Question Period Note: Immigration Levels Plan 2025-2027

Canada’s proposed projected immigration levels for 2025-2027.

• The 2025-2027 Levels Plan sets permanent resident targets, and for the first time, also includes temporary resident targets for a more comprehensive approach to managed migration.
• The current Levels Plan reduces overall immigration targets to support the economy while reducing pressure on services and housing.
• More than 40% of overall permanent resident admissions would be from those who are already in Canada to alleviate pressure on communities’ capacity to welcome newcomers.

• The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires that the immigration minister table the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, including the Immigration Levels Plan (Levels Plan) for the following year, by November 1, or within 30 sitting days if a House of Parliament is not sitting on November 1.
• The Minister of IRC announced in March 2024 a commitment to include temporary residents in the Levels Plan, with the aim to reduce to the proportion of temporary residents 5% of the total population by the end of 2026.
• The 2025-2027 Levels Plan includes temporary and permanent resident targets, constituting a new holistic approach to managed migration.
• Targets for temporary and permanent residents are developed in tandem to more effectively manage immigration at a time when it accounts for almost all of Canada’s population and labour force growth.
• This Levels Plan continues to leverage a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to be responsive to supports and services required by newcomers and Canadians alike by consulting extensively with partners.
Temporary Residents
• Targets for new temporary resident arrivals were developed to achieve the objective of reducing the proportion of temporary residents to 5% of the total population by the end of 2026.
• Targets are set at 673,650 in 2025, 516,600 in 2026, and 543,600 in 2027. Two major groups of temporary residents are included in the levels plan - international students and temporary workers admitted under either the International Mobility Program (IMP)—including those who are fleeing wars or natural disasters and arrived under special programs—or the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
• Targets are not set for visitors arriving with temporary resident visas or electronic travel authorizations (eTAs), given that these are short stays and do not contribute to housing, other infrastructure or social service pressures. Targets also do not include change of status or permit extensions, as this would lead to double-counting of individuals who are already in Canada with a temporary status. Targets also do not include in-Canada study or work permit applications and asylum claimants. Asylum claims represent an individual who originally entered Canada with a different status and we cannot control volumes in the same manner as we do for most of our immigration programs, so they are not included in the targets.
• However, asylum claimants and in-Canada work or study permit applications are included in the methodology used to arrive at the 5% target. Lastly, seasonal workers who enter and leave Canada within the same year are not captured by the targets.
• The target in 2025 for international students reflects the previously announced study permit cap (arrivals only), and represents 45% of overall new temporary resident arrivals that year (305,900 arrivals). In 2026 and 2027, this cap will be maintained and international students make up the majority of temporary resident arrivals at 59% and 56% respectively, while the remainder of the arrivals will be allocated to temporary workers. These targets support the needs of our labour market and Canadian employers, especially in sectors with critical labour shortages that rely on temporary workers and those contribute to our broader economic objectives such as housing and healthcare
• In addition to the international student cap, a series of additional measures have been introduced for workers to achieve the goal of 5%, including, eligibility changes to Post-Graduation Work Permits and to work permits issued to the spouses of international students and foreign workers under both the International Mobility Program (IMP) and Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program.
• Additional measures applied to the low and high streams of the TFW Program were also recently introduced to better align the program with current labour market conditions.
Permanent Residents
• The 2025-2027 Levels Plan projects a decrease in overall permanent resident admissions to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.
• Supporting the Canadian economy continues to be a key priority of this Plan as the economic category represents the largest proportion of admissions each year, reaching approximately 59% in 2025, 61% in 2026, and 62% by 2027.
• A greater share of economic admissions are allocated under “Federal Economic Priorities” to skilled workers with a focus on critical sectors, such as health care and skilled trades, in recognition of the importance of supporting these critical sectors and labour market needs.
• An emphasis is also put on ensuring that admissions are dedicated to facilitating transition towards to permanent residence for those who are already in Canada as students and workers, such as under the “In-Canada Focus”.
• Support for family reunification continues through the family category, with a rate of 22% of overall permanent resident admissions by 2027.
• Canada’s strong and proud tradition of offering protection to those most in need is evident through the resettled refugees and protected persons category rate of 15% of overall permanent resident admissions.
• 1.2% of admissions (21,200) are provided to commitments made on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, and/or as part of public policies, such as Sudan, Ukraine, and Hong Kong, over three years.
