BREAKING: Canada reduces permanent residency application slots

The Canadian Government has announced measures to tackle population growth by lowering the number of permanent residents coming to the country.

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marc Miller, on Thursday, announced that rather than the 500,000 yearly slots for permanent residents, the country would be lowering the numbers for the next three years.

It said the new measure would come into effect from 2025.

According to him, the county will welcome 395,00 permanent residents in 2025; 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027.

He explained that the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan will pause population growth in the short term to achieve well-managed, sustainable growth in the long term.

“The levels plan includes controlled targets for temporary residents, specifically international students, and foreign workers, as well as for permanent residents,” the minister said.

“Today’s announcement is the next step in our plan to address the evolving immigration needs of our country. While it’s clear our economy needs newcomers, we see the pressures facing our country, and we must adapt our policies accordingly.

These changes will make immigration work for our country so that everyone has access to the quality jobs, homes, and support they need to thrive. We have listened to Canadians, and we will continue to protect the integrity of our system and grow our population responsibly,” he added.

He explained that the Levels Plan also supports efforts to reduce temporary resident volumes to 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2026.

“Specifically, compared to each previous year, we will see Canada’s temporary population decline by 445,901 in 2025; 445,662 in 2026, and a modest increase of 17,439 in 2027,” the minister added.

Canada’s population has grown in recent years, reaching 41 million in April 2024, with immigration accounting for almost 98% of this growth in 2023, 60% of which can be attributed to temporary residents.