October 24, 2024 – Ottawa

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has unveiled the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, offering a comprehensive outline of Canada’s immigration strategy over the next three years. This new plan not only sets permanent resident targets across various immigration categories—Economic, Family, Refugees and Protected Persons, and Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other—but also, for the first time, introduces temporary resident targets for international students and temporary foreign workers.

A Holistic Approach to Managed Migration

Temporary and permanent residents play a crucial role in fostering Canada’s economic growth, alleviating labour market shortages, and enriching the cultural diversity of communities, including Francophone minority regions outside Quebec. Recognizing these contributions, the 2025-2027 Levels Plan adopts a whole-of-society approach. This involves consultations with federal departments, provinces, municipalities, Indigenous Peoples, stakeholders, and communities to ensure that migration is well-aligned with Canada’s economic and social capacity.

Balancing Temporary and Permanent Immigration

With a renewed focus on managed migration, the government has set a goal to reduce the share of temporary residents to 5% of Canada’s total population by 2026. Key measures include:
– Intake cap on study permit applications
– Amended cost of living requirements for international students
– Eligibility changes for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP)
– Adjustments to work permits for spouses of international students and temporary foreign workers (TFWs)
– New restrictions in the low-wage stream of the TFW Program

Temporary Resident Targets (2025-2027)

Graph: Projected Temporary Resident Arrivals (2025-2027)

Permanent Resident Admissions Targets (2025-2027)

Graph: Projected Permanent Resident Admissions (2025-2027)

Comparison of Immigration Levels Plans (2022-2027)

Graph: Comparison of Immigration Levels Plans (2022-2027)

Key Categories and Targets:

1. Economic Immigration:

• Federal Economic Priorities: Focus on critical sectors such as healthcare and skilled trade.
• In-Canada Focus: Supporting those already in Canada, including international students and workers.
• Provincial Nominee Programs and Economic Pilots: Enhancing regional and sector-specific labour markets.

2. Family Reunification:

• Maintaining a consistent rate of 22% of overall admissions, supporting family unity through programs for spouses, partners, children, and parents.     

3. Refugees and Protected Persons:

• Sustained commitment to resettling refugees, with Government-Assisted Refugees comprising a significant share of this category.

4. Francophone Immigration:

• Increasing the share of French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec to 8.5% in 2025, 9.5% in 2026, and 10% in 2027, supporting demographic representation across Canada.

Key Measures to Support Migration

The Levels Plan emphasizes the importance of economic integration and support for newcomers. Measures include increased support for federal economic priorities and pathways for in-Canada transitions from temporary to permanent residency.

In line with Canada’s humanitarian values, the plan allocates 21,200 admissions over three years to individuals selected on humanitarian grounds. Furthermore, IRCC’s 2024 Policy on Francophone Immigration aims to enhance Francophone representation, contributing to linguistic and cultural diversity outside Quebec.

Conclusion

The 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan reflects Canada’s commitment to a balanced and sustainable migration system. By aligning temporary and permanent immigration with economic and community needs, this plan ensures that newcomers can thrive while supporting Canada’s long-term prosperity.

Sawubona Canada remains committed to assisting applicants in navigating these changes. Whether you are an international student, a temporary worker, or a family member seeking reunification, our team is here to guide you every step of the way.

For personalized assistance and the latest updates, feel free to contact us at Sawubona Canada.

Stay informed. Stay empowered.