Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleOttawa is about to release the number that shapes every permanent residence, work permit and study permit decision for the next three years.
Under federal immigration law, the immigration minister must table the annual report to Parliament, which includes the Immigration Levels Plan, on or before Nov. 1. If the House of Commons is not sitting that day, the law allows tabling within the next 30 sitting days. As of Thursday morning, the 2027 to 2029 plan had not been released.
For families in Surrey and across Metro Vancouver, many of them waiting on a spouse’s sponsorship, a work-permit holder’s PR file or a student’s next step, this is the most important immigration announcement of the year.
What the current plan says
The 2026 to 2028 plan, released last fall, held permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year for all three years.
For 2027, it projected:
- 244,700 economic immigrants, through Express Entry, provincial nominee programs and similar streams
- 81,000 family-class immigrants, including spouses, children, parents and grandparents
- 49,300 refugees and protected persons
It also cut new temporary resident arrivals. It set a target of 385,000 in 2026, falling to 370,000 in 2027, including 220,000 workers and 150,000 students.
The plan added two one-time measures on top of those targets. Up to 33,000 temporary workers would be moved faster to permanent residence in 2026 and 2027. About 115,000 protected persons already in Canada would also be transitioned to PR over two years.
IRCC called the 2027 and 2028 numbers notional, meaning they would be confirmed or changed in this year’s plan.
Signals that numbers may rise
Immigration Minister Lena Diab has signalled that levels will go up. “We do need people,” she told CTV News in mid-October. She pointed to two years of much slower population growth.
The Canadian Press reported in September that Prime Minister Mark Carney said the system was back under control. He suggested the government was considering a “controlled increase.”
Neither has released numbers.
Five things to watch
1. The total PR target for 2027. Does it stay at 380,000 or rise?
2. The economic share. Express Entry changes take effect Nov. 3. The levels plan will show how many economic immigrants Ottawa plans to admit under the new system.
3. Family sponsorship. Watch the 2027 family-class number, especially for parents and grandparents. The current plan dropped it from 84,000 in 2026 to 81,000 in 2027.
4. The temporary-to-PR transition. Many people in Surrey and Metro Vancouver are on work permits or post-graduation permits. Watch for a larger one-time pathway, or for a target for in-Canada applicants.
5. Student and worker caps. The temporary resident targets show whether international student and work-permit arrivals keep falling.
What you should do now
Nothing in the plan changes an application already in process. Do not pay anyone who promises a spot under the new targets. IRCC does not sell places in the levels plan.
Check your IRCC account and keep your documents current. If you hold a job offer in Express Entry, update your profile before the Nov. 3 changes.
StudioX News will publish the new numbers, and what they mean for you, as soon as the plan is tabled.
Sources: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Justice Laws (IRPA), CTV News, The Canadian Press
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
