Immigration Levels Plan 2027 to 2029: The Targets

In short

The 2027 to 2029 Immigration Levels Plan, released on November 5, 2026, keeps permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year and new temporary resident arrivals at 370,000. The economic class is 64.4% of admissions, with 100,000 for the federal high skilled programs and 95,000 for provincial nominees. Targets for 2028 and 2029 are notional and can be adjusted each year.

Reviewed November 9, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

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By Karam Mundi

RCIC #R1055866 · Class L3 - RCIC-IRB

Karam Mundi is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, based in Surrey, British Columbia, and authorized to represent clients before IRCC and the Immigration and Refugee Board. About Karam

Published November 9, 2026

The headline numbers

IRCC released the 2027 to 2029 Immigration Levels Plan on November 5, 2026. Permanent resident admissions stay at 380,000 in each of the three years, with a range of 352,500 to 422,000. IRCC says the admissions include people already working or studying in Canada, not only new arrivals.

New temporary resident arrivals are set at 370,000 a year: 220,000 workers and up to 150,000 international students. The worker figure is 170,000 under the International Mobility Program and 50,000 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The targets do not count visitors, permit extensions or post-graduation work permits.

Economic programs

The economic class is 244,700 admissions a year, 64.4% of the total. The federal high skilled programs, which are the three Express Entry programs, have 100,000. The Provincial Nominee Program has 95,000, up from the 91,500 set for 2026, and the Atlantic Immigration Program has 6,000.

The Rural Community Immigration Program has 5,500 in 2027, 6,000 in 2028 and 6,500 in 2029. It replaces the pilot on January 1, 2027, and our guide to the change covers what stays the same.

Free planning checklist

Express Entry Document Checklist

Use this checklist to organize the records that usually need review before relying on an Express Entry profile or invitation strategy.

Family, refugees and humanitarian

The family class is 81,000 a year: 66,000 spouses, partners and children, and 15,000 parents and grandparents. The plan sets admissions only. It does not say when the Parents and Grandparents Program, paused since July 15, 2026, will take new sponsors.

Refugees and protected persons are 49,300 a year, and the humanitarian and compassionate and other category is 5,000.

French-speaking admissions outside Quebec

The plan sets French-speaking admissions outside Quebec at 9.5% of the total in 2027, 10.5% in 2028 and 12% in 2029.

The separate measure for people already in Canada

Alongside the plan, IRCC announced a time-limited measure to move up to 200,000 people already living in Canada to permanent residence in 2027. It has a workers cohort and a humanitarian cohort, and IRCC has published no form or intake for it. Our guide to the measure explains who it covers.

What the plan does not tell you

A target is not a cutoff. The plan does not set Express Entry round sizes or scores, a province's share of the nominee spaces, or processing times. The 2028 and 2029 figures are notional, and IRCC confirms or adjusts them each year.

What Cancord looks at

Which program your profile fits, how its target and recent selection patterns compare with your score or occupation, and whether a provincial or community route gives you a second path.

Official Sources Reviewed

Source review date: November 9, 2026. Always check current IRCC instructions before relying on a public article.

Guidance Only

This strategy note is general information only. It is not legal advice, does not confirm eligibility, and does not guarantee any immigration outcome. IRCC instructions and the facts of the case control the final strategy.