Canada’s new Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident pathway will not include applicants living in major urban centres such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab confirmed that all Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) are excluded. This means most large cities across Canada are not eligible, including regions like Ottawa–Gatineau, Calgary, and Edmonton.
A CMA is defined by Statistics Canada as an urban area with at least 100,000 people, including a core of 50,000 or more. These areas cover about 84% of Canada’s population, meaning the pathway is clearly designed to target smaller and rural communities.
The program itself is a limited, one-time pathway expected to grant permanent residence to 33,000 temporary workers in 2026–2027. It focuses on workers already in Canada, particularly those outside major urban centres where labour shortages are more acute.
More detailed eligibility criteria are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
