Canada announced its 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan on 5 November 2026, as part of Budget 2026. The plan holds permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year for 2027, 2028 and 2029, and adds a one-time route for up to 200,000 temporary residents already in Canada to become permanent residents by the end of 2027.
Announcement: 5 November 2026
The plan was published on 5 November 2026 in Budget 2026, tabled by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne. For the second year in a row, the government has included its annual Immigration Levels Plan in the budget rather than releasing it separately — four days after the 1 November date set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
The headline figures continue the approach set out in the previous plan: 380,000 PR admissions a year is the same level announced in the 2026–2028 plan. The substantive change is the one-time transition for people already in Canada.
Targets at a glance
Target | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 |
|---|---|---|---|
Permanent resident admissions | 380,000 | 380,000 | 380,000 |
New temporary resident arrivals | 370,000 | 370,000 | 370,000 |
Within the 370,000 temporary arrivals: 220,000 new workers and up to 150,000 new international students each year. The 2028 and 2029 figures are notional — they will be confirmed or adjusted each year.
The 2027 PR range is 352,500–422,000. Adding the top of that range (422,000) to the 200,000 one-time transition spaces gives 622,000 — the figure used in much of the coverage. That figure represents the maximum possible total, not the plan's target: the target itself is 380,000 a year.
A one-time transition for 200,000 people already in Canada
This is the most significant new measure, and it is time-limited to 2027. It comprises two cohorts of up to 100,000 each.
Workers cohort: up to 100,000 people already in Canada, together with their families, transitioned to permanent residence. IRCC has published few operational details. It states that the measure creates processing space, and that the workers cohort will be identified with the provinces, including candidates eligible for Express Entry or the PNP. Provinces and territories will receive additional space through increased Provincial Nominee Program allocations to nominate workers for regional needs, and will also be able to identify workers who have already applied under select federal programmes — including the Atlantic Immigration Program and closed programmes such as the Start-up Visa, Self-Employed Persons, Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programmes. The measure is not open to applicants outside Canada.
Humanitarian cohort: up to 100,000 people, to clear long-waiting cases — including the remaining Hong Kong permanent residence pathway applications, the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, humanitarian and compassionate cases already approved in principle, and spousal, common-law partner and dependent-child sponsorship applications from people already in Canada. IRCC states that this should bring spousal sponsorship wait times closer to 12 months for applicants outside Quebec.
Earlier one-time measures continue
IRCC is also continuing the one-time initiatives announced in Budget 2025: up to 115,000 protected persons and 33,000 in-Canada work permit holders in 2026 and 2027. These are separate from the new 200,000 — the 33,000 work permit holders are not part of the new transition and should not be confused with it. Together, these measures account for the "600,000+" totals reported in some coverage.
Composition of the 380,000 admissions
Economic immigration remains the largest share — 64.4% of total admissions in each year. The breakdown, the same in each of the three years, is: economic immigration 244,700; family reunification 81,000; refugees and protected persons 49,300; humanitarian and compassionate, and other, 5,000. Within economic immigration, Federal High Skilled is 100,000 and the Provincial Nominee Program is 95,000, with PNP and Atlantic Immigration Program admissions increased in collaboration with the provinces. Francophone immigration outside Quebec rises from 9.5% of PR admissions in 2027 to 10.5% in 2028 and 12% in 2029.
What the plan does not change
No new Express Entry draw schedule. The plan does not itself create a new draw schedule, a minimum CRS score, or an individual application entitlement.
No change to the 3 November rescoring. Express Entry profiles are still being recalculated under the Labour Market Integration factor, and rounds remain paused for up to two weeks from 3 November, with no restart date published.
No new application form to complete yet. IRCC has published few operational details. It states that the measure creates processing space, and that the workers cohort will be identified with the provinces, including candidates eligible for Express Entry or the PNP. The measure is not open to applicants outside Canada.
Implications for applicants from India
For applicants applying from India, the plan's message is stability rather than a sudden opening: the annual PR target is unchanged at 380,000, and the one-time transition applies to people already in Canada, not to new applicants abroad. What matters for an application is unchanged — a competitive CRS score under the new Labour Market Integration factor, a qualifying occupation, and a complete, correctly documented file. For those already in Canada on a work or study permit, the workers cohort is directly relevant: it will be identified with the provinces, including candidates eligible for Express Entry or the PNP, so it is worth keeping an Express Entry profile updated and documents ready, so that the new factor can count any qualifying job offer or Canadian work experience.
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