Canada's 2025-2026 Immigration Plan: What It Means for You

1. A Focus on Sustainable Immigration Levels

Canada’s new approach aims to ensure that housing, jobs, and social services can keep pace with immigration. Here are some of the most important targets:

• Reducing temporary residents to 5% of Canada’s population by 2026.

• Stabilizing permanent resident admissions to under 1% of the population annually beyond 2027.

• For the first time, setting specific targets for temporary resident arrivals, starting with 673,650 newcomers in 2025, decreasing gradually in future years.

These measures are designed to reduce infrastructure strain and ensure that newcomers can access essential resources to build their lives successfully.

2. Economic Immigration: Supporting Canada’s Labour Market

Skilled workers remain vital to Canada’s economic growth. The 2025–2026 plan emphasizes transitioning temporary workers into permanent residents, especially in sectors where demand is highest:

• Healthcare

• Agriculture and food processing

• Construction

• Technology (supported by the Tech Talent Strategy)

Express Entry

• Prioritize candidates with Canadian work experience (Canadian Experience Class).

• Use category-based selection focusing on:

  French-speaking applicants, Healthcare and social services professionals, Skilled trades workers, and Education professionals

Provincial and Regional Economic Programs

• The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will become the main pathway for many temporary residents to transition to permanent residence.

• Two-year work permit extensions will be available for PNP nominees.

• The Atlantic Immigration Program and the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot will both expand to welcome more skilled newcomers.

Business Immigration

• The Start-Up Visa and Self-Employed Programs will be prioritized to attract entrepreneurs.

• Application intake controls will improve processing efficiency.

• New client service strategies will enhance the experience for business applicants.

3. Permanent Resident Admissions: Annual Targets

Here’s how permanent resident admissions will be structured:

Notably, 40% of 2025 admissions are expected to be individuals transitioning from temporary status.

4. Managing Temporary Residents: Clear Annual Targets

The plan also includes defined targets for key temporary resident categories:

These reductions are essential for achieving the goal of temporary residents making up no more than 5% of the population by 2026.

5. Major Overhaul of International Student Programs

If you’re an international student or planning to study in Canada, several major changes are underway:

• A two-year cap on study permits, targeting approximately 360,000 approvals in 2024 (a 35% reduction).

• Provincial attestation letters have been mandatory since January 2024.

• Exemptions apply for Master’s, PhD, and K–12 students.

• A new Recognized Institution Framework will be developed to identify trusted schools.

• Higher financial requirements.

• Updated PGWP eligibility to align graduates with labour market needs.

6. Strengthening Francophone Immigration

Canada is committed to supporting Francophone communities outside Quebec:

• French-speaking immigrant targets will rise to 8.5% of admissions by 2025.

• The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot will help attract French-speaking students to Canada.

7. Family Reunification: Faster, Simpler, Clearer

Family reunification continues to be a cornerstone of Canadian immigration policy:

• Family class admissions will reach 22% of all admissions by 2027.

• IRCC is streamlining online information and application processes.

• Faster processing times are planned for overseas spousal sponsorships.

• Applicants can expect clearer communication about wait times.

8. Refugees and Humanitarian Programs

Canada remains a global leader in refugee resettlement, even as challenges mount:

Targets and Commitments:

• 15% of admissions reserved for refugees, with allocations including:

  • 12,000 each from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific regions.

  • 4,000 from the Americas by 2028.

• The Private Sponsorship Program intake is paused until December 2025.

• A significant investment of $1.1 billion will go to Interim Housing Assistance.

• The Crisis Response Framework will guide Canada’s humanitarian efforts.

• Commitments under the Global Refugee Forum include launching the Permanent Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot by 2025 and exploring new pathways for refugee students.

9. Modernizing the Immigration System

Finally, Canada is making major investments to modernize how immigration services are delivered:

• Digital Platform Modernization (DPM) will create a new portal for applications and real-time updates.

• A future Case Management Platform will replace the aging GCMS system.

• Responsible AI integration will help process applications more efficiently without replacing human decisions.

• Asylum System Modernization: Enhancements to the Interim Federal Health Program, reception centre models offering sustainable housing, and coordination with provinces on legal aid and employment support.

How Mapleaves Immigration Services Can Help

Immigration policies are evolving rapidly, and every individual’s situation is unique. Whether you are a skilled worker, an entrepreneur, a student, or a family sponsor, we are here to guide you through each step of the process.

• Understand your options in plain language

• Develop a clear application strategy

• Avoid delays and unnecessary costs

If you’d like to discuss how these changes may impact your plans, we invite you to reach out to us today for a personalized consultation.

Schedule a Consultation with an authorized immigration consultant