New Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-2027: Key Takeaways for International Students and Temporary Workers in Canada

On October 24, Canada presented its Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-2027. Notably, for the first time ever, targets have been set for temporary residents, including international students. The Immigration Levels Plan is released annually by Canada to detail the number of permanent residents the country aims to admit to support economic growth, reunite families, and uphold humanitarian commitments.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also declared immigration goals for 2026 and 2027. Although these targets are notional at this stage, the specific numbers for each upcoming year are finalized by November 1.

Targets for International Student Arrivals

Emphasising the significance of the international student community in Canada, the Plan sets a steady target of 305,900 new international student arrivals per year for 2025, 2026, and 2027. It's important to note that these figures only account for new arrivals and do not include anticipated study permit renewals from students already residing in Canada.

Contrarily, the number of temporary resident worker arrivals is projected to decline over the next three years, from 367,750 in 2025 to 210,700 in 2026 and 237,700 in 2027. This indicates that from 2026 onwards, international students will make up a larger proportion of temporary resident arrivals in Canada.

Focus on In-Canada Transition to Permanent Residency

The 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan underscores the importance of facilitating the transition of those already in the country, whether as students or workers, to permanent residency under the "in-Canada focus" category. It is anticipated that more than 40% of overall permanent resident admissions in 2025 will be from those already living and working or studying in Canada.

The Plan also reveals that the Federal High Skilled (FHS) segment has been split into Federal Economic Priorities and In-Canada Focus, with the latter being allocated more admissions over the next three years. For instance, while the target for Federal Economic Priorities in 2025 is 41,700, the target for In-Canada Focus is almost double at 82,980. This suggests that the IRCC may explore more avenues to transition temporary residents in the country to permanent residency.

Changes to Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)

The Plan outlines substantial reductions to the targets for PNP admissions in the coming years. The government’s allocation for PNP admissions in 2025 is only 55,000, a significant decrease from last year’s target of 110,000 for 2024 and 120,000 for 2025. As a result, students planning to pursue provincial nominations as a pathway to permanent residency may find the PNP streams increasingly competitive.

Emphasis on French Language Skills

The Levels Plan also highlights a greater focus on French language skills. By 2025, the plan aims for 8.5% of all planned permanent resident admissions to be French-speaking (outside Quebec), increasing to 9.5% in 2026 and 10% in 2027. This indicates a rise compared to previous targets in the 2024-26 plan. Accordingly, students may wish to improve their French language skills to heighten their chances of permanent residency.

In-Demand Occupations Prioritized

In 2023, Canada introduced category-based selection draws to issue Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to skilled workers in high-demand sectors such as healthcare, STEM, trades, and transport to address Canada's labour shortages. These categories are subject to change based on labour market and demographic needs.

In 2025, priority categories include healthcare and trade occupations, with no plans to retire other priority categories such as STEM, transport, agriculture or agri-food. To be eligible for a