New Canada Immigration Levels 2027-2029 Consultations Open Now

Last Updated On 15 May 2026, 9:16 AM EDT (Toronto Time)

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has officially opened the 2026 consultations on immigration levels, running from May 12 to June 14, 2026.

Canada is giving the public a direct opportunity to influence the next chapter of its immigration system, and the window is narrow.

The feedback collected through an online survey will help inform the development of the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, which the federal government is expected to table by November 2026.

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the immigration minister must table the annual report to Parliament, including projected permanent resident admissions for the following year, by November 1 each year, unless Parliament is not sitting on that date; last year’s 2026–2028 plan was released shortly after that usual deadline.

For prospective immigrants, employers, international students, temporary workers, settlement agencies, and communities across Canada

For a family of four wondering whether permanent resident admissions will rise or fall, for an employer struggling to fill healthcare vacancies in rural Alberta, or for a French-speaking professional weighing a move to New Brunswick, the decisions that come out of this consultation could shape their futures for years.

The consultation comes at a turning point for Canadian immigration policy.

Last fall, Ottawa tabled the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, which reduced arrival targets for new temporary residents and stabilized permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year.

The Government of Canada says it is delivering on its commitment to return to sustainable immigration levels, and this consultation is the next step in that process.

IRCC says it is focusing immigration on where it has the greatest impact, including filling labour gaps, strengthening key sectors of the economy, and supporting communities across the country.

What This Consultation Is About

IRCC is now preparing the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, and the online survey is one of the key tools being used to collect input from the public.

The survey is open to individuals responding on their own behalf and to organizations including employers, settlement agencies, advocacy groups, educational institutions, municipal governments, and industry associations.

Respondents can choose whether they are submitting views as individuals, as representatives of an organization, or as individuals affiliated with an organization but sharing personal perspectives.

IRCC says feedback from organizations and the public will help support the development of the next Immigration Levels Plan, as well as continued improvement of policies, programs, and services.

The consultation is not the only form of engagement IRCC conducts, as the department also holds ongoing meetings with provinces and territories and commissions public opinion research throughout the year.

However, the online survey stands out because it is the most accessible channel for everyday Canadians and newcomers to share their views directly with the department responsible for setting immigration targets.

Key Dates And Current Status

Detail	Information
Status	Open
Start Date	May 12, 2026
End Date	June 14, 2026
Plan Being Developed	2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan
Expected	November 2026
Survey Format	Online, open to individuals and organizations

The deadline of June 14 leaves just over four weeks from the launch date, so anyone planning to participate should not delay submitting their responses.

Why This Consultation Matters Right Now

This is not a routine administrative exercise.

The 2026 consultations arrive at a moment when Canada is actively rebalancing its entire approach to immigration after several years of record-breaking population growth driven by temporary resident arrivals.

Under the Canada Immigration Departmental Plan 2026, the government committed to reducing the temporary population to less than 5% of Canada’s total population by the end of 2027.

It also committed to stabilizing permanent resident admissions at less than 1% of Canada’s total population after 2027.

Several major Canada immigration changes that have already taken effect in 2026 include dramatic reductions in new temporary resident arrivals, with study permit and work permit volumes dropping sharply compared to prior years.

Temporary resident arrivals were projected to fall from 673,650 in 2025 to just 385,000 in 2026, representing a 43% reduction in a single year.

At the same time, the government has been pursuing a more targeted approach to permanent residency, using Express Entry category-based draws in healthcare, French language, skilled trades, and other priority sectors.

The consultation on the 2027–2029 plan provides Canadians a chance to weigh in on whether these targets should be maintained, adjusted upward, adjusted downward, or restructured altogether.

Canada’s Current Immigration Commitments

The survey itself references three specific commitments that the federal government has made, and these serve as the baseline for discussion.

First, Canada has committed to reducing the temporary population to less than 5% of Canada’s total population by the end of 2027.

Second, it has committed to stabilizing permanent resident admissions at less than 1% of Canada’s total population after 2027.

Third, the government plans to increase the Francophone immigration target to 12% of permanent resident admissions by 2029, supporting its broader goal of strengthening French-speaking communities outside Quebec.

The 5,000 Federal Selection Spaces For Francophone Immigrants announced earlier this year underscored the seriousness of that third commitment.

IRCC also says it remains committed to refugee protection, family reunification, and Francophone immigration outside Quebec, while ensuring that overall immigration levels are better aligned with the capacity of infrastructure, public services, and housing.

