The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, tabled in November 2025, holds permanent resident admissions roughly flat at about 380,000 a year for 2026, 2027 and 2028. It again sets targets for temporary residents, aiming to bring their share of Canada's population below 5 percent, and leans further toward economic immigration.
The Immigration Levels Plan is the federal government's roadmap for how many newcomers Canada plans to welcome over the next three years. The 2026-2028 plan, tabled in November 2025, does two notable things. First, it holds permanent resident (PR) admissions roughly flat at about 380,000 per year for 2026, 2027 and 2028, a deliberate move away from earlier growth. Second, and for the second year in a row, it sets targets for temporary residents (international students and workers), not just permanent residents, and commits to lowering the temporary resident share of Canada's population to below 5 percent. The plan also leans further toward economic immigration, which IRCC says reaches 64 percent of PR admissions in 2027 and 2028, and toward people already living in Canada transitioning to permanent status. The figures below are drawn from IRCC's published plan and supplementary tables; because governments can adjust these numbers, confirm the current figures on canada.ca before relying on them.
What the Immigration Levels Plan is
Each year the federal government tables an Immigration Levels Plan that sets out how many new permanent residents Canada aims to admit, broken down by category such as economic, family, and refugee or humanitarian. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Minister presents this plan to Parliament, and it guides how many applications IRCC processes and approves across its various programs during the year.
Two features make the 2026-2028 plan different from older plans. It is a multi-year plan covering three calendar years, which gives applicants and provinces more visibility into where targets are heading. And, continuing a shift that began with the 2025-2027 plan, it includes targets for temporary residents (international students and temporary workers) rather than focusing on permanent residents alone. This matters because temporary residents make up a large share of recent population growth, and the government has said it wants that share to come down.
A target is a planning figure, not a guarantee or a quota you can claim. Admissions in any given year can land slightly above or below target, and the government can revise future-year numbers in later plans. Treat the figures here as a snapshot of the plan as published, and verify the current numbers on canada.ca before making decisions.
Permanent resident targets for 2026-2028
The headline figure is stability. The plan sets permanent resident admissions at roughly 380,000 for each of 2026, 2027 and 2028. That is a deliberate plateau after several years of higher targets, and it is lower than the levels planned in the 2024-2026 plan. The government frames this as a pause to let housing, health care, and other services catch up with recent population growth.
Within that total, economic immigration takes the largest and growing share. The published targets are 239,800 economic admissions in 2026 and 244,700 in each of 2027 and 2028, against family-class targets of 84,000 in 2026 and 81,000 in each of 2027 and 2028. IRCC's own wording is that the economic category is the largest proportion each year, "reaching 64% in 2027 and 2028"; the corresponding 2026 figure works out to roughly 63 percent, and family class to roughly 22 percent in 2026 and 21 percent thereafter, though those percentages are arithmetic on the targets rather than figures IRCC states directly. Economic admissions flow mainly through Express Entry (Federal High Skilled, 109,000 in 2026) and the Provincial Nominee Program (91,500 in 2026). Refugees and protected persons are targeted at 49,300 a year, with humanitarian and other admissions making up the remainder.
A notable emphasis is on transitions from temporary to permanent status, sometimes called 'in-Canada' admissions, meaning people already living, studying, or working in Canada who become permanent residents. The plan signals that a large portion of economic admissions will come from people already in Canada, and it includes a commitment to help up to about 33,000 temporary workers transition to permanent residence in 2026 and 2027. Confirm the exact category splits in IRCC's supplementary tables, as they are refined over time.
The new temporary resident targets
For only the second year, the plan sets explicit targets for temporary residents, covering both international students and temporary workers. Overall temporary resident arrivals are targeted at roughly 385,000 in 2026 and about 370,000 in each of 2027 and 2028. This is a sharp reduction compared with recent intake, and it reflects the government's stated aim of slowing temporary migration.
Within that total, students are targeted at 155,000 in 2026 (150,000 in 2027 and 2028), and workers at 230,000 in 2026 (220,000 in 2027 and 2028), the worker figure splitting into 170,000 through the International Mobility Program and 60,000 through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Read those numbers carefully: they count new arrivals, not permits issued. The 155,000 student figure is new arriving students only, which is why it sits well below the 408,000 study permits IRCC expects to issue in 2026 (that larger number also covers 253,000 extensions for students already here). Comparing an arrivals target against an issuance target is the single most common error made with this plan. Because these are among the most fluid numbers in it, confirm the current figures on canada.ca.
What this means in practice: caps on study permits, tighter rules on post-graduation work permits, and limits on some temporary worker streams are the tools the government is using to hit these targets. If you are planning to study or work in Canada temporarily, the broader environment is more competitive than in recent years, so check program-specific rules and timelines carefully.
