Canada has announced an immigration plan that could allow up to 622,000 people to obtain permanent residence in 2027. However, this figure combines the regular permanent-resident admissions target with a separate, temporary initiative designed primarily for people who are already living in Canada.
The federal government’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan maintains Canada’s regular permanent-resident admissions target at 380,000 annually. At the same time, the government has announced additional admissions space for up to 200,000 people already in Canada through two special transition measures.
For temporary foreign workers, provincial nominees, people with pending immigration applications and families waiting for decisions, the announcement could create important opportunities.
However, it does not mean that 622,000 new application spots will be available to everyone, or that all temporary residents will automatically qualify.
Here is what the announcement means and how it could affect different groups of immigration applicants.
1. Where Does the 622,000 Figure Come From?
The headline figure combines two separate components.
First: Canada’s regular permanent-resident admissions target for 2027.
Under the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada has established:
- Regular annual target: 380,000 permanent residents.
- Lower admissions range: 352,500.
- Upper admissions range: 422,000.
The government can adjust actual admissions within this range according to operational requirements and immigration priorities.
Second: An additional time-limited measure for up to 200,000 people already living in Canada.
This initiative will provide additional admissions space in 2027 for two groups:
- Up to 100,000 workers and their accompanying family members.
- Up to 100,000 people in a humanitarian cohort.
The maximum headline calculation is therefore:
| Component | Maximum number |
|---|---|
| Regular 2027 PR admissions – upper range | 422,000 |
| Additional in-Canada transition measure | Up to 200,000 |
| Potential total | Up to 622,000 |
It is important to understand that 622,000 is a potential maximum, not the regular immigration target and not a guaranteed number of admissions.
The regular target remains 380,000.
2. Who Could Benefit From the Additional 200,000 Places?
The government’s new time-limited initiative has two distinct cohorts.
A. Workers Cohort: Up to 100,000 People
The first cohort will focus on temporary workers already living in Canada, together with their accompanying family members.
The government intends to work with provincial and territorial governments to identify workers who can help address regional labour-market needs.
This initiative is particularly relevant to people who are already contributing to Canada’s economy and have established connections with their communities.
The government has indicated that it will use additional Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) spaces and existing applications under selected federal immigration programs.
Potential beneficiaries include:
1. Provincial Nominee Program applicants
Provinces and territories will receive additional nomination spaces that can be used to select workers according to their regional labour-market needs.
This could benefit eligible foreign workers who have applied through provincial nomination pathways and are waiting for their permanent residence applications to be processed.
The government is also working with provinces and territories to identify workers who meet regional priorities.
2. Atlantic Immigration Program applicants
The government has identified existing applications under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) as one of the federal program groups that may benefit.
The AIP is designed to attract skilled foreign workers and eligible international graduates to Canada’s Atlantic provinces:
- New Brunswick
- Nova Scotia
- Prince Edward Island
- Newfoundland and Labrador
Applicants with pending AIP applications may therefore be relevant to the new initiative.
3. Applicants under selected federal economic programs
The government has also identified applications under certain federal programs, including:
- Start-up Visa Program
- Self-Employed Persons Program
- Agri-Food Pilot
- Home Care Worker immigration programs
Some of these programs are closed to new applications or have restricted intake. The new measure is intended to help process existing applications rather than necessarily reopen these programs.
Important: The announcement does not establish that every temporary foreign worker or every person in the Express Entry pool will receive an invitation or be selected under this initiative.
The government will work with provinces and territories to identify eligible workers and allocate the additional spaces.
B. Humanitarian Cohort: Up to 100,000 People
The second cohort will focus on individuals who are already in Canada and have been waiting for permanent residence decisions for many years.
The government intends to use this initiative to fulfil existing humanitarian commitments, keep families together and reduce backlogs in certain immigration categories.
The announcement identifies several groups:
1. Hong Kong permanent residence pathways
The government aims to process all remaining applications under the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways.
These pathways were introduced to provide eligible Hong Kong residents with opportunities to obtain Canadian permanent residence.
2. Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway
The initiative also aims to process remaining applications under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway.
This is intended to help eligible Ukrainian nationals and their families who have been waiting for decisions.
3. People already found eligible for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds
The additional admissions space will help finalize applications from individuals who have already been found eligible for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
This is an important distinction: the announcement refers to people who have already been found eligible, not everyone who might wish to submit a new humanitarian and compassionate application.
4. Spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadians and permanent residents
The government also intends to use additional space to process applications from family members already living in Canada.
This includes spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
One stated objective is to bring processing times closer to 12 months for the spouse or common-law partner class for applicants destined for provinces and territories outside Quebec.
This could be particularly important for families who have been separated or waiting for extended periods.
3. Does This Mean Temporary Foreign Workers Can Now Apply for PR More Easily?
Potentially, but the announcement does not create an automatic permanent residence pathway for all temporary foreign workers.
The workers cohort is intended to transition up to 100,000 people already in Canada, together with their families, to permanent residence.
The government will work with provincial and territorial governments to identify workers who meet regional labour-market needs.
The additional spaces will be used through existing provincial and selected federal immigration programs.
This means that a temporary foreign worker’s eligibility will still depend on the applicable immigration pathway, their employment situation, qualifications and the selection process.
For example:
- A worker who has already submitted a qualifying PNP application may be relevant to the initiative.
- An applicant with a pending Atlantic Immigration Program application may also be relevant.
- A worker who has not applied through an eligible program should not assume that simply holding a Canadian work permit will qualify them.
- A temporary foreign worker who does not meet the requirements of an eligible pathway will not automatically become eligible because additional PR spaces have been announced.
The government has not announced a general application process through which every temporary foreign worker can independently claim one of these additional spaces.
4. What Does This Mean for Express Entry Candidates?
The announcement is relevant to economic immigration applicants, but it should not be interpreted as a new general Express Entry draw or an automatic increase in CRS scores.
The regular 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan allocates 100,000 permanent-resident admissions annually to the Federal High Skilled category.
This category includes:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
The government intends to continue reforming Express Entry to select candidates with the skills and experience needed by the Canadian economy.
However, the additional 200,000-person transition measure is separate from the regular immigration levels plan.
The government has specifically identified provincial nomination spaces and selected existing federal program applications as mechanisms for the workers cohort.
Therefore, candidates should not assume that the additional 100,000 worker places represent 100,000 new invitations through regular Express Entry draws.
What should Express Entry candidates do?
- Maintain an accurate and active Express Entry profile if eligible.
- Check whether they qualify for category-based selection.
- Review their CRS score and explore ways to improve it.
- Consider provincial nomination opportunities.
- Monitor federal and provincial announcements concerning the new transition measure.
Candidates already working in Canada should also assess whether they qualify for a provincial or other eligible economic immigration pathway.
5. Will the Provincial Nominee Program Receive More Immigration Spaces?
Yes. The government has announced a higher regular PNP admissions target for 2027.
Under the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, the Provincial Nominee Program has the following targets:
| Year | PNP admissions target |
|---|---|
| 2027 | 95,000 |
| 2028 | 95,000 |
| 2029 | 95,000 |
The 2027 target is higher than the 91,500 admissions target established for 2026 under the previous immigration plan.
The government has also indicated that additional nomination spaces will be made available to provinces and territories as part of the separate workers transition measure.
This is significant because provincial governments can select candidates according to their own economic and labour-market priorities.
For foreign workers, this may create more opportunities through provincial immigration streams, particularly for people who:
- Are already employed in Canada.
- Have a qualifying job offer.
- Work in an occupation needed by a particular province.
- Have established connections with a rural or regional community.
- Meet the requirements of a provincial nomination pathway.
However, the availability of more nomination spaces does not mean that every province will accept more applicants under every stream.
Each province will continue to determine its own selection priorities, eligibility criteria and application procedures.
6. What About International Students and Temporary Residents?
The new immigration plan also confirms that Canada intends to stabilize the number of new temporary residents entering the country.
For 2027, the government has established a target of 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals.
This includes:
| Temporary resident category | 2027 target |
|---|---|
| International Mobility Program workers | 170,000 |
| Temporary Foreign Worker Program workers | 50,000 |
| International students | 150,000 |
| Total | 370,000 |
The same overall temporary resident target will apply in 2028 and 2029.
This reflects the government’s continued effort to manage temporary resident levels while maintaining access to workers and international students needed by the Canadian economy.
For international students, the 2027 target is 150,000 new arrivals.
Graduating from a Canadian institution does not automatically provide a pathway to permanent residence. International graduates must still qualify under an applicable federal or provincial immigration program.
