Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced a revised immigration levels plan for 2026, targeting 500,000 new permanent residents — the highest single-year target in Canadian history.
The new plan prioritizes three main streams: healthcare workers, skilled tradespeople, and French-speaking applicants outside Quebec. The federal government cited labour shortages in these sectors as the primary driver for the increase.
Key Changes in the New Plan
The updated plan allocates admissions across several categories:
- Economic programs — 320,000 spots (including 110,000 via Express Entry)
- Family reunification — 120,000 spots
- Refugees and humanitarian — 60,000 spots
Impact on Express Entry
For Express Entry candidates, the increase means more frequent draws and potentially lower CRS score requirements. IRCC indicated it expects to issue between 110,000 and 120,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through Express Entry in 2026, up from 82,880 in 2025.
Candidates with scores as low as 470 may receive invitations in the general pool, according to immigration consultants who reviewed the plan’s projections.
What This Means for Applicants
Immigration experts recommend that candidates already in the Express Entry pool ensure their profiles are complete and that all documents are ready for submission. Given the increased draw volumes, invitations could come sooner than expected.
For those not yet in the pool, IRCC encourages applicants to improve their language scores and gain additional Canadian work experience, both of which significantly boost CRS scores.