Archive · 7 Nov 2025
Canada Slashes Foreign Student and Temporary Worker Intake for 2026-2028
Canada is planning to welcome fewer international students and temporary workers in the coming years.
The government announced new immigration targets for 2026 to 2028 that will bring down the number of new students by almost half and temporary workers by over a third.
At the same time, they want to make sure that a larger portion of the people who become permanent residents are skilled workers who can help the economy.
They plan to keep the total number of new permanent residents steady for three years, but this will be a smaller percentage of the overall population.
The government also aims to reduce the total number of temporary residents in Canada to less than five percent of the population by the end of 2027.
Canada plans to significantly reduce international student intake by 49% and temporary foreign worker intake by 37% for the 2026-2028 period.
The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan stabilizes permanent resident targets at 380,000 per year, a 4% decrease from the previous year.
The proportion of economic migrants among new permanent residents is set to increase to 64% by 2027-2028.
Overall temporary resident admissions are projected to decrease from 673,650 in 2025 to 370,000 by 2027-2028.
New targets aim to keep permanent resident arrivals below one percent of Canada's population beyond 2027 and reduce temporary residents to under five percent by the end of 2027.
- Who
- The Canadian government
- What
- Announced significant cuts to the intake of international students and temporary foreign workers as part of its 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, while increasing the proportion of economic migrants.
- When
- Announced in Budget 2025, with new immigration levels planned for 2026-2028.
- Where
- Canada
- Why
- To stabilize permanent resident admissions, reduce the total number of temporary residents, and increase the focus on economic immigrants to meet labor market needs.
Increased Economic Immigration Share
Reduced Overall Intake
Focus on Skilled Workers
Increased Economic Immigration Share
The plan aims to increase the share of economic migrants to 64% of all immigration by 2027-2028, the highest proportion in decades.
Reduced Overall Intake
Significant reductions are planned for new student arrivals (49% fewer) and temporary foreign workers (37% fewer) between 2026 and 2028.
Permanent Resident Targets
Increased Economic Immigration Share
Overall permanent resident admission targets are stabilized at 380,000 per year for 2026-2028, a 4% decrease from the previous year's target.
Reduced Overall Intake
This stabilization is part of a broader reduction in temporary resident admissions, from 673,650 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027-2028.
- Immigration Levels Plan Years
- 2026-2028
- New Student Arrivals Target (2026-2028)
- 155,000 (49% decrease from last year's target)
- Temporary Foreign Worker Target (2026-2028)
- 230,000 (37% decrease from previous year's target)
- Permanent Resident Target (2026-2028)
- 380,000 per year (4% decrease from previous year's target)
- Economic Migrant Share (2027-2028)
- 64%
- Temporary Resident Admissions Target (2026)
- 385,000
- Temporary Resident Admissions Target (2027-2028)
- 370,000
