TORONTO – Another crackdown on immigration in Canada: the country is preparing to accept fewer students, temporary workers, and permanent residents (PR) in 2026. 

First introduced at the end of 2024 (read here) and updated again in November (read here), the new caps are intended—according to the federal government led by Mark Carney—to reduce the unemployment rate, address housing affordability, and ease pressure on public services such as healthcare.

While overall admissions will continue to decline, Canada will favor more skilled workers, French-speaking applicants, and people with Canadian experience.

Even Fewer Permanent Residents
In the immigration plan published on November 5, Canada confirmed the cuts introduced in 2024. The target for 2026 is 380,000 new permanent residents, down from 395,000 in 2025 and more than 483,000 in 2024. This level will remain unchanged through 2028. Economic immigration remains the priority, particularly skilled workers, with 239,800 admissions projected for 2026. Applicants with experience in healthcare, social services, skilled trades, agriculture, education, and STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) will be prioritized through the “Express Entry” system. Once again, the federal government does not take into account the thousands of small “ethnic” businesses that employ professionals with skills not in the “most requested” categories and that rely on immigrants with qualifications and skills that Canadians do not have. The same applies to temporary workers: Canada intends to reduce their number to less than five percent of the population by the end of 2027. In 2026, 230,000 new temporary workers will be admitted, a sharp drop from 2025.

Cuts to Students—Except the Wealthy
Ottawa has also announced a drastic reduction in international student admissions: only 155,000 new visas in 2026, and 150,000 in 2027 and 2028, compared with 360,000 in 2024 and 437,000 in 2025. New students will also have to prove they have sufficient financial resources, with a minimum annual threshold of $22,895 for single applicants (as of September 1, 2025, the minimum required amount was increased by over $2,000, reaching $22,895 per year for single applicants; the amount rises by approximately $6,000 per year for each accompanying family member). In practice, only wealthy families will be able to afford to send their children to study in Canada, which is becoming even more “exclusive” than it already was.

Greater Emphasis on Canadian Experience
To reduce the temporary resident population, the government will prioritize permanent residency for those who have already worked or studied in Canada, accelerating the transition for up to 33,000 temporary workers in 2026 and 2027. However, it is not yet clear how these workers will be “selected.”

Stricter Rules for Family Members
The number of immigrants admitted through family reunification will drop to 84,000 in 2026. Restrictions have also been introduced on work permits for family members of international students and foreign workers, now limited to specific fields of study and qualified professions.

More Francophones and Fewer Refugees
Canada aims to increase the share of French-speaking immigrants, setting a target of 9% in 2026, with further growth in subsequent years. Conversely, the number of refugees and people admitted for humanitarian reasons will drop to 56,200 in 2026 and 54,300 from 2027 onward. New rules are also under consideration that would make certain asylum claims inadmissible.

From “Inclusive” to “Exclusive”
The era of a “welcoming” and “inclusive” Canada seems to be over. Signs of this trend had already emerged, in the last years, but now it is official. Meanwhile, the destinations of prospective immigrants—as, for example, recent data from the Italian CNEL institute on European migration show: here —have already shifted: the new, more “exclusive” Canada is no longer among the preferred destinations.

Photo by Lumi W on Unsplash