Immigration News Canada’s independent Canada Immigration Absorption Index adds further context to this debate, estimating how current permanent resident levels compare with labour, housing, affordability, service capacity, and regional absorption conditions across Canada.

The index is not an official government target or policy recommendation, but it helps explain why IRCC is asking Canadians about regional pressures, infrastructure capacity, and long-term immigration planning beyond 2029.

Key Immigration Policy Areas Under Consultation

The following table summarizes the major policy areas this consultation covers and what is currently on the table for each.

Policy Area	Current Commitment	What IRCC Wants To Hear
Temporary Residents	Reduce to less than 5% of population by end of 2027	Should these targets change, and what impacts have reductions had so far?
Permanent Residents	Stabilize at less than 1% of population after 2027	Should future permanent resident levels be adjusted, and in which direction?
Francophone Immigration	Reach 12% of PR admissions by 2029	Is the 12% target achievable and sufficient for Francophone communities?
Regional Labour Needs	Focus immigration where it fills labour gaps and supports communities	Are there specific regional pressures, opportunities, or demographic trends to consider?
Housing And Infrastructure	Align immigration levels with infrastructure and housing capacity	How should capacity constraints factor into future immigration planning?
Long-Term Planning Beyond 2029	No formal targets set beyond the current plan cycle	What long-term priorities should guide the system after 2029?

The Survey Questions Explained In Detail

IRCC’s consultation survey asks respondents to address five core areas that will shape the next Immigration Levels Plan.

How Has Last Year’s Approach Affected Communities?

The first substantive question asks respondents to reflect on how the reduction in temporary resident arrivals and the stabilization of permanent resident targets have affected their communities or sectors.

IRCC wants to know what positive or negative impacts people have observed so far.

This is a critical question because the reductions were driven by concerns about housing affordability, public service capacity, and labour market balance.

As the Canada Will Need To Increase Immigration Again analysis demonstrated, however, some sectors have already begun feeling acute labour shortages as a direct result of these same reductions.

Respondents in healthcare, construction, agriculture, and hospitality may want to highlight whether the reduced intake has created hiring difficulties, while respondents in urban centres may point to easing of housing pressures.

What Changes Should Be Made To Future Levels?

The second question asks what changes respondents would recommend to future temporary and permanent resident levels and why.

This is the most open-ended and consequential question in the survey because it invites Canadians to suggest specific adjustments to the targets that will be set for 2027 through 2029.

Employers struggling to find workers through Canada PNP Province-Wise Targets For 2026 allocations may be argued for higher economic immigration targets.

Municipal leaders dealing with strained infrastructure may advocate for maintaining or lowering temporary resident targets.

The Major Canada Express Entry Changes 2026 currently under consultation could also reshape how Canada selects permanent residents, adding another dimension to this question.

Regional Pressures And Demographic Trends

The third question focuses on whether there are specific regional pressures, opportunities, or demographic trends that IRCC should take into account.

Canada is a country of vast regional differences, and immigration policy does not affect every province and territory equally.

Atlantic Canada continues to face population aging and outmigration challenges that make immigration essential to maintaining service levels and economic activity.

Ontario and British Columbia, by contrast, have absorbed the largest share of recent immigration growth and are dealing with corresponding pressure on housing and transit.

The Quebec Immigration Plan 2026 has already taken its own approach by setting lower thresholds and tightening French-language requirements.

Prairie provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba have growing agricultural and manufacturing sectors that rely heavily on immigration to fill positions that domestic workers are not filling.

Long-Term Considerations Beyond 2029

The fourth question looks past the immediate planning cycle and asks what long-term considerations and priorities should guide Canada’s immigration system beyond 2029.

This is where respondents can share views on whether Canada should eventually increase immigration levels again to address demographic decline or whether a lower and more stable trajectory is more appropriate.

Canada’s population is aging rapidly, and without sustained immigration, the country faces a declining workforce and rising dependency ratios that could strain public pension and healthcare systems.

The TR To PR Pathway Details From Immigration Minister and the growing emphasis on converting temporary residents already established in Canada into permanent residents signal one direction the system may take in the longer term.

Climate migration, global talent competition, and evolving trade relationships are all factors that respondents may want to flag as relevant to Canada’s post-2029 immigration strategy.

Challenges And Barriers In The Immigration System

The fifth question asks what challenges, barriers, or concerns exist in the immigration system that affect people’s ability to come to Canada and achieve positive outcomes.

This is a question about system performance, and respondents can address everything from processing delays to credential recognition to settlement support gaps.

