Canada Immigration 2026: Targets and Changes

For 2026, Canada plans about 380,000 new permanent residents, while cutting new temporary-resident arrivals to about 385,000. The 2027 to 2029 Immigration Levels Plan, published November 5, 2026, keeps 380,000 a year through 2029. Express Entry has ten categories for 2026, including five new ones. IRCC expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits, and several permanent-residence fees rose on April 30, 2026.

Compare published criteria in the Pathway Explorer

Last verified: November 2026

About 380,000
New permanent residents Canada plans for 2026
Up to 408,000
Study permits IRCC expects to issue in 2026
$990
Economic-class PR processing fee per adult applicant
$600
Right of Permanent Residence Fee per person

How many newcomers does Canada plan to admit in 2026?

Canada’s 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan, released alongside Budget 2025, holds permanent-resident admissions steady at roughly 380,000 each year in 2026, 2027 and 2028. On November 5, 2026, IRCC published the 2027 to 2029 Immigration Levels Plan. It replaced the notional 2027 and 2028 figures and keeps permanent-resident admissions at 380,000 in each of 2027, 2028 and 2029.

That is well below the 485,000 target that had been set for 2024. It follows the earlier 2025 to 2027 plan that first lowered targets to about 395,000 for 2025.

The Levels Plan also sets targets for temporary residents (international students plus temporary workers), aiming to bring the temporary-resident population down to under 5 percent of Canada’s population by the end of 2027. Planned new temporary-resident arrivals fall to about 385,000 in 2026, and the 2027 to 2029 plan sets 370,000 in each of 2027, 2028 and 2029.

Permanent residence is allocated across three broad categories:

Economic Class: Express Entry, PNP, Atlantic Immigration Program, the rural and Francophone community pilots, and the Agri-Food Pilot (closed to new applications since May 14, 2025)
Family Class: spousal sponsorship, parent and grandparent program, dependent children
Humanitarian and Protected Persons: refugees, protected persons, humanitarian and compassionate applications

What changed in Express Entry for 2026?

Category-based Express Entry selection, which IRCC first used in 2023, continues and expands in 2026. These draws invite candidates who are eligible for a chosen occupation or French-language category, ranked by CRS score within the category. On Feb. 18, 2026, IRCC announced ten categories for 2026, including five new ones, and raised the minimum eligible work experience for the renewed categories to one year.

For 2026 IRCC announced these category-based selection groups (verify the exact eligible occupations on canada.ca):

Healthcare and social services
STEM occupations
Trades occupations
Education occupations
French-language proficiency, strong French ability (outside Quebec)

And five new for 2026:

Physicians with Canadian work experience
Senior managers with Canadian work experience
Researchers, candidates with Canadian research work experience
Transport occupations, for example pilots and aircraft mechanics
Skilled military recruits, certain highly skilled people recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces

IRCC has held no general round (open to all Express Entry candidates regardless of occupation) since April 2024. Its 2026 rounds have been category, Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Program rounds. In 2026, every category round cut off below every Canadian Experience Class round.

Job offer points have changed twice. Since November 3, 2026, under Ministerial Instructions 2026-1, the CRS totals 1,270 points.

The rule

IRCC has held no general round since April 2024; 2026 rounds have been category, Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Program rounds.

IRCC, canada.caVerify on canada.ca

Can you sponsor parents or grandparents in 2026?

IRCC paused the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) on July 15, 2026, until further notice. It has not announced when a new intake or invitation round will open.

The Super Visa is the main alternative while the PGP is paused:

Allows stays of up to 5 years per entry (extended from 2 years in 2022)
Issued as a multiple-entry visa valid for up to 10 years
Requires proof of medical insurance, generally at least $100,000 CAD in coverage valid for a year
The inviting child or grandchild must meet a minimum income requirement

What are the study permit rules for 2026?

Canada introduced an international-student cap and a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) system in 2024, and the framework continues, with lower numbers, into 2026. IRCC expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026, 7 percent below the 2025 issuance target of 437,000 and 16 percent below the 2024 target of 485,000.

The cap itself counts applications, not permits. IRCC will accept up to 309,670 applications from students who need a PAL/TAL, split among the provinces and territories, and expects up to 180,000 permits from them. The 155,000 figure from the 2026 to 2028 Levels Plan is not the whole cap.

Most college and undergraduate applicants must include a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL) from the destination province or territory when they apply. For 2026, graduate (master’s and PhD) students at a public designated learning institution were added to the exemptions. They join primary and secondary students, certain visiting and exchange students, and some other categories.

Eligible students can work up to 24 hours per week off campus during academic sessions, a limit set in IRPR s.186(v) since November 8, 2024 (up from 20), and full-time during scheduled breaks. Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility rules have also tightened: your program, field of study and institution type all affect whether you qualify. PGWP applications made on or after November 1, 2024 must meet a language requirement (CLB/NCLC 7 for university programs, 5 for other programs).