• In line with IRCC’s 2024 Policy on Francophone Immigration, the Levels Plan includes higher proportions of French-speaking permanent resident targets outside Quebec of 8.5% in 2025, 9.5% in 2026, and 10% in 2027 (in comparison with the 2024-2026 Levels Plan targets of 7% and 8% in 2025-2026) of overall permanent resident admissions, which improves demographic representation across Canada.
Consultation and Engagement
• Extensive consultations were conducted for the development of the Levels Plan, including engagement with provinces and territories, partners, stakeholders, and the public. More specifically, engagement efforts included:
o Provinces and Territories: Engagement with provinces and territories was conducted bilaterally and multilaterally, guided by the Joint Federal-Provincial-Territorial Immigration Levels Consultation Framework, as approved through the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration (FMRI). Bilateral consultations were held with every province and were conducted in July and August 2024.
o Under the Canada-Québec Accord, Québec has responsibility for the selection of immigrants destined to the province (except Family Class and in-Canada refugee claimants). The Accord commits the federal government to take into consideration Québec’s desired levels in all categories. Québec’s immigration levels plan is established annually. On November 1, 2023, Quebec tabled its 2024-25 immigration levels plan at the National Assembly of Quebec, targeting a total of 56,500 permanent resident admissions per year in 2024 and in 2025, which was incorporated in the federal Levels Plan. Once Quebec tables its new immigration levels plan, numbers will be updated. The province of Québec was engaged on a bilateral basis, including regular and ad hoc meetings with officials at various levels. .
o Stakeholder Consultations: The Department conducted its annual consultation survey, which was shared with key stakeholders (business representatives, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, multicultural or ethno-cultural associations, municipalities and regional administrations, settlement or resettlement organizations, etc.). A total of 977 stakeholders completed the survey from the 6,772 invited. This number represents a substantial increase from the 4,780 stakeholders organizations invited in 2023.
o Virtual Sectoral Roundtable Conversations: Between August and September 2024, the Department organized sectoral roundtables to engage more broadly on levels planning. The roundtables took place virtually and were hosted by either Honorable Marc Miller, Minister of IRC, Deputy Minister Harpreet Kochhar or senior IRCC officials. A total of four virtual roundtables were conducted with urban planners from various cities and towns across Canada, municipal representatives, and economists. Representatives from post-secondary institutions, the business community, labour organizations, and immigrant and asylum claimant / refugee serving organizations were also consulted to gather their input on this year’s Levels Plan and their thoughts on reducing TR volumes.
o Indigenous Peoples: Efforts continued this year to increase the response rate from Indigenous organizations. The Department invited 479 individuals from First Nations, Métis and Inuit serving and/or representing organizations to provide feedback. This is an increase from 280 representatives in 2023.
o Public Opinion: While public opinion research shows that Canadians still believe that immigrants make important contributions to Canada's economy and society, the proportion of Canadians who believe there are too many immigrants coming to Canada has risen substantially in 2024. On the other hand, some employers, post-secondary institutions, and small/medium sized communities are calling for more immigrants to meet their specific regional, economic and labour needs.
Foundations of Levels Planning
• Levels Planning: By setting targets and planning ranges for each of the immigration categories, the Government of Canada establishes priorities among economic, social, and refugee objectives. Levels planning then enables the Department and its partners to allocate processing, security, and settlement resources accordingly.
• Multi-Year Planning: In fall 2017, Canada introduced its first multi-year immigration levels plan in over a decade. For permanent residents, the current plan adds an additional year (2027), maintaining the three-year planning horizon set out in last year’s plan. Prior to the 2018-2020 Immigration Levels Plan, the most recent multi-year plan was in 2001-2002. Three- and five-year plans were introduced in the 1980s and 1990s.
o A multi-year approach provides the means to set out a longer-term vision for immigration. It supports better planning by securing approvals and investments earlier, providing time for the Department and partners to increase capacity and to prepare to manage higher volumes of applications.
o The Levels Plan is a statement of public policy and is a key tool to communicate the Government’s immigration priorities to partners, including provinces and territories, stakeholders, and the public.
o Canada is recognized internationally (e.g., Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) for its approach to managed migration, including specifically its use of immigration levels plans for setting transparent priorities and targets. Canada is among very few countries, like Australia and New Zealand, which have also adopted this approach.
• Mandate Commitment: Delivering the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan is a part of the December 2021 mandate commitment to “continue to bring newcomers to Canada to drive economic growth and recovery, as set out in the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan.” The 2025-2027 Levels Plan also upholds commitments that support reaching immigration targets to limit overall immigration-driven population growth, in consideration of challenges affecting Canada’s domestic capacity to welcome newcomers.

