Immigration plan slashes student visas, prioritizes economic newcomers

The McGill University campus on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

OTTAWA — Canada’s 2026-2028 immigration levels plan aims to increase the number of economic immigrants coming to the country while cutting temporary migration, largely through a dramatic reduction in student visas.

The new levels plan cuts in half the planned number of student visas for the next three years, bringing it down to 155,000 in 2026 from about 306,000 in the previous year’s plan. The government plans to issue about 150,000 student visas annually in both 2027 and 2028.

Post-secondary institutions across Canada have been experiencing deep budget cuts due to reduced income from international student tuition fees, which tend to be four to five times higher than those paid by domestic students.

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The new plan continues a previously announced reduction in the number of temporary workers for 2026, with a revised target of 230,000, up slightly from the previously targeted 210,000 for that year. The number is down significantly from the nearly 368,000 temporary workers permitted in to Canada for 2025.

The budget document does not say how many temporary worker visas are being allocated through the International Mobility Program — which targets specialized, hard-to-find talent — and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which requires that employers demonstrate they couldn’t find a Canadian to fill a job.

In the past, more work visas have been allocated to the International Mobility Program than to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

The budget document says that these targets will reduce temporary immigrants’ share of the population to less than five per cent by the end of 2027.

The Conservatives have been calling on the government to scrap the temporary foreign worker program due to the high youth unemployment rate.

The budget document says the government recognizes the key role temporary workers play in some sectors and will look to ensure rural, remote and tariff-hit businesses have enough people.

The government plans to admit about 380,000 new permanent residents annually from 2026 to 2028.

The plan prioritizes economic immigrants with a target of just under 240,000 in 2026. That grows to almost 245,000 in 2027 and 2028 — an increase of about 10,000 above the previous 2026 target.

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The budget also proposes a plan to “accelerate” 33,000 work permit holders to permanent resident status over the next two years. That’s in addition to the main permanent residency targets.

The budget pitches a $1.7 billion multi-year recruitment plan for international talent. The plan focuses on attracting more than 1,000 researchers to Canadian universities in fields like engineering, natural sciences, humanities and health.

The target for family reunification is being cut by about 4,000 immigrants compared to the old plan, with 84,000 visas expected in 2026.

The number of refugees, protected persons and people receiving permanent residency on humanitarian grounds is also being reduced in 2026, from 62,250 in the old plan to 54,300 in the new one.

Unlike previous levels plans, the one in the new budget does not state how many visas are being allocated to specific immigration streams such as the provincial nominee program.

Additional details of the immigration levels plan are expected when the immigration minister tables the department’s annual report. By law, this document has to be tabled in Parliament on or before Nov. 1, while Parliament is sitting.

In addition to the levels plan, the budget proposes a “one-time” initiative to recognize “eligible” protected persons as permanent residents over the next two years. The budget describes this as a “practical step,” since many protected persons can’t return to their home countries.

The government has not yet released details on which protected persons will be eligible.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 4, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press