Canada sets immigration targets through 2029 to support labour needs

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Canada immigration targets 2027-2029

Highlights

Canada's 2027-2029 Immigration Levels Plan sets annual targets of 370,000 new temporary residents and 380,000 new permanent residents to address labour needs.
Economic immigration will account for more than 64% of new permanent residents, with admissions below 1% of Canada's population and a focus on population management.
The plan seeks to increase Francophone permanent resident admissions outside Quebec to 12% by 2029, expand regional programs, and includes a temporary measure for 200,000 existing residents to transition.

Three-year plan sets stable admissions levels

As reported by Canada.ca, citing Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the 2027-2029 Immigration Levels Plan maintains annual targets of 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals and 380,000 permanent resident admissions over each of the next three years. The plan says this approach is intended to keep the system predictable while aligning immigration flows with Canada's near- and long-term economic needs.

The temporary resident target includes 220,000 new workers and up to 150,000 new international students in 2027, 2028 and 2029. For permanent residents, the government says economic immigration will account for more than 64% of total admissions, with admissions including people already working or studying in Canada as well as new arrivals.

The plan also keeps permanent resident admissions below 1% of Canada's total population beyond 2027 and supports the government's effort to reduce the temporary resident population. Statistics Canada data cited in the announcement show the country's population is growing at the slowest annual rate in more than a century, while the number of non-permanent residents has declined over the last two years.

Labour market and regional measures expand

The federal government says the plan is designed to help employers fill labour gaps and allow educational institutions to continue attracting international students. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says it is refining economic immigration programs, advancing broader reforms to Express Entry and continuing targeted recruitment efforts with provinces, territories and employers to match candidates with labour market needs.

Outside Quebec, the government is working to raise Francophone immigration to 12% of permanent resident admissions by 2029, from 9.5% in 2027 and 10.5% in 2028. It also says more admissions will be directed through the Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Program, while the Rural Community Immigration Pilot is being made permanent to address persistent shortages in smaller communities.

The announcement also introduces a temporary measure to help up to 200,000 people already living in Canada transition to permanent residence through worker and humanitarian cohorts. The government says the additional 2027 admissions space is intended to meet previous humanitarian commitments, keep families together and reduce existing application inventories.

HeiTech Padu’s MyIMMs contract extension in Malaysia highlighted how immigration authorities are keeping a legacy platform running while the country transitions to the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe). Our earlier article noted the two-year maintenance extension through February 2029 and explained that MyIMMs must operate in parallel with NIISe to avoid disruption as the new system is rolled out in phases.

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