2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan
Temporary Residents
2025 20261 2027
Overall Arrivals2 673,650
(604,900 - 742,400)3 516,600
(435,250 - 597,950) 543,600
(472,900 - 614,250)
Workers (Total) 367,750 210,700 237,700
International Mobility Program4
285,750 128,700 155,700
Temporary Foreign Worker Program5 6 7
82,000 82,000 82,000
Students8 305,900 305,900 305,900

Footnotes:
1. Notional targets and ranges for 2026 and 2027 will be confirmed or adjusted by November 1 of each year.
2. Targets for temporary residents include new arrivals under one of the temporary worker programs (i.e., the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFW Program) and the International Mobility Program (IMP)), as well new arrivals under the International Student Program (ISP). Targets are not set for visitors arriving with temporary resident visas or electronic travel authorizations (eTAs), permit extensions, in-Canada study/work permit applications and asylum claimants. Asylum claimant volumes and in-Canada study/work permit applications are included in the overall methodology and calculations to reach the 5% target.
3. Ranges reflect differing distributions of permit expirations and other outflow factors.
4. The IMP is comprised of a collection of streams that do not require Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA), including work permits issued in accordance with agreements with partner countries, or work permits issued under economic, family-class or humanitarian public policies, and Post-Graduation Work Permits.
5. The TFW Program is jointly administered with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and is based on employer demand to fill specific jobs when no Canadians or permanent residents are available to do the work, with an LMIA required to issue closed work permits. The TFW Program includes seasonal and non-seasonal agricultural streams.
6. TFW Program targets include all non-seasonal workers who remain in Canada for longer than one year. Primary agriculture workers under the TFW Program who do not leave within the calendar year should be prioritized within these targets to limit the negative impact on Canada's economy and food supply chain.
7. TFW Program targets exclude all seasonal workers who enter and leave Canada within the same year (e.g., some seasonal primary agriculture and seasonal low-wage occupations in Canada for less than 270 days).
8. Study permits are issued to foreign nationals studying for six months or more in Canada at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) that is approved by the provincial or territorial government to host international students.

