Ottawa has quietly started a new immigration pathway aimed at granting permanent residence to 33,000 skilled temporary foreign workers over two years, as Canada faces mounting pressure from expiring permits and a broader push to reduce its non-permanent resident population. The federal plan, first outlined in late 2025, targets workers in in-demand sectors and is part of Ottawa’s effort to bring the share of non-permanent residents below five per cent of the population by 2027.
In an interview with the Toronto Star, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said the program is already underway. “We have launched it already,” Diab said. “I am not in a position to tell you specifically how many so far, but we will in the month of April be able to provide more clarity and more detail on them.”
Federal immigration documents describe the measure as a one-time initiative for 2026 and 2027, focused on helping select skilled temporary workers move into permanent residence, with particular attention to workers who have established roots in Canada and are filling labour shortages, including in rural communities. Budget 2025 set aside funding for the plan, while the 2026-2028 immigration framework confirmed the 33,000 target.
The rollout comes as the country continues to manage a large temporary resident population. Statistics Canada reported that non-permanent residents stood at 2,847,737 on October 1, 2025, or 6.8 per cent of the national population, down from 7.3 per cent three months earlier.
According to government data cited in the report, 2,125,035 temporary residents saw permits expire in 2025, while another 1,938,805 are expected to reach the end of their status in 2026. Diab said converting temporary residents into permanent ones is one route to shrinking those numbers. She also said more than half of the 395,000 people granted permanent residence last year were already in Canada on temporary permits.
“If you’re in Canada on temporary status, be it visitor, be it student, be it worker, for whatever reason you wish to stay longer than the time limit, we are saying please apply for an extension,” Diab said.
She added: “If you do not apply for an extension, we expect you to honour that commitment and leave. What we are also saying is even if you did apply for extension, it may be granted or it may be rejected for various reasons. If it is then rejected, we expect you to also leave.”
Diab’s comments also come as Ottawa advances Bill C-12, legislation that would expand federal powers to cancel, suspend or stop accepting immigration documents and applications on public-interest grounds. The government says the proposed powers are meant for exceptional situations and include safeguards.
Diab, who has served as immigration minister since May 2025, said her wider priorities include cutting temporary resident numbers, stabilizing permanent resident admissions, increasing francophone immigration outside Quebec, and building an international talent strategy.
