Canada plans to grant permanent residency to up to 200,000 eligible temporary residents already living in the country by the end of 2027, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said.
The measure is set out in Canada’s 2026 federal budget and its 2027 to 2029 Immigration Levels Plan. The government said it is meant to retain people who have already settled in communities, address labour shortages and reduce immigration application backlogs.
Up to 100,000 places will go to workers already in Canada, together with their families, through selected immigration pathways. The government will work with provinces and territories to identify workers who can meet regional labour market needs, including those who qualify under the Provincial Nominee Program.
Some people who have already applied through federal programmes may also benefit. These include the Atlantic Immigration Program, the Start-up Visa Program, the Agri-Food Pilot and the home care worker pathways.
The other 100,000 places are for humanitarian and family-related cases, including people who have waited several years for a decision on permanent residency. IRCC said these include eligible applicants on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, certain Ukrainian and Hong Kong pathways, and family reunification categories.
Background
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 initiative will add admissions capacity beyond those regular targets.
The federal budget proposes C$302.3 million over four years to carry out the initiative.
The Provincial Nominee Program lets provinces and territories nominate people with the skills they need for permanent residency. Applicants nominated by a province still go through federal processing.
Applicants on humanitarian and compassionate grounds ask the Canadian government to consider their personal circumstances in deciding a case.
What it means
The announcement does not mean every temporary resident will automatically qualify, IRCC said. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of the relevant immigration programme.
The initiative is aimed mainly at people who already live in Canada. Sri Lankans in Canada on work permits or other temporary status, and those with pending applications under the programmes listed, will need to check their eligibility directly with IRCC. People still planning to apply from Sri Lanka are not the main target of this measure.
