How Canada's 2026 - 2028 Immigration Levels Plan Prioritizes In-Canada Candidates For Permanent Residence

1. Overview of IRCC's New Immigration Plan

Bộ Di trú, Tị nạn và Quốc tịch Canada (IRCC) vừa công bố Kế hoạch nhập cư 2026–2028, trong đó tiếp tục nhấn mạnh vai trò trung tâm của những ứng viên đang sinh sống tại Canada trong việc đạt mục tiêu nhập cư của quốc gia.

Dù trong kế hoạch mới không còn danh mục riêng mang tên “In-Canada Focus”, Bộ trưởng Di trú Lena Diab khẳng định Canada vẫn sẽ ưu tiên cấp Thường trú nhân (PR – Permanent Residence) cho những người tạm trú đã và đang sinh sống, làm việc ổn định tại Canada.

According to the Minister, this policy will help reduce the number of new immigrants and at the same time take advantage of the available human resources – those who have adapted well to the Canadian working environment and society.

2. Parallel goals: Temporary and Permanent residence

In its 2026–2028 plan, IRCC clearly identifies the following directions:

“Target both temporary and permanent residents in parallel, focusing on transitioning those already in Canada with the necessary skills and experience to permanent residence.”

This demonstrates a strong commitment to supporting workers, international students, and temporary residents in Canada to have more opportunities to settle permanently.

3. Maintain quotas for the Express Entry system

• 2025 target: 124,680 seats
• 2026 target: 109,000 seats
• Target 2027–2028: stable at 111,000 places/year

The Express Entry system – particularly the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) – continues to be one of the main pathways for people already in Canada to move to PR.

IRCC said 64% of the 2026 PR quota will be for economic immigration, showing a clear direction to retain people with work experience in Canada.

CEC candidates are highly regarded for:

• Have practical work experience in Canada (CEC requirement).
• Easy to integrate into the labor market.
• High success rate in settling down.

Many experts predict that IRCC may resume large-scale CEC draws in 2026, in order to make the most of domestic human resources.

4. Sharp increase in Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) quota

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) quotas have increased dramatically:

• 2025: 55,000 seats
• 2026: 91,500 seats
• 2027–2028: 92,500 seats/year

The 66% increase shows that IRCC is giving more autonomy to provinces, allowing them to nominate more temporary residents who are living, studying, and working locally.

Most PNPs have dedicated streams for:

• People with experience working in the province;
• International students graduate locally;
• People who have social or family connections in the province.

In 2025, IRCC required some provinces to have 75% of their nominees in Canada, in an effort to ease the burden of accepting newcomers. However, it is unclear whether this requirement will continue in 2026.

5. Two special policies for the 2026–2027 period

To achieve the goal of converting temporary residents to permanent residents, IRCC will implement two one-time initiatives over the next two years.

a. Fast PR for skilled workers

• Up to 33,000 foreign workers working in Canada will be eligible for expedited PR processing in 2026–2027.
• The policy focuses on high-demand occupations, especially in rural areas.
• Priority criteria include:
  • Have a stable job and pay taxes regularly;
  • Community Engagement;
  • Work in essential sectors where Canada is experiencing labor shortages.

b. Granting PR to Protected Persons

• IRCC will grant up to 115,000 PR places to people recognized as Protected Persons – including refugees or people in need of protection as determined by IRCC and the Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).
• IRCC will grant up to 115,000 PR places to people recognized as Protected Persons – including refugees or people in need of protection as determined by IRCC and the Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).

Notably, this 115,000 target is outside the official PR quota in the Migration Plan, demonstrating the government's humanitarian commitment alongside its economic goals.

6. Conclusion

The 2026–2028 Immigration Plan demonstrates Canada's “retention over arrival” strategy: focusing on converting highly skilled, experienced, and integrated temporary residents into permanent residents.

Programs like Express Entry (especially CEC) and PNP will continue to be the main gateway for people studying or working in Canada to move into permanent residence.