Canada to help up to 100,000 workers already there, plus families, get PR in 2027
Announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)Nov 5, 2026BLOOM ABROAD Editorial · Managing editor Yuki Sugimoto
NewCanadaVisas and rules
In short
- What
- A 2027 time-limited measure will transition up to 100,000 workers in Canada, plus families, to permanent residence.
- What to do
- Check whether you could be nominated by your province or territory, or already applied to a listed federal program.
Does this apply to you?
It applies to
- People already living and working in Canada who may be nominated through a province's or territory's Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and their families
- Workers who have already applied under the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), and their families
- Workers who have already applied under programs closed to new applications (Start-up Visa Program, SelfEmployed Persons Program, Agri-Food Pilot, home care worker programs), and their families
Key terms
- Permanent residence (PR)
- Status that lets you live and work in Canada without a time limit.
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
- A program in which provinces and territories nominate people they need as candidates for permanent residence.
- Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
- A federal program for people working in Canada's Atlantic provinces to seek permanent residence.
- Common-law partner
- A partner you live with as a couple without being legally married.
- IRCC
- Canada's department for immigration, refugees and citizenship, created in 1994. Since 2013 it has also run the passport program. Source: canada.ca
What changed
New: a time-limited measure will help up to 200,000 people already living in Canada transition to permanent residence, using additional admissions space to process applications in 2027.
It has two cohorts: a workers cohort (up to 100,000 people, as well as their families) and a humanitarian cohort (up to 100,000 people).
For workers, the federal government will increase provincial and territorial Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allocations, which they can use to nominate workers who meet regional needs.
Provinces and territories will also be able to identify workers who have already applied under select federal programs.
Who it applies to
- Humanitarian cohort: applicants under the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways and the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, and people already found eligible for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds
- Humanitarian cohort: spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadians and permanent residents already living in Canada
When it applies
Published November 5, 2026 (page date). Applications will be processed using additional admissions space in 2027. Check each province's or territory's announcements for their own dates.
Exceptions
Conditions in the source: the workers cohort covers up to 100,000 people, as well as their families.
Provinces and territories will either nominate workers using increased PNP allocations or identify workers who already applied under select federal programs.
These programs are the Atlantic Immigration Program and programs closed to new applications: the federal business programs (Start-up Visa Program and SelfEmployed Persons Program), the Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programs.
The aim of bringing spouse or common-law partner wait times closer to 12 months applies to those destined for provinces and territories outside Quebec.
What to check or do
- First, check the official IRCC announcement.
- Check whether you could be nominated through your province's or territory's Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
- Check whether you have already applied under a listed federal program, such as the Atlantic Immigration Program.
- Watch for announcements from your province or territory and check the steps and dates once they are published.
Official sources
- Officially announced
- Nov 5, 2026
- Effective from
- Not confirmed
- Last checked
- Not confirmed
Not confirmed
canada.ca (external site)
