Canada Offers Permanent Residency to 100,000 Migrant Workers

Canada Offers Permanent Residency to 100,000 Migrant Workers

Canada is preparing to grant permanent residency to as many as 100,000 foreign workers and eligible family members already living in the country under a temporary immigration arrangement.

The initiative will also create room for up to 45,000 spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Canada.

Another 12,600 applicants previously found eligible on humanitarian and compassionate grounds are expected to benefit as authorities work through outstanding residency applications.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced the measure on Tuesday, explaining that additional admission spaces would be provided in 2027 to accelerate decisions for existing applicants.

The workers covered include applicants in selected federal immigration programmes, such as the Atlantic Immigration Program, Start-up Visa, Self-Employed Persons and Agri-Food Pilot schemes.

Home care worker programmes are also included, while provinces and territories will receive increased Provincial Nominee Programme allocations to select workers needed in their regions.

Canadian authorities said the initiative prioritises people who have already established themselves in local communities, giving them greater certainty after lengthy waits for permanent residency decisions.

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said the temporary arrangement would support efforts to make the country’s immigration system more sustainable while honouring existing commitments to applicants.

She added that applicants from Hong Kong and Ukraine would benefit, with the government intending to complete outstanding cases under their existing permanent residence pathways.

Canada expects to finalise applications under the Hong Kong pathways, which stopped accepting new applicants on August 31, 2026, potentially covering 32,000 permanent resident admissions.

The government also plans to clear remaining applications under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, which closed to new applicants on October 22, 2024, with 18,800 admissions expected.

Together, the Hong Kong and Ukraine application groups could account for 50,800 admissions, with authorities aiming to complete processing by the end of 2027.

Officials stressed that the measure does not establish new immigration programmes or reopen closed pathways, and eligible applicants do not need to submit additional requests.

Those covered are already living and working in Canada, meaning the planned admissions will not represent an increase in new arrivals from other countries.

The measure forms part of Canada’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, which seeks to manage immigration sustainably, reduce application backlogs and improve processing times across the country.