Updated July 2026. IRCC published its 2026-27 Departmental Plan on March 13, 2026, outlining priorities for the department over the next three fiscal years. A departmental plan isn’t new law — it doesn’t change program rules on its own — but it’s one of the clearest signals of where IRCC intends to direct its resources and attention.
Four Priorities Driving IRCC’s Decisions
- Sustainable, managed migration: aligning immigration with Canada’s social, economic, and regional needs, in coordination with provinces and territories
- Simplification and modernization: easier-to-deliver programs, backed by new digital infrastructure
- System integrity and risk management: preventing fraud, strengthening security, and improving compliance
- Fiscal responsibility and workforce planning: managing costs while using data and technology to improve outcomes
The Key Numbers
- Permanent resident admissions: stabilized at 380,000 per year from 2026 through 2028, with the share of economic-category admissions rising to 64% by 2027
- New temporary residents (workers and students): reduced from 673,650 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026 — roughly a 43% cut
- Francophone immigration outside Quebec: 9% target for 2026, building toward 12% by 2029
IRCC ties the temporary resident reduction to two broader goals: keeping PR arrivals under 1% of Canada’s population beyond 2027, and bringing the total temporary resident share below 5% of the population by the end of 2027.
Budget and Staffing Reductions
The plan also outlines spending cuts under a Comprehensive Expenditure Review: $154,982,029 in 2026-27, $231,352,591 in 2027-28, and $284,642,630 in 2028-29, alongside a planned reduction of roughly 318 full-time staff positions by 2028-29. Some employer compliance inspections under the International Mobility Program are shifting to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) as part of this restructuring.
What This Means Depending on Your Situation
- Applying from outside Canada: fewer new temporary resident spaces likely means tighter selection and more scrutiny in student and worker application channels
- Already in Canada: the plan emphasizes stability for people already living and working in Canada, which is why pathways built around Canadian work experience or provincial nomination remain particularly relevant
- Processing timelines generally: modernization efforts and cost controls are happening simultaneously, which can produce uneven results — some streams may see improved processing while others face new bottlenecks from reduced staffing
Source: IRCC, 2026-27 Departmental Plan.
