Canada 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan: A Roadmap to Sustainable Growth and Opportunity

On October 24, 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, a strategy designed to manage the influx of both temporary and permanent residents. This plan aims to balance the benefits of a growing population with the capacity of communities to support new residents. The primary goal is to shift Canada’s reliance on temporary residents down to 5% of the population by 2026, while setting out ambitious targets for permanent residents: 395,000 for 2025, 380,000 for 2026, and 365,000 for 2027.

Permanent and Temporary Resident Goals: Meeting Canada’s Long-Term Needs

The 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan addresses both economic growth and labor shortages by setting new permanent resident goals across key categories:

Economic Category: The largest share, focused on skilled workers and critical sectors like healthcare and trades, to fill essential positions.

Family Category: Targets family reunification, preserving family ties by supporting a stable 22% of overall admissions.

Refugees and Protected Persons: Committed to welcoming those in need of protection, making up 15% of annual admissions.

Humanitarian Grounds: A smaller but essential portion, dedicated to those qualifying for special humanitarian admissions.

In parallel, Canada has set new targets for temporary residents: 673,650 in 2025, 516,600 in 2026, and 543,600 in 2027. These figures cover work permits and study permits but exclude short-term visitors. The balance between students and workers helps ensure Canada meets its labor demands while addressing the impact on housing and social services.

Key Highlights of the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan

Here is a summary of the plan’s targets and focus areas:

Temporary Resident targets include new arrivals for work and study permits, while visitor visas and asylum claims are handled separately.

Shifting Toward Permanent Residency: A Focus on In-Canada Candidates

Under this new plan, Canada will see more than 40% of new permanent residents in 2025 coming from individuals already in the country, either as international students or temporary workers. This transition supports smoother integration and enables Canada to retain highly skilled individuals already familiar with Canadian life and work culture.

Supporting Labor Needs with Temporary Resident Programs

Temporary resident programs, such as the International Mobility Program (IMP) and the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, cater to specific labor market needs:

IMP: Primarily aimed at those with international agreements or public policy permits, including those on post-graduate work Permits, with 285,750 targeted for 2025.

TFW: Designed to address industry-specific shortages, especially in agriculture, with an annual target of 82,000 for non-seasonal roles.

In line with policy adjustments, Canada recently tightened eligibility for Post-Graduation Work Permits and spousal work permits, focusing on highly skilled applicants in areas with labor shortages. Additionally, the IRCC has implemented study permit caps, a move aimed at easing the impact on Canada’s housing market.

Building Diverse, Multilingual Communities

An integral part of the Levels Plan includes increasing the proportion of Francophone immigrants, with targets set at 8.5% for 2025, 9.5% for 2026, and 10% for 2027, focused on attracting French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec. This initiative enriches the cultural and linguistic diversity across provinces, supporting Francophone minority communities and contributing to bilingualism.

Canada’s 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan establishes a structured path for growth, balancing economic goals with community needs. By prioritizing skilled professionals and temporary-to-permanent pathways, this plan aims to foster a resilient and adaptable labor force, capable of addressing Canada’s long-term economic and social needs.