Canada is scheduled to release its Immigration Levels Plan 2027-2029 in early November 2026. The new plan will lay out how many immigrants Canada expects to take in over the next few years.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada has been managing its immigration system. The government may now, as the needs of the nation shall require, contemplate a controlled and gradual increase of population. Canada may be moving to a new strategy at the time of the announcement, after several years of reducing the number of newcomers, particularly temporary residents like foreign workers.
But so far no new immigration targets or specific numbers have been released. Any increase in permanent or temporary residents will be considered when the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan is before Parliament.
What is the current status of Canada’s immigration targets?
The existing Canada Immigration Levels Plan, published on November 5, 2025, keeps decreasing temporary immigrants but preserves admissions quotas for permanent residents.
The key objectives under the present plan are:
- 84,000 family class admissions in 2026;
- 380,000 permanent resident admissions in 2026, 2027, and 2028.
- 56,200 refugees, people under protection, aid workers, and others in 2026
- By the end of 2027, the population of temporary residents is to be reduced to fewer than 5% of Canada’s overall population.
This is substantially higher than the 55,000 admissions target for 2026 in the previous 2025-2027 immigration levels plan. The Provincial Nominee Program is targeting 92,500 admissions in both 2027 and 2028.
Why Is the Upcoming Immigration Levels Plan for Canada Important?
The Minister of Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is required to submit an annual report to Parliament by November 1st of each year. This report must contain the immigration levels plan as required by subsection 94(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The upcoming plan will set goals for 2027, 2028, and 2029. It will determine:
- The number of PR applicants Canada accepts each year.
- The allocation of spaces among humanitarian, economic, and family programs
- How many admissions are available for the Provincial Nominee Program and Canada Express Entry program?
- How many new temporary foreign workers and international students can arrive
As Carney has said, the Canadian government might choose to increase some of its immigration targets at a later stage instead of keeping on reducing them. It is still unclear, however, how Canada will balance the number of PR and TR candidates.
What Can We Expect Regarding the Permanent Resident Target in Canada?
To date, the objective for permanent residents in 2027 has not been recognised as having increased.
The situation regarding immigration in Canada is constantly changing. The statistics from Canada show that the country’s population increased by only 0.5% each year between July 2025 and July 2026, which was the lowest rate of growth since 1915–1916.
It creates a new demographic situation since the government is altering the temporary immigration rates, and any possible increase in the number of permanent residents would be based on factors including population growth, the number of temporary residents, labour market demand, and the availability of housing.
When considering immigration, people should look at a range of options in addition to the main aim and take into account routes such as the Express Entry Program, the Provincial Nominee Programs, family sponsorship, study permits, work permits, and Francophone immigration.
The federal government will not reveal its ultimate objectives until it officially presents its new Canada immigration strategy for 2027-2029.
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