Canada: 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan Announced, Emphasizing Sustainable Growth

Targets maintained as planned for 2024 and 2025

The government is maintaining its overall target of 485,000 permanent residents for 2024 and 500,000 permanent residents for 2025, as set out in the 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan. The distribution will now be as follows:

• • 2024:
    • 281,135 under Economic pathways (including Express, Canadian Experience Class, economic pilot programs, Start-Up Visa Program, and Provincial Nominee Program, among others)
    • 114,000 under Family pathways
    • 76,115 under Refugees and Protected Persons pathways
    • 13,750 under Humanitarian and Compassionate, and other pathways
  • 2025:
    • 301,250 under Economic pathways
    • 118,000 under Family pathways
    • 72,750 under Refugees and Protected Persons pathways
    • 8,000 under Humanitarian and Compassionate, and other pathways

• The high admission of permanent residents through the economic pathways will allow businesses to fill labor gaps and foreign nationals to start businesses in Canada, contributing to economic recovery.
• Notably, the Express Entry program targets individuals with specific skills, training, education or language ability that can help alleviate labor shortages in key sectors (e.g., health, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), trades, transportation and agriculture).
• The continuing family reunification levels will help families reunite more quickly while also helping address labor shortages in Canada.
• The Levels Plan continues Canada’s long-standing commitment to welcoming skilled refugees to contribute to addressing labor gaps in the Canadian workforce. It also supports Canada’s commitment to respond to humanitarian and geopolitical crises around the world.

Targets to level out in 2026

Starting in 2026, the government will stabilize permanent resident levels at 500,000, with the same distribution between categories as for 2025.

According to the government, stabilizing permanent resident levels will allow time for the successful integration of immigrants into Canadian society and labor force while continuing to augment Canada’s labor market.

Increased French-speaking targets

• The plan includes new annual and progressively increasing French-speaking permanent resident targets outside Quebec.
• The plan will ensure that a minimum percentage of permanent residents outside of Quebec speak French, as follows: 6% in 2024, 7% in 2025, and 8% in 2026 (up from the 4.4% target in the 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan).

The government is seeking to strengthen Francophone communities outside of Quebec and ensure the economic prosperity of Francophone minority communities across Canada.