On This Page, You Will Find:
- What changed in Canada’s immigration system for 2026
- The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan in numbers
- Economic immigration and why its share is rising
- How Express Entry works and the 2026 categories
- Provincial Nominee Programs and Quebec’s separate system
- Family sponsorship and the parents and grandparents pause
- Business immigration during the transition
- Temporary residence: work permits and the student cap
- Government fees, funds and timing
- Frequently asked questions
Canada’s immigration system entered 2026 in a deliberate holding pattern. After several years of rapid growth followed by sharp correction, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has settled on a flat permanent residence target and a shrinking temporary resident intake.
The governing document is the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, tabled on 4 November 2025. It fixes permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year for three consecutive years and pushes the economic share of those admissions to 64% by 2027.
For applicants, the practical effect is a smaller, more selective system. Fewer temporary permits are being issued, more permanent residence spaces are reserved for people already working or studying in Canada, and selection is increasingly tied to named occupations rather than general points scores.
What Changed for 2026
Three shifts define the year. First, permanent residence stopped falling and stabilised. Second, temporary arrivals kept dropping. Third, business immigration effectively closed for new applicants pending a replacement programme.
- Permanent resident admissions are set at 380,000 for 2026, 2027 and 2028, with an operating range of 350,000 to 420,000.
- New temporary resident arrivals are capped at 385,000 in 2026, falling to 370,000 in each of 2027 and 2028.
- The government is targeting a temporary population below 5% of Canada’s total population by the end of 2027.
- The Start-up Visa Program stopped accepting new applications at 11:59 p.m. on 31 December 2025, and the Self-Employed Persons Program pause was extended until further notice.
- Intake of new Parents and Grandparents Program sponsorship applications was paused on 15 July 2026.
The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan
The Levels Plan is the single most useful document for anyone judging their odds. It sets both the overall ceiling and the allocation between programmes.
For 2026, the permanent resident breakdown is as follows:
- Total economic: 239,800, of which Federal High Skilled accounts for 109,000 and the Provincial Nominee Program 91,500
- Total family: 84,000, split between 69,000 for spouses, partners and children and 15,000 for parents and grandparents
- Refugees and protected persons: 49,300
- Humanitarian and compassionate and other: 6,900
- Federal business: 500
- Atlantic Immigration Program: 4,000
- Federal economic pilots, including caregivers, Agri-Food and the community immigration pilots: 8,175
Two one-time measures sit outside those totals. IRCC will admit roughly 115,000 protected persons already in Canada over two years, and will fast-track up to 33,000 temporary workers to permanent residence across 2026 and 2027.
Francophone immigration outside Quebec is targeted at 9% of admissions in 2026, rising to 10.5% by 2028, with a stated goal of 12% by 2029.
Immigrate to Canada: Economic Class
Economic Immigration Takes a Larger Share
The economic category is the clear priority. It represents the largest block of admissions in every year of the plan and reaches 64% of the total in 2027 and 2028.
Within that block, IRCC increased allocations for both Federal High Skilled and the Provincial Nominee Program, framing the increase around labour gaps and nation-building projects. Federal High Skilled rises to 111,000 in 2027 and 2028; the Provincial Nominee Program rises to 92,500.
Quebec’s economic targets are not set federally. Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the province selects its own economic immigrants and publishes separate numbers.
How Express Entry Works in 2026
Express Entry remains the federal application management system for three programmes: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class. A portion of Provincial Nominee Program candidates is also managed through it.
Candidates create a profile, enter a pool, and are ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System. IRCC then runs rounds of invitations. Successful candidates have 60 days to submit a full permanent residence application.
On 18 February 2026, the Minister announced the year’s category-based selection categories. Four are new:
- Researchers with Canadian work experience
- Senior managers with Canadian work experience
- Transport occupations, including air pilots, aircraft mechanics and inspectors
- Skilled military recruits accepted by the Canadian Armed Forces
A category for physicians with Canadian work experience was announced in December 2025. Categories carried over from 2025 include French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services occupations, science, technology, engineering and math occupations, trade occupations and education occupations.
Category-based rounds require at least 12 months of full-time work experience in a single listed occupation within the past three years. For the physicians, senior managers and researchers categories, that experience must have been gained in Canada.
Provincial Nominee Programs and Quebec
Provincial and territorial programmes are the second-largest economic channel, with 91,500 admissions planned for 2026. Each province runs its own streams and its own draws, generally aligned to local labour shortages.
Most Provincial Nominee Programs follow a two-step process. A province nominates the candidate; the candidate then applies to IRCC for permanent residence. A nomination through an Express Entry-aligned stream adds a substantial number of CRS points.
Quebec operates separately. It selects skilled workers, entrepreneurs and investors under its own criteria, issues a Quebec Selection Certificate, and only then does the applicant file federally. French-language ability weighs heavily in Quebec selection.
