Canada has set its immigration targets for 2027 to 2029.
It will admit 370,000 new temporary residents a year, down from 385,000 under the 2026 plan. Of these, 150,000 are international students, down from 155,000 and 220,000 are workers, down from 230,000.
Permanent resident admissions stay at 380,000 a year.The targets are the same for each of the three years.
Workers make up about 60% of the new temporary arrivals.
Of the 220,000, 170,000 come under the International Mobility Program and 50,000 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
The International Mobility Program covers permits issued under international agreements and public policies, many without a Labour Market Impact Assessment. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program lets employers hire foreign workers when qualified Canadians or permanent residents are not available.
Economic immigration takes 64.4% of permanent resident admissions across the three years. Priority areas include healthcare, education, construction, artificial intelligence and digital innovation, defence, energy and critical minerals.
Canada will also work with provinces and territories to choose workers who fit regional needs.
For 2027, the government has announced a one-time measure to help up to 100,000 workers already in Canada, with their accompanying family members, become permanent residents. It will use additional Provincial Nominee Program allocations and select certain workers who have already applied through federal programmes. It is not open to every temporary worker.
The government has committed to bring temporary residents below 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.
The number of people holding study permits has fallen from 1,030,600 in February 2024 to 602,115 in August 2026, a drop of about 41.6%.
The refusal rate for new study permit applications was 59% in 2025, up from 52% in 2024.
New Nepali study permit holders have fallen sharply. The number was 6,935 in 2022, 16,080 in 2023, 9,850 in 2024 and 5,740 in 2025. That is a fall of about 64% between 2023 and 2025, and 41.7% in 2025 alone.
Between January and July 2026 the number was 1,620.
Permanent residency from Nepal has held steady. A total of 2,000 Nepali citizens became permanent residents in 2024 and 2,005 in 2025, and 1,700 did so from January to July 2026.
These figures include people who were already in Canada on temporary status, so they do not show how many came directly from Nepal.
In 2025, 8,715 Nepalis received new work permits, of which 7,765 were under the International Mobility Program and 950 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Several rules affect students.
Admission to a Canadian institution does not guarantee a study permit, and many applicants also need an attestation letter from the province or territory.
Eligible students can work up to 24 hours a week off campus during the academic term and unlimited hours during scheduled breaks.
Since January 21, 2025, spouses of international students generally qualify for an open work permit only if the student is in a master’s programme of at least 16 months, a doctoral programme or certain professional programmes.
The list of eligible fields of study for the Post-Graduation Work Permit has been frozen for 2026, and many college graduates must study in an eligible field and meet language requirements to qualify.
Rules for lower-wage workers are tighter. Many employers face a limit on the share of low-wage temporary foreign workers they can hire, and low-wage applications are not processed in metropolitan areas where unemployment is 6% or higher, with exceptions for certain sectors.
Express Entry also has category-based selection for healthcare and social services, science and technology, education, skilled trades, transport and French-language ability. Meeting a category’s requirements does not guarantee an invitation to apply.
