Canada's 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan Explained
IRCC's latest multi-year levels plan holds permanent-resident admissions flat while cutting temporary-resident arrivals — and study permits specifically — far more sharply. Here are the actual target numbers, and what a consultancy should and shouldn't assume from them.
This article is general information, not immigration advice. The headline figures below are corroborated across multiple independent sources, but minor variance exists across sources on some program-level sub-numbers. Verify any specific figure directly against the official IRCC Immigration Levels Plan document before citing it to a client.
Every year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) publishes a multi-year Immigration Levels Plan setting target admission numbers for permanent residents and temporary residents. The 2026-2028 plan marks a clear shift from the growth trajectory of recent years: permanent-resident targets are held flat rather than increased, and temporary-resident numbers — particularly study permits — are cut sharply. For consultancies advising Indian clients on Canada as a destination, these are the numbers that will shape realistic expectations for the next three years.
The headline numbers
The plan sets permanent-resident admissions at a flat 380,000 per year for 2026, 2027, and 2028 — down from a planned 395,000 for 2025. Temporary-resident arrivals fall far more steeply: 385,000 in 2026, then 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028, compared with 673,650 in 2025. Within that temporary-resident category, study permits take the sharpest cut of all — targeted at 155,000 in 2026, down from 305,900 in 2025.
Permanent resident admissions: a flat, lower target
IRCC's 2026-2028 plan sets permanent-resident admissions at a flat 380,000 per year across all three years, down from 395,000 planned for 2025. Unlike some earlier levels plans that stepped targets up year over year, this plan holds the PR number steady rather than growing it.
Temporary resident arrivals: a much steeper reduction
The cut to temporary-resident arrivals is considerably sharper than the PR reduction: targets fall to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028, down from 673,650 in 2025 — close to a 45% drop from the 2025 figure by 2026 alone.
Study permits: the steepest cut of all
Within the temporary-resident category, study permit numbers fall the hardest: a target of 155,000 in 2026, down from 305,900 in 2025 — roughly a 49% reduction. For a market where study permits are a major driver of consultancy business, this is the single most consequential figure in the plan.
Why permanent and temporary targets moved so differently
The gap between the two tracks is the plan's most notable feature. Permanent-resident admissions are held essentially flat — a modest reduction from 2025's planned 395,000 to 380,000, repeated across all three years rather than stepped up. Temporary-resident arrivals, by contrast, are cut by closer to 45% between the 2025 baseline and the 2026 target, and study permits within that category are cut by roughly 49%. This points to a policy emphasis on moderating temporary-resident volumes — including international students — while keeping permanent immigration on a more stable footing, though the specific policy reasoning behind the split should be tracked through IRCC's own communications rather than inferred solely from the numbers.
What this doesn't tell you — and where to check it
These are headline, plan-level targets, not a program-by-program breakdown. Minor variance exists across sources on some sub-program figures — for example, how the overall temporary-resident or study-permit target is expected to divide across provinces, institution types, or specific visa categories. Before citing any number more granular than the headline PR, temporary-resident, or study-permit figures above to a client, verify it directly against the official IRCC Immigration Levels Plan document, since this is also the authoritative source for any mid-cycle revisions.
What this means for Indian students and consultancies
For a consultancy that built its Canada study-visa practice during the rapid growth years, the practical takeaway is to recalibrate expectations, not to assume continuity. A roughly 49% cut to study permit numbers for 2026 means approval volume is deliberately lower than in 2025, regardless of how strong an individual application is — which makes it more important than ever to set realistic timelines with students and to track each application's specific program allocation (where applicable) rather than relying on last year's acceptance patterns.
Our Canada Study Direct Stream discontinuation explainer and our Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) explainer cover two related pieces of Canada's tightening study-permit landscape. Our Canada visa consultant software page covers how VisaBOS helps a consultancy track each student's current program allocation, document checklist, and case status against the latest IRCC guidance in one place — though it is a case-management tool, not a source of immigration policy, and does not replace verifying current levels-plan figures with IRCC directly.
Frequently asked questions
What is Canada's 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan?
It is IRCC's (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) multi-year plan setting target admission numbers for permanent residents and temporary residents, including study permit holders, for 2026 through 2028. The plan sets permanent-resident admissions at a flat 380,000 per year for all three years, down from 395,000 planned for 2025, while temporary-resident arrivals are cut far more steeply — to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028, down from 673,650 in 2025. These figures reflect the overall plan; sub-program breakdowns and any later revisions should be checked directly against the official IRCC levels-plan document.
How much are study permit numbers being cut?
Study permit targets fall to 155,000 in 2026, down from 305,900 in 2025 — a reduction of roughly 49%. This is the steepest cut within the broader temporary-resident reduction and is the figure most directly relevant to study-abroad consultancies and coaching institutes advising students on Canada as a destination. Because study permit allocation details (such as any provincial attestation letter quotas or institution-level caps) can be adjusted separately from the headline levels-plan number, current allocation rules should be verified directly with IRCC before setting client expectations.
Why is the temporary resident cut so much larger than the permanent resident cut?
The 2026-2028 plan reduces temporary-resident arrivals (385,000 in 2026, 370,000 in 2027-28) far more steeply in percentage terms than permanent-resident admissions (held flat at 380,000/year) relative to their respective 2025 baselines (673,650 temporary vs. 395,000 permanent). This reflects a broader policy direction IRCC has signalled toward moderating temporary-resident volumes — including international students and temporary workers — while keeping permanent immigration more stable. The policy rationale itself, and any further adjustments, should be tracked through current IRCC communications rather than assumed to be fixed for the full three-year window.
Does this levels plan affect Express Entry, PNP, or other specific programs differently?
The headline figures in this explainer describe the overall permanent-resident and temporary-resident targets, not a program-by-program breakdown. Sources covering this plan show minor variance on some program-level sub-numbers, so a consultancy advising a client on a specific pathway — Express Entry, a Provincial Nominee Program, the Canadian Experience Class, or any other stream — should verify that program's specific allocation within the levels plan directly against the official IRCC document rather than relying on a general summary.
How confident should a consultancy be in these exact numbers?
The headline figures above — 380,000/year PR, 385,000/370,000/370,000 temporary residents for 2026/2027/2028, and 155,000 study permits for 2026 — are corroborated across multiple independent sources, including immigration-focused outlets and law firm commentary, alongside a Canadian government Question Period reference. That said, minor cross-source variance appears in some program-level sub-figures, so before citing an exact number to a client — especially anything below the headline PR/temporary-resident/study-permit level — re-verify it against the official IRCC levels-plan document directly.
What should Indian students and consultancies take away from this plan?
The practical signal is that Canada is deliberately tightening both the number of new study permits it issues and overall temporary-resident volumes for 2026 through 2028, after several years of rapid growth. For a consultancy advising Indian students on Canada as a study destination, this means setting realistic expectations about study permit approval volume and timelines going forward, rather than assuming the growth patterns of recent years will continue. It does not, on its own, change individual eligibility criteria for a specific program — those should still be checked against current IRCC guidance for each case.
Disclaimer: this article is provided for general informational purposes only and is not immigration advice. Immigration levels plans are set by IRCC and can be revised; always confirm the current, official figures directly on IRCC's website before relying on them for a specific case or business decision.
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