Canada Announces 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan: A Shift Toward Stability

Key Highlights

The new Immigration Levels Plan for 2026–2028 released by Canada is a clear indication of a strategic change toward settling on immigration management and sustainability. The plan retains strong pathways for permanent residents but refocuses the Government on curtailing episodes of temporary migrations as much as possible. This is done to ease pressures relating to the labour market and housing.

Permanent Residents

In 2026, Canada is set to serve 380,000 new permanent residents, just like in the objectives mentioned in the plan of the preceding year. This would be an indication of the continued presence of the Government to carry out long-term settlement, family reunification, and skilled immigration, hence guaranteeing a perpetual influx of New Canadians into the system.

Temporary Residents

Truly a major recalibration on the government side: The aim will be to lower the temporary residents to 385,000 in 2026 from 673,650 in 2025. The idea behind this would be to work toward stabilisation of temporary migration by focussing on long-term integration rather than short-term labour dependency.

International Students

The target for international students was 305,900 in 2025 and would get reduced to 155,000 in 2026. This way, the aim is to make the education sector maintain quality standards, and support genuine students, while preventing housing shortages and resource burdens in certain provinces.

Temporary Foreign Workers

The Canadian Government will also see its intake of temporary foreign workers drop to 155,000 in 2026 from 367,750 in 2025. The government intervention is conversant to prioritizing the pathway to permanent residence for workers who are essential, so as not to compromise the labour market needs.

Applicant Perspective

The new plan sets the tone for a policy direction on sustainable immigration growth. Canada still welcomes skilled workers, families, and entrepreneurs but is now focusing more on those interested in long-term establishment than short-term opportunity.

Conclusion and Call to Action

Strategic planning is essential for settlement in Canada. With temporary streams diminishing and PR numbers remaining constant, competition is expected to rise for the finest quality of candidates.

At Abhinav Immigration Services, we can help you select amongst the most viable permanent residence pathways in harmony with the 2026-28 plans of Canada — be it Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, or employer-driven routes.

Get started with your profile now, so you can have a secured future under your belt.