growth in the Atlantic provinces.

What stood out

• New Brunswick accounted for 45% of AIP admissions, relying on the program to address labour shortages.
• Nova Scotia welcomed 1,685 new permanent residents through the AIP.

Does this affect you?

• If you’re considering immigrating to Atlantic Canada, AIP remains one of the most predictable regional pathways to PR. You will need a valid job offer from a designated employer in an Atlantic province to qualify for the program.
• AIP admissions are typically targeted toward employer-supported roles in healthcare, hospitality, skilled trades, and transportation. You may have a better chance of success if you have work experience in one of these in-demand occupations.

Federal Economic Pilots

• Target: 10,920 (range of 6,000 to 14,800)
• Actual admissions: 10,865
• Difference: -55

Several pilot programs were open in 2025, including the Agri-Food pilot, Caregiver pilot, Federal Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot. In all, pilot programs were almost exactly on target.

What stood out

• The caregiver program, also known as the Home Care Worker Pilot, was the most popular with over 5,800 permanent residence applications approved. However, this program has now been paused indefinitely.
• The Agri-Food pilot, which brought in 565 new permanent residents in 2025 has also ended.

Does this affect you?

• Newcomers hoping to immigrate to Canada as caregivers will have to wait for the pilot to resume or find alternative PR programs. IRCC paused intake of new applications in December 2025 to prioritize existing applications and reduce wait times.
• The Rural Community Immigration Pilot was launched in 2025 to spread the benefits of immigration to smaller towns. To qualify for this pilot, you must be a skilled worker with a job offer from a designated employer in a designated community.
• If you’re a French-speaker hoping to settle outside Quebec, the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, which was also launched in 2025, might be ideal for you. Alternatively, you may qualify for a Francophone Mobility work permit to get some Canadian experience first.

Family Sponsorship

Spouses, partners, and children

• Target: 70,000 (range of 65,500 to 78,000)
• Actual: 70,755
• Difference: +755

Parents and grandparents (PGP)

• Target: 24,500 (range of 20,500 to 28,000)
• Actual: 24,505
• Difference: +5

Family reunification admissions were almost perfectly aligned with federal planning levels. For sponsors and applicants, this indicates consistent processing throughout 2025.

What stood out

IRCC met the target for Parent and Grandparents (PGP) sponsorship even though the Expression of Interest (EOI) pool has not reopened since 2020.

Does this affect you?

• Family reunification is a priority for the government. However, the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan also lowers the target for family sponsorship, in line with the overall reduction in immigration levels. If you’re hoping to get PR as a spouse, common-law partner, or child of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, this could mean a longer wait time. Smaller targets often come with greater scrutiny of applications, so it will become more important than ever to submit a complete, detailed application.
• If you’re hoping to sponsor your parents or grandparents for Canadian permanent residence, be prepared for a longer wait. In December 2025, IRCC announced that no new PR applications will be accepted under the PGP program until further notice. However, you may be able to apply for a super visa that lets your parents or grandparents visit you for longer durations.

Refugees and protected persons

• Target: 58,350 (range of 55,000 to 65,000)
• Actual: 58,850
• Difference: +500

Refugee admissions were very close to target, reflecting Canada’s continued humanitarian commitments.

The bigger picture: A shift toward in-Canada and provincial pathways

When comparing 2025 outcomes to the revised 2026–2028 Levels Plan, the pattern becomes clear:

1. Provinces are playing a larger role in selecting immigrants

PNP admissions exceeded projections, and the Atlantic Immigration Program came in slightly over target. This suggests provincial governments had significant influence over economic immigration outcomes in 2025. This trend is expected to continue in 2026 as shown by the increased PNP target for 2026.

2. Fewer newcomers qualified through Federal Economic programs

Overall, permanent residence levels are being moderated, and the largest numerical gap was in Express Entry admissions. 2025’s admissions numbers also align closely with 2026 targets, so we expect a similar pattern to emerge in this year’s Express Entry draws. This may be a signal that the Express Entry system isn’t living up to expectations, and that provincial programs will become more viable options for applicants in the coming years.

3. Labour market priorities and Canadian experience play a key role

Focus has shifted towards in-Canada applicants. Candidates under the Canadian Experience Class have a better chance of being invited. Category-based selection draws had some of the lowest CRS cut-offs recently, making it clear that the government is prioritizing candidates who can meet immediate labour market requirements.

How do these numbers impact your immigration strategy?

If you’re planning your immigration strategy, your ideal approach will depend on where you stand currently.

If you’re outside Canada and have no Canadian experience:

• Improve your CRS score (language score, education).
• Explore whether you qualify for a provincial nomination.
• Consider employer-supported streams like the AIP and RCIP.
• Learn (or master) French to boost your score or qualify under Francophone programs.

If you’re already in Canada on a work or study permit:

• Focus on pathways that prioritize Canadian experience, like the CEC and select PNPs
• Pay attention to in-demand occupations, especially if you’re wrapping up your studies and planning to start your career in Canada.

If you’re planning your long-term strategy to immigrate to Canada, it will be important to look beyond Express Entry. It’s a good idea to track program backlogs to understand where competition might be high. Keeping multiple options open, including provincial ones, may be more important than ever.