Canada's Immigration Levels Plan is tabled annually in Parliament and sets out the government's targets for the number of new permanent residents (PR) to be admitted in the coming years, broken down by immigration category. The current plan covers 2026 to 2028 and was announced in late 2025.

The 2026–2028 Levels Plan stabilises permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year across the three-year period, while increasing the share of economic immigrants and maintaining Canada's commitments to family reunification and refugee resettlement. The plan also sets targets for new temporary resident arrivals and includes special one-time initiatives to transition temporary residents and protected persons already in Canada to permanent residence.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), s 94 — the Minister must table annual immigration levels plans in Parliament
• IRCC: 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan — canada.ca/levels-2026-2028
• IRCC: Canada's immigration levels — canada.ca/immigration-levels

Permanent resident targets 2026–2028

The 2026–2028 plan sets annual PR admission targets of 380,000 for each year from 2026 to 2028. This represents a stabilisation from the higher targets of the early 2020s. The annual targets are broken down by immigration class:

• Economic class: The largest share — rising to 64% of all PR admissions by 2027 and 2028. Economic class includes Express Entry programs (Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades), Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), Atlantic Immigration Program, rural and northern pilots, and other economic streams.
• Family class: Approximately 21.3–22.1% of PR admissions. Includes spousal, partner, and dependent child sponsorship, as well as the Parents and Grandparents Program.
• Refugees and protected persons: Approximately 13% of PR admissions. Includes government-assisted refugees (GARs), privately sponsored refugees (PSRs), and in-Canada protected persons.
• Humanitarian and other: The remaining portion, including Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds applicants and other categories.

Temporary resident targets

In addition to permanent resident targets, the 2026–2028 plan sets targets for new temporary resident arrivals:

• 2026: 385,000 new temporary resident arrivals
• 2027 and 2028: 370,000 per year

These targets reflect a deliberate reduction in temporary resident volumes compared to the elevated levels of the post-pandemic years, as part of a policy shift to balance temporary and permanent immigration streams.

Special 2026–2027 initiatives

The 2026–2028 Levels Plan includes two one-time transitional initiatives:

1. Temporary worker to permanent residence (TFW → PR): Canada will accelerate the transition of up to 33,000 temporary foreign workers to permanent residence in 2026 and 2027. These workers are already in Canada, employed, and contributing to the economy — the initiative provides a streamlined pathway for those who meet eligibility criteria.
2. Protected Persons in Canada → PR: A one-time initiative to streamline the transition of approximately 115,000 Protected Persons in Canada who are already on a pathway to permanent residence. These persons have been recognised as refugees or persons in need of protection by the IRB and are awaiting their PR grant — the initiative aims to clear this backlog over 2026 and 2027.

Why the levels plan matters for applicants

The levels plan directly affects processing times and invitation rates across all immigration streams. When targets are high, IRCC processes more applications and may issue more Express Entry invitations. When a particular category is allocated fewer spots, wait times lengthen. Applicants and practitioners should monitor IRCC's regular draw-by-draw data and processing time updates, as the levels plan translates into operational decisions about how many invitations are issued in each round.

The levels plan is a policy document — actual admission numbers in any given year may exceed or fall short of targets. IRCC reports annually to Parliament on actual admissions versus targets. For current draw statistics and processing times, refer to the IRCC immigration levels page.

The 2026–2028 Levels Plan may be revised if government priorities change. Canada's immigration levels are influenced by economic conditions, housing capacity, settlement services capacity, and geopolitical factors. Applicants should follow IRCC's official communications for any amendments to the plan.