Permanent Residents

2025    2026    2027

IMMIGRANT CATEGORY Target Low Range High Range Target1 Low Range2 High Range Target Low Range High Range
Overall Planned Permanent Resident Admissions 395,000
(367,000 – 436,000)3 380,000
(352,000 – 416,000) 365,000
(338,000 – 401,000)
Overall French-speaking Permanent Resident Admissions outside Quebec4 8.5 %
(29,325) 9.5%
(31,350) 10%
(31,500)
Economic Federal Economic Priorities5 41,700 30,000 62,000 47,400 30,000 65,000 47,800 32,000 65,000
In-Canada Focus6 82,980 39,000 89,000 75,830 33,000 82,000 70,930 66,000 76,000
Federal Business7 2,000 1,200 3,000 1,000 200 2,000 1,000 200 2,000
Federal Economic Pilots:
Caregivers8; Agri-Food; Community Immigration Pilots9; Economic Mobility Pathways Project 10,920 6,000 14,800 9,920 5,300 14,000 9,920 5,300 14,000
Atlantic Immigration Program 5,000 4,000 7,000 5,000 4,000 7,000 5,000 4,000 7,000
Provincial Nominee Program 55,000 20,000 65,000 55,000 20,000 65,000 55,000 20,000 65,000
Quebec Skilled Workers and Business10 34,500 33,000 50,000 TBD - - TBD - -
Regularization Public Policy11 50 - 250 100 - 500 200 - 1,000
Total Economic 232,150
(215,000 – 256,000) 229,750
(214,000 – 249,000) 225,350
(207,000 – 246,000)
Family Spouses, Partners and Children 70,000 65,500 78,000 66,500 63,000 75,000 61,000 58,000 67,500
Parents and Grandparents 24,500 20,500 28,000 21,500 16,500 24,500 20,000 15,000 22,000
Total Family 94,500
(88,500 – 102,000) 88,000
(82,000 – 96,000) 81,000
(77,000 – 89,000)
Refugees and Protected Persons Protected Persons in Canada and Dependents Abroad 20,000 18,000 30,000 18,000 16,000 30,000 18,000 16,000 30,000
Resettled Refugees – Government Assisted12 15,250 13,000 17,000 15,250 13,000 17,000 15,250 13,000 17,000
Resettled Refugees – Blended Visa Office Referred 100 - 150 100 - 150 100 - 150
Resettled Refugees – Privately Sponsored 23,000 21,000 26,000 22,000 19,000 24,000 21,000 19,000 24,000
Total Refugees and Protected Persons 58,350
(55,000 – 65,000) 55,350
(50,000 – 62,000) 54,350
(50,000 – 60,000)
Total Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other13 10,000
(8,500 – 13,000) 6,900
(6,000 – 9,000) 4,300
(4,000 – 6,000)

Footnotes:
1. Notional targets and ranges for 2026 and 2027 will be confirmed or adjusted by November 1 of each year.
2. Ranges provide operational flexibility so that IRCC can remain responsive to evolving priorities and program pressures.
3. Program and category specific ranges do not equal the total range for each class.
4. The overall French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec indicated here represent the number of admissions required to meet the 8.5% target in 2025, 9.5% target in 2026, and 10% target in 2027 of overall permanent resident admissions that have been set. These targets are for admissions outside Quebec and are therefore calculated based on how many admissions within the Levels Plan would be necessary to meet the targets, based on the overall ranges for admissions outside of Quebec. Once Quebec tables its 2026 immigration levels plan, these numbers may require updating.
5. Includes admissions for eligible candidates with specific skills, training and language ability, in order to be responsive to labour-market needs, through categories established by the Minister of IRCC in the Express Entry system. The 2025 priority categories include: health care occupations, trade occupations, and French-language proficiency. Categories are established each year, informed by labour market information and projections as well as input received from partners, including provinces and territories, and stakeholders across the country.
6. Primarily admissions from the Canadian Experience Class and other regional immigration pathways but may also come from Federal Skilled Workers and Federal Skilled Trades.
7. Includes admissions from the Start-up Visa Program and the Self-employed Persons Program.
8. Includes admissions from the Home Child Care Provider and the Home Support Worker Pilots, and admissions from preceding caregiver programming for which applications are being processed to completion. These include the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs classes, a temporary public policy referred to as the Interim Pathway for Caregivers, and the legacy Live-in Caregiver Program. Also includes admissions for new pilots to provide a direct pathway to permanent residence for caregivers as soon as they arrive in Canada.
9. Includes admissions from the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, which replaced the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot for which applications are being processed to completion. Also includes admissions from the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot which targets Francophone minority communities.
10. Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has responsibility for the selection of economic immigrants destined to the province. On November 1, 2023, Quebec tabled its 2024-25 immigration levels plan at the National Assembly of Quebec, targeting a total of 56,500 permanent resident admissions per year in 2024 and in 2025. Once Quebec tables its new immigration levels plan in fall 2025, numbers will be updated.
11. Includes admissions for clients provided with permanent residency under a regularization initiative focused on those in essential service industries.
12. Includes streams for human rights defenders in need of protection, as well as LGBTQI+ individuals.
13. Includes admissions of persons selected on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, for reasons of public policy, and in the permit holder class. This also includes some admissions from Canada’s responses to the situations in Ukraine, Sudan, and Hong Kong.

None