What changed for work permits in 2026?

Low-wage LMIA limits: A cap generally limits low-wage Temporary Foreign Worker positions to about 10 percent of a worksite’s staff (higher in some sectors). Since late 2024 the government refuses to process low-wage LMIA applications in census metropolitan areas with unemployment of 6 percent or higher. It updates the affected-areas list roughly quarterly.
Open work permits are narrower: Since January 21, 2025, open work permits for spouses of workers and students are limited to set occupations and programs. Open permits remain for groups IRCC lists, such as PGWP applicants, some family members, and vulnerable workers.
CUSMA (USMCA): Work permits for eligible American and Mexican professionals under CUSMA remain available without an LMIA.
IEC Working Holiday: IRCC has closed the 2026 International Experience Canada pools. A profile can be created when the pools reopen for the 2027 season.

What do the main 2026 fees cost?

Verify the current amount on canada.ca before you pay. Key 2026 fees (amounts in CAD):

Study permit: $150
Work permit: $155 per person
Visitor visa (TRV): $100
Biometrics: $85 per person ($170 maximum per family)
Economic-class PR processing fee: $990 per adult applicant as of April 30, 2026 (up from $950); accompanying dependent child $270 (up from $260)
Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF): $600 per person as of April 30, 2026 (up from $575), paid before you become a permanent resident

Which free tool checks your own case?

Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.

What do people ask?

What is Canada's immigration plan for 2026 to 2028?

The 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan set permanent-resident admissions at about 380,000 for 2026, below the 485,000 once targeted for 2024, and the 2027 to 2029 plan, published November 5, 2026, keeps 380,000 in each of 2027, 2028 and 2029. As in the 2025 to 2027 plan, the first to set them, the plan also sets temporary-resident targets, aiming to bring temporary residents under 5 percent of Canada's population by the end of 2027. The Immigration Levels Plan 2026 to 2028 guide breaks the numbers down by class.

How many temporary residents will Canada admit in 2026?

The Levels Plan sets new temporary-resident arrivals, international students plus temporary workers, at about 385,000 in 2026, and the 2027 to 2029 plan sets 370,000 in each of 2027, 2028 and 2029. The aim is a temporary-resident population under 5 percent of Canada's population by the end of 2027, so study permits, work permits and visitor visas are managed more tightly. The Temporary Resident Cuts 2026 guide explains who is affected.

What are the Express Entry categories for 2026?

IRCC set ten categories for 2026: healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education and French-language proficiency, plus five new ones for physicians, senior managers, researchers, transport occupations and skilled military recruits. IRCC has held no general round since April 2024, and the renewed categories need at least one year of eligible work experience. The Category-Based Draws guide explains how each category is invited.

Can I apply for the Parents and Grandparents Program in 2026?

No. IRCC paused the Parents and Grandparents Program on July 15, 2026: it will not accept new interest to sponsor forms or invite potential sponsors to apply until further notice, and it keeps processing existing applications. The Super Visa is the main option for long parental visits in the meantime, with stays of up to 5 years per entry. The Super Visa vs Parent Sponsorship guide compares the two routes.

Are study permit rules stricter in 2026?

Yes. IRCC expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026, 7 percent below the 2025 target of 437,000. That total covers 155,000 permits for newly arriving students plus 253,000 extensions for students already in Canada. Most college and undergraduate applicants also need a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter. The Provincial Attestation Letter guide explains who needs one and how to get it.

Do bonus CRS points for a job offer still exist in 2026?

Not as before. On March 25, 2025, IRCC removed the bonus CRS points for arranged employment, which had added 50 points, or 200 for some senior roles. Since November 3, 2026, under Ministerial Instructions 2026-1, a qualifying job offer earns 100, 70 or 50 points only when the occupation is on the high-wage list IRCC publishes; an offer in any other occupation earns none. These points count in the labour market integration factor, which gives the greater of job offer points or Canadian work experience points, never both. The Express Entry Job Offer Points guide explains what changed, and the CRS Calculator estimates your score.

What changed about flagpoling?

Since December 23, 2024, most foreign nationals can no longer flagpole, meaning leave Canada and re-enter at a land border to get a same-day work or study permit decision. Most people must apply online instead. A few narrow exceptions remain, such as certain free-trade-agreement professionals. The Flagpoling Ban guide lists the exceptions and what to do instead.

How much are the 2026 permanent-residence fees?

As of April 30, 2026, the economic-class processing fee is $990 per adult applicant (up from $950) and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee is $600 per person (up from $575). Amounts can change, so confirm the current fee on canada.ca before you pay, including any fee you deferred. The IRCC Fee Changes 2026 guide lists every change.

Part of:Immigrating permanently

Official sources

This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.