The IRCC Processing Times May 2026 published this month show that some streams continue to face significant wait times, with work permit extensions stretching well beyond their service standards.

Employers who have tried to bring workers through the Canada Immigration Changes In May 2026 may point to regulatory complexity and processing bottlenecks as barriers to achieving the economic outcomes immigration is supposed to deliver.

Newcomers themselves may highlight difficulties with foreign credential recognition, the cost of language testing, or gaps in settlement services outside major urban centres.

Key Takeaways From These Consultations

Understanding what this consultation means in practical terms is essential for anyone who wants their voice to count before the June 14 deadline.

The Government Is Not Starting From Scratch

The 2026–2028 plan already set a clear direction, and this consultation builds on that foundation rather than replacing it.

The temporary resident reduction targets and the permanent resident stabilization framework are in effect and producing measurable results.

What IRCC is asking is whether those same principles should carry forward into 2027–2029, whether adjustments are needed, and what new priorities should be layered on top.

Your Feedback Will Not Directly Set The Numbers

The Immigration Levels Plan is ultimately a decision made by the Cabinet and tabled by the Minister of Immigration in Parliament.

Survey responses do not determine final targets, but IRCC has stated clearly that they will help inform the plan.

In past consultation cycles, the themes and concerns raised through public feedback have visibly shaped the emphasis of subsequent plans, particularly around regional balance and housing concerns.

This Is A Chance To Shape Regional Immigration Priorities

One of the most powerful aspects of this consultation is the emphasis on regional needs.

Organizations and individuals in smaller communities, rural areas, and provinces with distinct labour market conditions have a rare opportunity to tell IRCC exactly what they need.

The Immigration Minister Announces New Express Entry Categories earlier this year, adding new Express Entry categories targeting physicians, researchers, and transport occupations, all of which respond to regional and sectoral demand.

This consultation could lead to further refinements in how immigration is distributed geographically.

Francophone Immigration Is A Growing Federal Priority

The 12% Francophone immigration target by 2029 is not just a number on paper.

It reflects a legislative commitment under the modernized Official Languages Act to restore the demographic weight of Francophone communities outside Quebec.

The PR Support Program For Francophone Students launched in March 2026 and continued growth in French-language Express Entry draws shows that IRCC is actively building the infrastructure to meet this target.

This consultation gives Francophone community organizations a direct channel to advocate for the resources and selection mechanisms they need.

The Conversation About Long-Term Direction Is Wide Open

Unlike the questions about current commitments and near-term targets, the long-term question has no preset framework.

IRCC is genuinely soliciting ideas about where the immigration system should go after the current planning cycle ends.

This is where respondents can raise issues like automation and artificial intelligence displacing certain occupations, the need for a climate-responsive immigration framework, and whether Canada should pursue bilateral labour agreements with specific countries to meet future workforce needs.

System Barriers Are On The Table For Discussion

The inclusion of a question about barriers and challenges signals that IRCC recognizes the immigration system does not work perfectly for everyone.

Respondents can address processing delays, the complexity of application procedures, gaps in settlement programming, and difficulties with credential recognition that prevent newcomers from working in their fields.

The passage of Bill C-12 Now Officially Becomes Law has added new enforcement powers and asylum eligibility rules to the system, which some respondents may identify as creating additional uncertainty for certain categories of applicants.

The New Canada Express Entry Overhaul 2026 proposed for the Express Entry system could also fundamentally change the selection process, and respondents may want to flag concerns about how such changes would affect access to permanent residence.

How The Current 2026–2028 Plan Set The Stage

To understand what the 2027–2029 plan might look like, it helps to understand the plan that is currently in effect.

The Breaking Down Canada’s Upcoming Immigration Levels Plan set permanent resident admissions at 380,000 annually for each of 2026, 2027, and 2028, within a range of 350,000 to 420,000.

Economic-class immigration accounts for the majority of those admissions, rising from 59% in 2025 to 64% by 2027 and 2028.

Provincial Nominee Program allocations rebounded sharply, from 55,000 in 2025 to 91,500 in 2026, as the government restored confidence in decentralized, region-specific selection.

On the temporary side, new arrivals dropped from 673,650 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026, with further reductions planned for 2027 and 2028.

The Francophone immigration target was set at 9% for 2026, rising to 10.5% by 2028, with the 12% goal anchored at 2029.

The 2 New Canada Permanent Residency Pathways In 2026 announced alongside the plan also introduced transition mechanisms for up to 33,000 temporary workers to move to permanent residence across 2026 and 2027.

