OTTAWA: The Liberal government announced a decision to significantly curb the intake of temporary residents over the next three years, while maintaining steady targets for permanent residents. These policy shifts were included in the 2025 Federal Budget, tabled Tuesday, and come amidst growing national concerns over the strain on social and housing infrastructure.
The target for overall temporary resident admissions in 2026 will be reduced by 43%, dropping to 385,000 from the 2025 target of 673,650.
The specific targets for various temporary categories reflect major cuts:
- International Students: The 2026 admission target will be 155,000, representing a 49% reduction from the 2025 target of 305,900.
- Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs): The TFW admission goal will be 230,000. While this is a 37% reduction from the 2025 target (367,750), it marks an 8% increase over the 2026 target (210,700) specified in last year’s Immigration Levels Plan, signaling a slight increase for this sector compared to earlier projections.
In contrast, the 2026 permanent resident admission target will remain unchanged from last year’s plan, standing firm at 380,000. The government plans to allocate 64% of permanent resident admissions to the Economic Class. Furthermore, the federal government announced that it will grant permanent residence status to eligible protected persons currently in Canada over the next two years.
