Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2026–2028: The Numbers Explained

Canada’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan keeps permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year, while cutting new temporary resident arrivals to 385,000 in 2026, roughly 43% less than the 2025 target. Inside the PR total, the Provincial Nominee Program jumps to 91,500 spots and Express Entry’s federal high-skilled target is 109,000. The plan was tabled with Budget 2025 on November 4, 2025.

Key points

• 380,000 PR admissions targeted each year for 2026–2028 (range 350,000–420,000).
• PNP: 91,500 in 2026, up from 55,000 in 2025.
• Express Entry (federal high skilled): 109,000 in 2026, rising to 111,000.
• New temporary resident arrivals cut to 385,000 in 2026, from 673,650 targeted in 2025.
• The 2027–2029 plan is due by November 1, 2026 and had not been tabled as of October 11, 2026.

Permanent resident targets, 2026–2028

From IRCC’s official annex. The 2027 and 2028 figures are notional and will be confirmed or adjusted each year.

Category	2026 target (range)	2027	2028
Total PR admissions	380,000 (350,000–420,000)	380,000	380,000
Federal High Skilled (Express Entry)	109,000 (85,000–120,000)	111,000	111,000
Federal Business	500	500	500
Federal Economic Pilots	8,175	8,775	8,775
Atlantic Immigration Program	4,000	4,000	4,000
Provincial Nominee Program	91,500 (82,000–105,000)	92,500	92,500
Quebec skilled workers and business	Set by Quebec	Set by Quebec	Set by Quebec
Total economic	239,800	244,700	244,700
Spouses, partners and children	69,000	66,000	66,000
Parents and grandparents	15,000	15,000	15,000
Total family	84,000	81,000	81,000
Protected persons in Canada and dependants abroad	20,000	20,000	20,000
Government-assisted refugees	13,250	13,250	13,250
Privately sponsored refugees	16,000	16,000	16,000
Total refugees and protected persons	49,300	49,300	49,300
Humanitarian and compassionate	1,100	1,000	1,000
Other	5,800	4,000	4,000

French-speaking immigration outside Quebec

The plan targets French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec at 9% (30,267) in 2026, 9.5% in 2027 and 10.5% in 2028. The government’s stated goal is 12% by 2029. This is one reason French-language Express Entry draws remain frequent.

Temporary resident targets

	2026	2027	2028
Total new arrivals	385,000	370,000	370,000
Students	155,000	150,000	150,000
Workers	230,000	220,000	220,000

For comparison, the 2025 plan targeted 673,650 new temporary resident arrivals. The government’s stated goals are to bring temporary residents below 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027 and keep PR admissions under 1% of the population.

What the numbers mean for each pathway

Express Entry

The federal high-skilled target of 109,000 in 2026 is the largest single category. Combined with frequent Canadian Experience Class draws, the plan favours people who are already in Canada. Category-based draws (French, healthcare, trades and others) also continue. See our Express Entry draws tracker for current cutoffs.

Provincial Nominee Programs

The PNP is the biggest winner. After the target was halved to 55,000 in 2025, provinces had to cut streams and pause intakes. The 2026 target of 91,500 gave provinces more room, and several received further increases in 2026. Many provinces still focus on workers already in the province and on priority sectors like health care and construction. Read PNP allocations 2026 by province for details.

Family sponsorship

The spouses, partners and children target falls from 69,000 in 2026 to 66,000 in 2027. Parents and grandparents stay at 15,000, but new PGP intake was paused on July 15, 2026. The 2026 admissions come from applications already in the queue.

Students and temporary workers

The deep cut to temporary arrivals explains many 2025–2026 rule changes: the study permit cap, tighter spousal open work permit rules, and the low-wage LMIA freeze in high-unemployment areas. If you plan to come to Canada on a temporary permit, expect more competition and stricter rules.

Transitions to PR

Because the plan wants fewer temporary residents, it also moves some of them to PR. IRCC announced the In-Canada Workers Initiative, which aims to move up to 33,000 work permit holders in smaller communities to PR across 2026 and 2027. Our guide to the 33,000-worker initiative explains who qualifies.

Targets are not guarantees

A levels plan sets how many people Canada aims to admit. It does not mean every eligible applicant gets in, and it is not a quota for any one person. Processing times, draw sizes and provincial nominations all depend on these targets, but they are managed separately and change during the year.

What to watch next: the 2027–2029 plan

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the minister must table the next levels plan by November 1 each year (or shortly after if Parliament is not sitting). IRCC ran public consultations on the 2027–2029 plan in spring 2026. As of October 11, 2026, the new plan had not been tabled. When it is, it may confirm or change the notional 2027 and 2028 figures above. We will cover it on our updates page.

What to do next

• Match your pathway to its 2026 target and check whether that category is growing or shrinking.
• If you are on a temporary permit, plan your PR route early. The Canada country hub lists the main options.
• Check the official Levels Plan page around November 1 for the 2027–2029 numbers.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For your own case, talk to a licensed RCIC or Canadian immigration lawyer.