Canada introduces new permanent residency measures for up to 200,000 people

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
November 09, 2026

Photo courtesy: NewsWire

Canada has announced new measures to help up to 200,000 eligible people already living in the country obtain permanent residence by the end of 2027.

The federal government announced the initiative alongside its 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan and Budget 2026 on November 5.

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the temporary measure will provide additional permanent residence admission spaces in 2027. These spaces are separate from the country’s regular immigration targets.

The initiative will focus on two groups: eligible workers and their accompanying family members, and people with longstanding immigration applications.

Up to 100,000 spaces for workers and their families

The first group will receive up to 100,000 additional permanent residence spaces.

The measure covers eligible workers already living in communities outside Quebec, along with their accompanying family members.

IRCC said it would work with provinces and territories to identify applicants whose skills meet regional labour needs.

Eligible workers may include those who qualify for permanent residence through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

The measure will also cover certain applicants awaiting decisions under selected federal immigration programs.

These include the Start-up Visa Program, Self-Employed Persons Program, Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker pathways.

The government has also identified certain applicants under the Atlantic Immigration Program for consideration.

However, the measure does not automatically grant permanent residence to temporary workers.

Applicants must meet the requirements of their respective immigration programs.

Another 100,000 spaces for humanitarian and family applications

The second group will receive up to 100,000 additional spaces for people already living in Canada.

The measure aims to help applicants who have waited years for decisions on their permanent residence applications.

According to IRCC, it will cover eligible individuals under specific humanitarian and family immigration programs.

These include applicants who received approval in principle on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

The government also aims to process remaining applications under permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents and Ukrainian nationals with family members in Canada.

In addition, the measure will support eligible spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

These applicants must already be living in Canada and awaiting decisions on their permanent residence applications.

IRCC said the additional spaces would help reduce application backlogs and improve processing times.

Canada maintains regular immigration targets

Despite the additional measures, Canada’s regular permanent residence target will remain at 380,000 admissions annually from 2027 to 2029.

The government has also established a planning range of 352,500 to 422,000 admissions for 2027.

Economic immigration will account for the largest share of regular admissions.

The government has allocated 244,700 places to economic immigrants in 2027.

Another 81,000 places will support family reunification, while 49,300 will go to refugees and protected persons.

The remaining 5,000 places will cover humanitarian and other immigration categories.

However, the targets for 2028 and 2029 remain provisional. IRCC may confirm or adjust them during future annual reviews.

How the additional spaces affect immigration targets

The new temporary measure will provide additional space for eligible permanent residence applications in 2027.

However, Canada has not announced a final combined admissions total covering both its regular immigration targets and the new measure.

The government will also continue previously announced initiatives during 2026 and 2027.

These include measures to accelerate permanent residence applications for up to 115,000 protected persons and their eligible dependants.

Another initiative covers 33,000 workers already living in Canada.

As these programs continue, IRCC has not established a final overall admissions figure that accounts for all measures.

The additional spaces should therefore not be presented as a guaranteed number of permanent residence approvals.

Temporary resident arrivals set at 370,000

Canada will also maintain its annual target of 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals from 2027 to 2029.

Of that total, 220,000 places will go to foreign workers. Another 150,000 will be allocated to international students.

The worker allocation includes 170,000 arrivals under the International Mobility Program.

Meanwhile, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program will have a target of 50,000 arrivals.

These figures apply to new arrivals under designated worker and student programs.

They do not represent the total number of temporary residents already living in Canada.

The targets also exclude certain categories, including visitors and people extending their existing permits.

What the changes mean for immigration applicants

The new measures may help eligible temporary residents who have already established themselves in Canadian communities.

However, the initiative does not create a new immigration pathway for all temporary workers or international students.

Instead, it provides additional processing capacity under selected immigration programs.

IRCC also clarified that applicants do not need to submit a separate application or take additional steps specifically to be considered under these temporary measures.

Eligibility will depend on the requirements of the relevant immigration program and the status of an applicant’s existing application.

The government will continue working with provinces and territories to implement the measures and allocate the additional permanent residence spaces.