Immigrate to Canada: Family Class
Family Sponsorship
Family reunification accounts for 84,000 admissions in 2026, or roughly 22% of the total. Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor a spouse or common-law partner, dependent children and, in defined circumstances, other relatives.
The picture changed for parents and grandparents. IRCC paused intake of new interest-to-sponsor forms and new applications on 15 July 2026, while continuing to process the existing inventory toward the 15,000 admissions planned for the year. The super visa remains available for extended visits.
Details on eligibility, undertakings and income thresholds are set out in our family sponsorship overview.
Business Immigration in Transition
Federal business immigration is largely closed to new applicants. IRCC stopped accepting Start-Up Visa applications at the end of 2025, with a narrow exception for applicants holding a designated organisation commitment issued during 2025. The Self-Employed Persons Program remains paused.
IRCC has said these steps prepare the ground for a new, targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs, with further detail promised during 2026. The Levels Plan allots only 500 federal business admissions per year in the meantime, reflecting inventory processing rather than new intake.
Provincial entrepreneur streams and Quebec’s investor programme operate under separate rules and are not affected by the federal pauses.
Temporary Residence: Work and Study
Temporary programmes are being deliberately reduced. The 2026 arrivals target of 385,000 splits into 230,000 workers and 155,000 students.
Within the worker figure, the International Mobility Program is allocated 170,000 and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program 60,000, the latter falling to 50,000 in 2027. Post-graduation work permits are treated as a change of status rather than a new arrival and sit outside the targets.
On the study side, IRCC expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026, including 155,000 to new arrivals and 253,000 extensions. That is 7% below the 2025 issuance target and 16% below 2024. A total of 309,670 application spaces are available under the cap, distributed to provinces and territories.
From 1 January 2026, master’s and doctoral students at public designated learning institutions no longer need a provincial or territorial attestation letter. Primary and secondary students, certain priority groups, and existing permit holders extending at the same institution and level are also exempt. Our study permit guide sets out the current documentary requirements.
Fees, Funds and Timing
Permanent residence fees rose on 30 April 2026. Applications received on or after that date pay the new amounts.
- Right of permanent residence fee: $600, up from $575
- Federal High Skilled, Provincial Nominee Program, Quebec Skilled Workers, Atlantic Immigration Class and most economic pilots: $990 for the principal applicant and $270 per accompanying dependent child
- Business programmes: $1,895 for the principal applicant
- Sponsored principal applicant under family class: $570, plus a $90 sponsorship fee
Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants must also show settlement funds. As of the most recent IRCC update, a single applicant needs $15,263, rising to $28,362 for a family of four. Canadian Experience Class applicants, and those with a valid job offer and work authorisation, are exempt.
Current fee tables are mirrored on our immigration fee schedule page, and published processing times change frequently.
Frequently Asked Questions About Immigration to Canada in 2026
How many permanent residents will Canada admit in 2026?
Canada plans to admit 380,000 permanent residents in 2026, with an operating range of 350,000 to 420,000. The same 380,000 target applies to 2027 and 2028 under the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan. Two one-time measures sit on top of that figure: roughly 115,000 protected persons already in Canada, and up to 33,000 temporary workers fast-tracked to permanent residence.
Which Express Entry categories are active in 2026?
IRCC is running category-based rounds for French-language proficiency, healthcare and social services, science, technology, engineering and math, trades, education, transport occupations, physicians with Canadian work experience, senior managers with Canadian work experience, researchers with Canadian work experience, and skilled military recruits. Most categories require 12 months of full-time experience in a single listed occupation within the past three years.
Is the Start-up Visa Program still open?
No. IRCC stopped accepting new Start-up Visa applications at 11:59 p.m. on 31 December 2025. The only exception is for applicants who obtained a valid commitment from a designated organisation during 2025 and had not yet filed. The Self-Employed Persons Program also remains paused while IRCC develops a new entrepreneur pilot.
Can I still sponsor my parents or grandparents?
Not at present. IRCC paused intake of new interest-to-sponsor forms and new Parents and Grandparents Program applications on 15 July 2026, and will not invite new sponsors until further notice. Existing applications continue to be processed toward the 15,000 admissions planned for 2026. The super visa remains available for parents and grandparents who wish to visit for extended periods.
How much money do I need to immigrate to Canada?
Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades applicants must show settlement funds of $15,263 for a single applicant, $19,001 for two people and $28,362 for a family of four. Government fees are separate: $990 for a principal applicant under most economic programmes, plus a $600 right of permanent residence fee before a visa is issued. Canadian Experience Class applicants do not need to show settlement funds.
Is it harder to immigrate to Canada in 2026 than before?
It is more selective rather than uniformly harder. Overall permanent residence targets are stable, but the temporary intake that once fed many applicants into the pool has been cut, and selection now favours named occupations and Canadian work experience. Candidates who fit a current Express Entry category or a provincial priority stream face better odds than those relying on a general points score alone.