Canada's new levels plan holds PR admissions at 380,000 a year, trims federal Express Entry spaces to 100,000 and raises PNP targets to 95,000.
Canada's new Immigration Levels Plan, released on November 5, 2026, keeps permanent resident (PR) admissions flat at 380,000 a year for 2027, 2028 and 2029. The headline is steady. The split underneath is not: the federal Express Entry programs get fewer spaces, and provincial nominee programs get more.
| Category | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 |
|---|
| Total PR admissions | 380,000 | 380,000 | 380,000 |
| Economic | 244,700 | 244,700 | 244,700 |
| Family | 81,000 | 81,000 | 81,000 |
| Refugees and protected persons | 49,300 | 49,300 | 49,300 |
| Humanitarian and other | 5,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
The planning range around the total is 352,500 to 422,000 a year. The 2028 and 2029 figures are placeholders that can change in future plans, so treat 2027 as the number that matters.
| Program | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 |
|---|
| Federal High Skilled (Express Entry's three federal programs) | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
| Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 95,000 | 95,000 | 95,000 |
| Atlantic Immigration Program | 6,000 | 6,000 | 6,000 |
| Rural Community Immigration Program | 5,500 | 6,000 | 6,500 |
Three shifts stand out:
- Express Entry is trimmed. Federal High Skilled is set at 100,000 a year, below what the previous plan projected for 2027 and 2028.
- PNPs grow. The 95,000 target is up from last year's plan, and the Atlantic program rises to 6,000.
- The Rural Community Immigration Pilot becomes permanent, with targets rising each year.
Quebec selects its own economic immigrants and its numbers are listed as to be determined. For francophone immigration outside Quebec, the target share of admissions rises from 9.5% in 2027 to 10.5% in 2028 and 12% in 2029.
New temporary resident arrivals are capped at 370,000 a year: 220,000 workers (170,000 through the International Mobility Program and 50,000 through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program) and 150,000 international students. These figures cover new arrivals only. Visitors, permit extensions, in-Canada permit applications, asylum claimants and post-graduation work permits are not counted.
Separate from the 380,000, the plan adds a time-limited measure for up to 200,000 people already in Canada, with admissions space in 2027. It has two cohorts of up to 100,000 each:
- Workers already in Canada, plus accompanying family, mainly through provinces. Programs named include the Atlantic Immigration Program, Start-up Visa, Self-Employed Persons, the Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programs.
- Humanitarian cases already in Canada, including certain spouse, common-law partner and dependent child sponsorship applications.
This is space to process applications that already exist. Naming a program does not reopen it to new applicants.
CIC News reported on November 6 that details were published on November 5 on a new IRCC page, "Managing a responsive and predictable immigration system". The 200,000 spaces for 2027 are in addition to the 380,000 target and cover the following:
- Economic cohort (up to 100,000): workers eligible for PR through a provincial nominee program, and people waiting on decisions under select closed economic pathways. Named pathways include the Start-up Visa, Self-Employed Persons Program, Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker pathways.
- Second cohort (up to 100,000): remaining Hongkonger and Ukrainian-family pathway applications, some approved-in-principle humanitarian and compassionate cases, and some spouses, partners and children of citizens and permanent residents.
Eligible people do not need to take any action to be considered. We have not seen which named pathway sits in which cohort, and we did not read IRCC's page directly.
Express Entry candidates: fewer federal spaces does not automatically mean higher cutoffs, because draw sizes and pool composition decide that. But it does mean there is less room to absorb a large pool. With scoring changing under the November 3 high-wage rules, keep your profile current and check your score on the CRS Calculator.
Candidates below the Express Entry cutoffs: the extra PNP room is your best signal. Read the PNP guide and compare streams against your occupation and province.
Workers or students already in Canada: the 200,000 measure matters most if you are in an Atlantic, Start-up Visa, Self-Employed, Agri-Food or home care pathway. See TR to PR pathways in 2026.
Anyone planning to arrive in 2027: temporary arrivals stay capped, so work and study permits remain competitive.
Tip
If you hold a provincial nomination or an Atlantic Immigration Program endorsement, submit your PR application as soon as you are eligible. Targets are ceilings for the year, and complete files filed early are the easiest to finalize.
We checked the figures above against two independent summaries of IRCC's tables. Both agree on the numbers shown. We did not find a formal tabling date in Parliament, and published francophone admission counts do not reconcile cleanly with the percentages, so we have shown percentages only. For the previous plan, see Canada's 2026 levels plan and the consultation that preceded this one.
CRS Calculator | Express Entry Draw Tracker
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration advice. Always verify information with official IRCC sources and consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or licensed immigration lawyer for advice specific to your situation.