The under-5-percent goal for temporary residents
A central commitment in the plan is to reduce the share of temporary residents (also called non-permanent residents) in Canada's total population. The government's stated goal is to bring this share below 5 percent. Independent analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Officer has noted that the non-permanent resident share peaked around 7.6 percent in 2024 and projects it falling to just under 5 percent by around the end of 2027 under the plan.
The government plans to reach this in two ways: by admitting fewer new temporary residents (the lower study and work permit targets above), and by transitioning a portion of those already here to permanent residence or having others depart as their status ends. The lower permanent resident targets and the lower temporary targets are therefore linked, both pointing toward slower overall population growth from immigration.
This is a policy goal expressed as a percentage of population, not a hard cap that applies to any individual. It signals direction more than it dictates outcomes for any one applicant. For the most current statements of the goal and the underlying population figures, rely on canada.ca and Statistics Canada rather than secondary summaries.
What the plan means for applicants
If you are aiming for permanent residence through an economic program, the plan's tilt toward economic immigration and toward in-Canada transitions is broadly relevant, but it does not change the eligibility rules for any specific program. Your odds in a given draw depend on factors like your Comprehensive Ranking System score and category-based selection, not directly on the levels plan totals. Flat PR targets can mean steady but competitive draws rather than rapid expansion.
If your path runs through temporary status first, for example studying in Canada and then applying for permanent residence, the lower temporary targets and tighter permit rules mean it is worth planning further ahead and confirming current eligibility for each step. Transition-focused initiatives in the plan may help some temporary workers, but they are limited in size and subject to specific criteria.
Above all, treat the levels plan as context, not as advice about your individual case. The plan tells you the government's intended direction; it does not tell you whether you qualify for a particular program or when you would be invited. For decisions about your situation, confirm the current rules on canada.ca and consider speaking with a licensed Canadian immigration lawyer or a regulated CICC consultant.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many permanent residents will Canada admit in 2026?
Canada's 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets permanent resident admissions at roughly 380,000 for each of 2026, 2027 and 2028. This is a deliberate plateau rather than continued growth. Targets are planning figures, not guarantees, and can be revised, so confirm the current figures on canada.ca.
What is new about including temporary resident targets?
Starting with the 2025-2027 plan and continuing in the 2026-2028 plan, the government sets explicit targets for temporary residents (international students and workers), not just permanent residents. This is meant to manage overall population growth and reduce the temporary resident share of the population.
What is the goal to reduce temporary residents to about 5 percent?
The government has committed to lowering the share of temporary residents (non-permanent residents) in Canada's total population to below 5 percent. The Parliamentary Budget Officer notes this share peaked around 7.6 percent in 2024 and projects it reaching just under 5 percent by around the end of 2027 under the plan.
What are the temporary resident targets for 2026?
Overall new temporary resident arrivals are targeted at 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028. Within that, students are targeted at 155,000 and workers at 230,000 in 2026 (170,000 International Mobility Program plus 60,000 Temporary Foreign Worker Program). These count new arrivals, not permits issued, which is why the 155,000 student figure differs from the 408,000 study permits IRCC expects to issue in 2026. These are among the most fluid numbers in the plan, so verify them on canada.ca.
Is most immigration now economic?
Yes. Economic admissions are targeted at 239,800 in 2026 and 244,700 in each of 2027 and 2028, and IRCC describes the economic category as reaching 64 percent of admissions in 2027 and 2028. Economic admissions flow mainly through Express Entry (Federal High Skilled, 109,000 in 2026) and the Provincial Nominee Program (91,500 in 2026). Family class is targeted at 84,000 in 2026 and 81,000 thereafter, with refugees and protected persons at 49,300 a year.
Does the plan favour people already in Canada?
The plan emphasizes transitions from temporary to permanent status, often called in-Canada admissions, meaning people already studying or working in Canada who become permanent residents. It includes a commitment to help up to about 33,000 temporary workers transition to permanent residence in 2026 and 2027, subject to specific criteria.
Does the levels plan change whether I qualify for a program?
No. The levels plan sets overall admission targets and direction; it does not change the eligibility rules for any specific program. Whether you qualify and when you might be invited depends on program rules and factors like your Comprehensive Ranking System score, not directly on the plan totals.
Where can I confirm the official figures?
Confirm all figures on canada.ca, specifically the Immigration Levels Plan and its supplementary information tables published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Numbers can be revised in later plans, and secondary summaries may lag, so the official IRCC pages and Statistics Canada are the authoritative sources.
Guides
Official sources
This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.