Key Stats & Summary
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Permanent residents: 380,000 per year (2026–2028)
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Francophones outside Quebec: climbing to 10.5% by 2028, aiming for 12% in 2029
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Priority: applicants inside Canada with real in demand jobs, clear pathways, and community ties
- Currently there are 36,433 PR and PNP eligible jobs in Canada as per QuestJobs.
What Is This Plan Doing?
Canada’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan is a reset, not a shutdown. It aims to:
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Reduce new temporary resident arrivals to ease pressure on housing, health care, and public services
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Keep permanent resident numbers stable, but channel them toward real labour market needs
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Prioritize people who are already here and contributing—workers, protected persons, and francophone candidates with strong ties
This plan reinforces exactly why QuestJobs exists.
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We help you draw a straight line: this job → this location → this program → PR.
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We highlight PR-eligible roles, PNP-linked opportunities, and employers aligned with real pathways.
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Fewer temporary permits, more targeted PR—and QuestJobs is built for that reality.
Temporary Residents: Fewer New Permits
New temporary workers and international students will be capped at:
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385,000 in 2026
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370,000 in 2027 -2028
These totals include both International Mobility Program (IMP) and Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) permits, plus new international students. Compared to recent years, this is a noticeable reduction. This means that Canada is moving away from using temporary permits as a casual “test the waters” entry route. Employers must plan earlier, offer stronger roles, and, in many cases, back clear PR pathways to stay competitive. and a serious, PR-aligned job offer becomes more valuable—especially for those already in Canada.
Permanent Residents: Stable but Sharper
PR admissions remain at 380,000 per year from 2026–2028, but the mix changes:
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Economic streams (Express Entry, PNP, AIP, pilots) grow to about 64% of all spots
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PNP + Federal High Skilled get more weight, giving provinces and employers a bigger role
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Family Class stays steady at about 21–22%
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Around 13% is reserved for refugees, protected persons, and humanitarian cases
Key takeaway:
Canada is still open to permanent residents—but is clearly prioritizing skilled, long-term contributors whose jobs match real labour gaps.
Francophone Focus & One-Time Measures
Canada is:
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Increasing Francophone immigration outside Quebec to 10.5% by 2028, with a 12% target in 2029
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Fast-tracking about 115,000 protected persons already in Canada to PR over two years
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Transitioning up to 33,000 temporary workers with strong ties in 2026–2027 to PR. This moves many people from “temporary but stuck” to permanently settled.
What This Means in Practice
If you’re already in Canada you’re in a stronger position. The plan favours people in genuine, in-demand jobs specially candidates with PNP nominations. Questjobs currently lists over 36,000 PR and PNP eligible jobs across 9 provinces under 22 PR Pathways. The jobs and companies are researched properly before they are listed in the portal.
Some job examples are,
Plumber | BC PNP Skilled Worker Stream | School District 5 | https://questjobs.io/pr-pathway/bc-pnp-skilled-worker-stream/plumber-102
Rental Advisor | Alberta Opportunity Stream | Chandos Cons. | https://questjobs.io/pr-pathway/alberta-opportunity-stream/tool-rental-administrator-tool-rental-administrator-with-verification-1
Asset Protection Associate | Ontario PNP | Walmart | https://questjobs.io/pr-pathway/ontario-employer-job-offer-in-demand-skills-stream/can-asset-protection-associate-can-asset-protection-associate-with-verification-19
If you’re outside Canada It’s more competitive. You’ll need:
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An in-demand NOC
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A francophone advantage, or
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A direct PR-eligible pathway (e.g., employer-backed, PNP-aligned)
Random, low-skill roles with no clear route are now a high-risk strategy.