IRCC Policy Update — August 3, 2026
Monday, August 3, 2026
Canada's 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan targets a sharp reduction in new temporary resident arrivals — from 673,650 in 2025 down to 385,000 in 2026, and 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028 — aiming to bring Canada's temporary resident population below 5% of total population by end of 2027.
Permanent resident admissions are to be stabilized at under 1% of Canada's population annually after 2027, with priority given to economic immigration, family reunification, and humanitarian cases.
IRCC's 2025-2026 Departmental Plan signals several new initiatives: making the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot a permanent PR pathway by end of 2025, creating a new agriculture/fish processing work permit stream, updating PGWP field-of-study requirements, and changing spousal open work permit eligibility rules.
What You Should Do
- If you are a temporary resident (student or worker) in Canada, check your current status and whether your stay extends beyond 2027 — IRCC is actively reducing the temporary resident population to under 5% of Canada's total population. Review your options at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada.html.
- If you are interested in shaping Canada's 2027-2029 Immigration Levels Plan, complete IRCC's online public survey at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/consultations/2026-consultations-immigration-levels.html. Note: the current consultation ran May 12 – June 30, 2026; watch for the next cycle this fall.
- If you are a spouse of a foreign worker or international student holding or applying for a spousal open work permit (SOWP), monitor IRCC's updates at canada.ca for eligibility changes announced in the 2025-2026 Departmental Plan — changes are expected to roll out during 2025-2026.
- If you are a refugee student or work in agriculture/fish processing, track IRCC's 2025-2026 Departmental Plan announcements at canada.ca for a potential new PR pathway for refugee students and a new dedicated work permit stream for your sector — both expected by end of fiscal year 2025-2026.
- If you are an Express Entry candidate, note that IRCC announced new Express Entry categories in February 2026 targeting specific skills and experience. Check current eligible categories and your CRS score at canada.ca/express-entry.
Sources
Topics Covered
2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan: Canada's 2026-2028 Levels Plan cuts new temporary resident arrivals from 673,650 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027-2028, while capping permanent resident admissions below 1% of population after 2027. The plan prioritizes economic immigration, family reunification, and humanitarian cases.
International Student Cap Reduction: The 2026-2028 Levels Plan explicitly reduces the number of new international student arrivals as part of the broader temporary resident cap, with total new temporary arrivals dropping from 673,650 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026.
LMIA-Exempt Work Permit Expansion: IRCC's 2025-2026 Departmental Plan announces a new dedicated foreign labour stream and work permit type for the agriculture and fish processing sector, as well as new work permit pathways tied to free trade agreements with Indonesia, Ecuador, and CPTPP accession candidates.
How these topics connect
Employers and workers should recognize that the shift toward LMIA-exempt permits is a top-down federal strategy embedded in the Levels Plan, meaning it is unlikely to reverse in the near term and signals where hiring flexibility will grow.
Canada's comprehensive immigration strategy is using study permit caps as a key lever to achieve its temporary population reduction targets.
More IRCC Policy Updates
IRCC Policy Update — August 13, 2026
Aug 13, 2026
IRCC Policy Update — August 10, 2026
Aug 10, 2026
IRCC Policy Update — July 30, 2026
Jul 30, 2026
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