These combined measures reflect a shift from a growth-first strategy to one focused on sustainability, integration capacity, and economic alignment.

The 2027–2029 plan will either extend this approach, adjust it based on new data, or pivot toward a different trajectory depending on what the consultations and internal policy reviews reveal.

Who Can Participate In This Consultation

IRCC has designed the survey to accommodate a wide range of respondents, and participation is not limited to immigration professionals or policy experts.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have opinions about how immigration affects their communities can submit individual responses.

Employers in every sector, from agriculture to technology to healthcare, can share their perspectives on labour market needs and the effectiveness of current immigration streams.

Settlement organizations, educational institutions, municipal governments, Indigenous organizations, Francophone community groups, and advocacy organizations are all specifically included in the survey’s respondent categories.

Temporary residents currently in Canada, including international students and temporary foreign workers, can also participate and share their own experiences navigating the system.

The Express Entry Draw Predictions May 2026 and draw patterns for 2026 show how active the permanent resident selection system has been, and candidates in the Express Entry pool have a direct stake in how future levels are set.

The more diverse the range of responses IRCC receives, the stronger the evidence base the department will have when presenting options to Cabinet this fall.

What Happens After The Consultation Closes

Once the survey closes on June 14, 2026, IRCC will compile and analyze the responses alongside input gathered through other channels, including provincial and territorial meetings and public opinion research.

The 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan is expected to be tabled in Parliament this fall, consistent with the statutory requirement to present the plan before November 1.

The plan will set targets for permanent resident admissions across economic, family, refugee, and humanitarian categories and will likely continue to include targets for temporary resident arrivals as the current plan does.

The 2027–2029 plan will need to account for all of these developments while also setting a course that balances population growth with housing, healthcare, education, and labour market realities.

IRCC has confirmed through the official levels background page that it engages with stakeholders and partners throughout the year, and the tabling of the plan is the culmination of a full year of research, engagement, and policy analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can temporary residents in Canada submit responses to the immigration levels survey?

Yes, the survey is open to all individuals in Canada, including temporary residents such as international students and temporary foreign workers, as well as anyone affiliated with an organization involved in immigration. IRCC has designed the survey with separate respondent categories for individuals, organizational representatives, and individuals affiliated with organizations.

How will the consultation results affect Express Entry draw sizes and CRS cutoffs in 2027?

Those targets help shape how many Express Entry invitations IRCC may issue each year, but final draw sizes also depend on category allocations, processing capacity, application inventory, and the composition of the candidate pool. If permanent resident admissions increase, draw sizes could grow and CRS cutoffs could ease, all else being equal; however, the actual outcome would depend on category allocations, pool composition, and IRCC’s operational priorities.

Will the 2027–2029 plan set separate targets for each province?

Federal immigration level plans set national targets by immigration class, not by province. However, Provincial Nominee Program allocations, which are negotiated between IRCC and each province, are directly influenced by the national targets. Higher national targets generally translate into larger provincial nomination allocations, so the consultation outcome will indirectly shape how many newcomers each province can select through its own programs.

Is the 12% Francophone immigration target by 2029 guaranteed, or could it change?

The 12% target is a stated government commitment linked to the modernized Official Languages Act, which aims to restore the demographic weight of Francophone communities outside Quebec to 1971 levels. While the target is embedded in federal policy and the current levels plan builds incrementally toward it, future governments could revise it. The consultation provides an opportunity for Francophone organizations and the broader public to reinforce or challenge this target.

What happens if I miss the June 14 deadline for the survey?

The online survey closes on June 14, 2026, and late submissions will not be accepted through that channel. However, IRCC gathers input through other mechanisms throughout the year, including meetings with stakeholders and provinces. Organizations and advocacy groups that miss the public survey deadline may still be able to share their views through direct engagement with IRCC during the policy development process. Individuals who miss the deadline should monitor IRCC’s public consultations page for any additional opportunities to provide feedback before the plan is finalized this fall.

Fact-Checked: All information in this article has been verified against official Government of Canada sources, including IRCC and canada.ca, as of May 14, 2026.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. IRCC policies change frequently and individual circumstances vary. Consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or licensed immigration lawyer for guidance specific to your situation.

Kamal Deep Singh, RCIC

Kamal Deep Singh, RCIC (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant) licensed by CICC (formerly known as ICCRC) with member number R708618. He brings extensive knowledge of immigration law and new changes to rapidly evolving IRCC.