In a bold move to transit 33,000 temporary workers into permanent residents, Canada aims to address its permanent residency applications. This initiative aims to fast track its TR (temporary resident) visas to PR (permanent resident) visas under its In-Canada Workers Initiative, also known as the TR to PR pathway.

After the impactful statement of retiring its current Canada Express Entry Program for skilled and competitive professionals who seek permanent residency in Canada, Canada has now issued its latest update on how the country will track permanent residency applications from the second quarter of the year 2026. 

The last update on April 8, 2026, which planned to retire the Express Entry program and its immigration streams such as FSWP, CEC, and FSTP, has now brought in a new initiative to invite professionals for permanent residency. 

What’s with the New Update? 

The latest update, on May 4, 2026, the federal government of Canada has released details on eligibility criteria for its in-Canada Workers Initiative, also known as the TR to PR pathway. With this initiative, skilled professionals who are already in Canada can become permanent residents of Canada faster. 

According to IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada), this initiative will initially fast-track applications for those who are currently residing in Canada on a TR (temporary resident) visa and have applied for a PR (permanent resident) visa. This initiative will prioritize applicants who:

• have applied for PR through one of the several specific programs, such as Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) 
• Lived in smaller community in Canada for at least 2 years 
• IRCC has also mentioned that the applicants are not required to take any further action from their side, but they will access applications from the existing inventories. 

Breakdown of Invitations 

According to the official data, the latest initiative is a one-time program that will transition up to 33,000 temporary residents. The federal government has also provided a breakdown of its proposal of eligible candidates for permanent residency in 2026-2027. The breakdown of invitations is

• Proposed up to 33,000 workers will be granted PR
• Out of these 20,000 will be granted in 2026
• 3,600 workers have already been granted PR under this initiative—18% of its 2026 target

Targeted Programs 

Skilled workers who have applied for permanent residency through these programs are being prioritized, which are as follows:

• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
• Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
• Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP)
• Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP)
• Caregiver Pilot
• Agri-Food Pilot 

The government of Canada has also specified that the introduction of these initiatives to grant PR to these applicants has been proven helpful in addressing labour gaps across a wide range of in-demand sectors in rural areas and communities. However, applicants from some of these programs can benefit from the Bridging Open Work Permit as they wait for their applications to be processed.

Understand Why This Move

This one-time initiative of converting temporary residents into permanent residents was first announced in the budget of 2025. Under this initiative, the federal government thought of reducing its temporary residents' population to less than 5% of Canada’s total population by the end of 2027. 

By the later period of 2025, the country also confirmed its plan through their Immigration Level Plan, where they aimed at transitioning temporary foreign workers in Canada in specific in-demand sectors with a focus on those living in rural areas. 

Why This Push Towards Rural Immigration

Over the years, the federal government of Canada has aimed at prioritizing workers in rural areas to secure permanent residency in Canada. The government has also announced temporary measures under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which makes it easier to hire and retain low-wage temporary foreign workers in rural areas. In fact, under these measures, eligible employers can now retain their current share of low-wage temporary foreign workers up to 15% of their workforce, which is usually higher than the 10% limit. 

To address labour shortage across the rural areas of Canada, IRCC also introduced two major pilot programs:

• the rural community immigration pilot 
• Francophone community immigration pilot

With the introduction of these two pilot programs, IRCC has thought of reducing labour shortage gaps, reducing the concentration of workers in any one specific province of Canada, enhancing bilingualism, and accelerating the overall economy.  

Read more: the latest Express Entry draw which Invited Francophone applicants for Canada PR

Lastly, this new initiative aims to fast-track the transition of temporary residents' visa applicants and allow skilled professionals to secure permanent residency in Canada. 

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