Canada announces plan to provide permanent residence to 100,000 workers and families

Canada will offer provinces and territories additional immigration nomination allocations to transition up to 100,000 workers and their families to permanent residence in 2027. Canada plans permanent residence for 100,000 workers and family members in 2027.

(Unsplash)Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced details of the time-limited measure on November 12, saying provincial and territorial governments would be given flexibility to select workers already living in their communities and contributing to local economies.

The initiative, announced alongside Canada's Budget 2026, is intended to provide greater stability for employers and workers while helping communities retain skilled talent without adding significant pressure on housing and infrastructure.

Under the measure, provinces and territories will receive additional Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allocations and decide how much of the available space they want to use to transition eligible workers to permanent residence.

The allocations are intended to be used by March 31, 2027, to support permanent residence transitions during the year. The additional nomination space will allow provincial and territorial governments to identify workers who are already established in their jurisdictions and meet local labour market needs.

The governments will also be able to identify people who have already applied for permanent residence through federal immigration programs and pilots but are still awaiting decisions. These include applicants under the Atlantic Immigration Program and several federal pathways that have closed to new applications, such as the Start-up Visa Program, Self-Employed Persons Program, Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programs.

The government said the measure would help employers retain skilled workers and support communities facing labour shortages. “By retaining high-value, established workers, we can support economic growth and help our businesses thrive,” Diab said in the news release.

The time-limited measure also includes additional permanent residence spaces for other groups already in Canada. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the government will help transition up to 32,000 applicants under the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways, which closed to new applications in August 2026.

Another 18,800 applicants under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, which closed in October 2024, will be covered. The measure also includes up to 12,600 people who have already been found eligible for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

Additionally, up to 45,000 spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Canada will be covered. IRCC said the initiative does not establish new immigration programs or reopen closed pathways.

Applicants do not need to contact the department or take additional action for their applications to be processed under these additional spaces. The measure is separate from the In-Canada Worker Initiative announced in Budget 2025.

Canada's government said the initiative would help retain workers already contributing to the economy while supporting a more predictable immigration system.