Similarly, temporary foreign workers must continue to maintain valid immigration status and meet the requirements of their work permits while pursuing permanent residence.
The new transition measure should not be treated as a substitute for maintaining legal status in Canada.
7. Canada Is Also Increasing Its Focus on Economic Immigration
Economic immigration will remain the largest component of Canada’s permanent-resident admissions.
For 2027, the economic category has a target of 244,700 admissions, representing approximately 64.4% of the regular permanent-resident target.
The government is emphasizing the selection of workers who can contribute to Canada’s economy, address persistent labour shortages and support regional development.
The main economic immigration categories include:
| Economic immigration category | 2027 target |
|---|---|
| Federal High Skilled | 100,000 |
| Federal Business | 1,500 |
| Federal Economic Pilots | 7,900 |
| Rural Community Immigration Program | 5,500 |
| Atlantic Immigration Program | 6,000 |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 95,000 |
| Total Economic | 244,700 |
These targets indicate that Canada will continue to rely on a combination of federal skilled-worker selection, provincial nominations, regional programs and targeted economic immigration pathways.
For applicants, this means that choosing the right immigration pathway remains essential.
8. More Opportunities for French-Speaking Immigrants Outside Quebec
Another important priority in the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan is increasing French-speaking permanent-resident admissions outside Quebec.
The government has established the following targets:
| Year | French-speaking PR admissions outside Quebec |
|---|---|
| 2027 | 9.5% |
| 2028 | 10.5% |
| 2029 | 12% |
This reflects Canada’s commitment to strengthening Francophone minority communities outside Quebec.
For French-speaking applicants, this may create opportunities through:
- French-language category-based Express Entry draws.
- Provincial nominee programs with Francophone priorities.
- Francophone Community Immigration Pilot.
- Other eligible economic immigration pathways.
Applicants should remember that French-language ability alone does not guarantee permanent residence. They must still meet the eligibility requirements of the relevant immigration program.
Nevertheless, French proficiency may provide a meaningful advantage for candidates who qualify for French-language immigration selection.
9. What Should Applicants Do Now?
Although the announcement is encouraging, applicants should avoid making major immigration decisions based solely on the headline figure.
Instead, consider the following steps.
If you are a temporary foreign worker in Canada:
- Check whether you qualify for the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program or a provincial nomination stream.
- Review your work experience, NOC classification and language test results.
- Explore provincial programs that match your occupation and employment situation.
- Maintain valid temporary resident status and comply with your work permit conditions.
- Monitor official announcements about the workers transition measure.
If you are already waiting for a PR decision:
- Keep your application information and supporting documents up to date.
- Monitor your IRCC account and respond to document requests within the specified deadlines.
- Check whether your application falls within one of the programs identified in the new initiative.
- Do not withdraw an existing application or submit a duplicate application based solely on the announcement.
If you are an international student:
- Research permanent residence options before completing your studies.
- Check whether your program and institution meet the requirements for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, if applicable.
- Build qualifying Canadian work experience where possible.
- Improve your English or French language proficiency.
- Consider provincial and regional immigration pathways.
If you are outside Canada:
- Continue assessing your eligibility under Express Entry, provincial nomination programs and other federal immigration pathways.
- Do not assume that the additional 200,000 spaces are available to overseas applicants.
- Monitor changes to federal selection priorities and provincial nomination opportunities.
Conclusion: Does the 622,000 Figure Mean It Will Be Easier to Get Canadian PR in 2027?
Canada’s announcement is significant because it combines regular immigration admissions with additional spaces intended to help people already living in the country transition to permanent residence.
For eligible temporary workers, provincial nominees, selected federal program applicants and certain families with long-pending applications, the new measures could provide an important opportunity.
However, the headline figure needs to be understood correctly.
The regular permanent-resident admissions target remains 380,000 for 2027, with an upper range of 422,000. The additional 200,000 spaces are part of a separate, time-limited initiative focused on people already in Canada.
The government has not announced a universal new PR pathway for all temporary residents, nor does the initiative guarantee permanent residence for everyone with a pending application.
For prospective immigrants, the best strategy remains to identify an eligible immigration pathway, strengthen their qualifications and monitor official IRCC and provincial announcements.
Canada is continuing to prioritize economic contributions, regional labour-market needs, family reunification and humanitarian commitments. Understanding how these priorities translate into specific immigration programs will be essential for anyone planning to apply for permanent residence in 2027.
