Canada plans to admit 380,000 new permanent residents every year from 2026 to 2028, adding up to 1.14 million over the three-year period. But before you start packing, it is important to know one thing clearly: this is not a new announcement. It is Canada’s existing Immigration Levels Plan 2026–2028, released on November 4–5, 2025 alongside Budget 2025 under Prime Minister Mark Carney, and reported by immigration law firms and outlets since then.
The 1.14 Million Target
Under the plan, Canada will admit exactly 380,000 permanent residents in each of 2026, 2027 and 2028. That totals 1.14 million new permanent residents across the three years. The figures keep Canada’s immigration intake steady after a period in which targets were revised downward, and they underline that immigration remains central to the country’s population growth and labour force.
The plan also covers temporary residents. Canada aims to admit 385,000 temporary resident arrivals in 2026, then 370,000 in each of 2027 and 2028, with the goal of bringing temporary residents to under 5% of the country’s population by the end of 2027.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
The permanent resident targets are split across immigration classes. The economic class — which covers skilled workers, business immigrants and similar streams — makes up the largest share at 63–64% of the total:
- Economic class: 239,800 in 2026, rising to 244,700 in 2027 and 2028.
- Family reunification: 84,000 in 2026, then 81,000 in 2027 and 2028. This covers spouses, partners, children and parents or grandparents sponsored by Canadian residents.
- Refugees and protected persons: 49,300 per year across all three years.
- Humanitarian and other: 6,900 in 2026, dropping to 5,000 in 2027 and 2028.
The plan also includes one-time initiatives: fast-track permanent residence for up to 33,000 temporary workers during 2026–2027, and permanent residence for around 115,000 protected persons already living in Canada.
What It Means for Pakistani Applicants
Canada remains one of the most popular immigration destinations for Pakistanis, and these figures mean the door stays open. But applicants should keep some hard facts in mind.
First, these are global targets for all of Canada. There is no Pakistan-specific quota and no reserved number of spots for Pakistani applicants. You compete in the same pool as everyone else — through Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Programs, family sponsorship and other streams — and you must meet the requirements of whichever program you apply under.
Second, a target is not a guarantee. Meeting the eligibility criteria does not mean your application will automatically succeed; processing depends on your score, documents and the program’s capacity in a given year.
Third, since this is the existing plan from late 2025 rather than a fresh announcement, anyone telling you that Canada “just announced” 1.14 million spots for Pakistanis is misleading you. Be careful with agents and social media posts that twist these numbers into promises.
Sources: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reporting by Borders Law Firm, JCA Law, Immigration.ca and Immigrant.Today.
