Canada may be getting closer to increasing immigration again after several years of lower targets.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada’s immigration system is now “back under control” and suggested the government is considering when it could begin a “controlled increase” in the country’s population.
No new immigration targets have been announced yet. However, the timing is significant: Ottawa is preparing its next Immigration Levels Plan, which will set targets for 2027, 2028 and 2029.
Canada’s current plan keeps permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year through 2028. Meanwhile, targets for new international students and temporary foreign workers are being reduced from 385,000 in 2026 to 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028.
The government has also said it wants temporary residents to represent less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.
Carney’s comments do not necessarily mean all immigration categories will increase. Ottawa could raise permanent residence targets while continuing to tightly control international student and temporary worker numbers.
For prospective immigrants, the next Immigration Levels Plan will therefore be especially important. It could determine whether more spaces become available through programs such as Express Entry, economic immigration and provincial programs.
For now, Canada’s existing targets remain unchanged. But Carney’s remarks suggest that after several years focused on reducing immigration growth, Ottawa is at least considering when that direction could begin to change.
