Canada has announced plans to grant permanent residency to up to 200,000 eligible temporary residents already living in the country by the end of 2027, under a new immigration initiative aimed at retaining workers and addressing existing immigration backlogs.
The measure, outlined in Canada’s 2026 federal budget and its 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, will provide additional opportunities for eligible individuals to transition from temporary to permanent resident status.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the initiative will cover two main categories: workers and humanitarian applicants.
Under the workers category, up to 100,000 people already living in Canada, along with their families, will be considered for permanent residency through selected immigration pathways.
The government will work with provinces and territories to identify eligible workers who can contribute to regional labour market needs, including those qualifying under the Provincial Nominee Program.
Certain applicants who have already applied through federal immigration programmes, including the Atlantic Immigration Program, Start-up Visa Program, Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker pathways, may also benefit.
The remaining 100,000 places will be allocated to humanitarian and family-related cases, including individuals who have been waiting for permanent residency decisions for several years.
These include eligible applicants under humanitarian and compassionate grounds, certain Ukrainian and Hong Kong immigration pathways, and family reunification categories.
The Canadian government said the initiative is intended to retain people who have already established themselves in communities across the country while addressing labour shortages and reducing immigration application backlogs.
Meanwhile, Canada has set an annual target of 380,000 permanent resident admissions and 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals for each year from 2027 to 2029.
The new permanent residency initiative will provide additional admissions capacity beyond the regular annual targets.
However, the announcement does not mean all temporary residents will automatically qualify for permanent residency.
Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of the relevant immigration programmes, while the initiative is primarily intended for individuals already residing in Canada.
The Canadian government has proposed allocating C$302.3 million over four years to support the implementation of the initiative. (Newswire)