India's No.1 Award Winning Immigration Firm
Check your eligibility in 5 min. (Free): +91 88 85 85 85 15
Email Us: info@universaladviser.com
Canada News
Site Logo

Canada Could Fall Short of Its 2025 Permanent Residency Goal

Canada Might Miss the 2025 PR Admissions Target

    Get in Touch

    Canada Might Miss the 2025 PR Admissions Target

    Canada’s immigration system underwent a marked shift in 2025, with new projections indicating that the country is likely to miss its PR admissions target.
    The updated estimates show the inflow of newcomers has slowed more sharply than anticipated due to major policy changes initiated at both federal and provincial levels.
    Book a Free Consultation Today!

    PR Intake Behind Schedule

    From January to August 2025, Canada landed 276,870 permanent resident admissions. But to meet the government’s target of 395,000 this year, more than 118,000 new PRs would need to be admitted in the remaining months—an outcome experts say is improbable.
    Historical trends in admissions indicate that about three-quarters of the total annual landings take place before October. If this trend holds, Canada is on course to close the year with about 351,900 PR admissions, leaving the country more than 43,000 short of its target.

    Also check out 2026-2028 immigration levels plan | Canada Immigration Plan 2025 to 2027 Canada Immigration Levels Plan For 2024-2026 | Canada Immigration Level Plan for 2023-2025​

    Check your Eligibility in 5 minutes

    Sharp Decline in Temporary Resident Admissions

    In a major policy shift, the federal government has announced plans to substantially reduce the number of temporary resident admissions beginning in 2026:

    Category 2025 Target 2026 Target Change
    Total Temporary Residents 673,650 385,000 ↓ 43%
    International Students 305,900 155,000 ↓ 49%
    Temporary Foreign Workers 367,750 230,000 ↓ 37%
    While these figures represent a significant numerical reduction, officials indicate that the adjustment aims to bring goals in line with realistic processing capacity rather than actually slashing immigration. In fact, statistics for the first eight months of 2025 already indicate that actual admissions have lagged behind planned numbers, reaching just 42% for temporary foreign workers and 29% for students thus far.
    Apply for Visa

    Comparing 2025 with Previous Years

    A look at the past three years puts into relief how sharply this year’s pace has dipped:
    • 2023 : Close to 80% of the annual target reached at the end of Q3
    • 2024 : More than 78% reached by the same period
    • 2025 : Only about 70% of the year's planned admissions were completed by Q3
    This decline reflects both reduced admission goals and a slower rate of approvals.
    Check your Eligibility

    Why 2025 PR Numbers Are Down

    The multiple shifts in immigration strategy over the past two years have contributed to the decline in newcomers. Here are the most significant factors driving this year’s lower intake:

    1. A Smaller National Immigration Plan

    Ottawa’s 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan brought in a much more modest target for 2025:

    • 2024 target: 485,000
    • 2025 target: 395,000

    This alone represents a planned reduction of 90,000 admissions. The government has signalled its intention to bring PR levels down to below 1% of the population by 2027, part of a broader strategy to stabilise population growth.

    Start Your Canada Immigration Journey!

    2. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Cuts

    The biggest change has been a significant cut in the number of PNP nominations allowed for 2025. Compared to 110,000 federal allocations in 2024, the figure fell to only 55,000 in 2025, effectively cutting provincial capacity in half. Therefore,

    • Provinces have reduced both the size and frequency of the draws
    • Several streams have paused intake or stopped processing altogether.
    • Many states have implemented more stringent requirements or sectoral ceilings.
    • Even provinces that negotiated additional nominations still operate below their 2024 levels.
    Check your Eligibility

    3. Closure or Suspension of Provincial Pathways

    Reduced nomination room has pushed provinces to restructure their PNPs. Among the most notable changes:

    • British Columbia: Terminated two major international graduate streams, postponed the implementation of replacement streams
    • Saskatchewan: Close all streams oriented to entrepreneurs
    • Ontario: Closed the Entrepreneur Stream and paused its Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream
    • New Brunswick: Discontinued one of its international student pathways

    In some provinces, new Expression of Interest submissions have also been paused due to space limitations.

    Check your Eligibility

    4. Fewer Opportunities Through Express Entry

    Express Entry activity has also cooled in 2025. Comparing January–October totals:
    • 2024: 90,835 Invitations to Apply (ITAs)
    • 2025: 81,485 ITAs

    That is a reduction of 9,350 invitations. This includes the exclusion of draws based on categories in STEM in the year 2025, compared to 4,500 STEM invitations that were issued the previous year.

    Check your Eligibility

    5. Stricter Policies for Temporary Residents

    Temporary residents make up a large share of future PR applicants. However, the federal government has implemented several policies aimed at reducing Canada’s temporary resident population below 5% of the national population before the end of 2027. Recent changes include:

    • Tighter eligibility for spousal open work permits
    • National caps on study permit applications
    • New restrictions for the Post-Graduation Work Permit, including language and program requirements
    • LMIA low-wage processing pauses in regions with high unemployment
    • These measures reduce the number of temporary residents who can later move into the PR system.
    Check your Eligibility

    A Recalibration, Not a Retraction

    While the drastic reduction of temporary resident admissions has divided opinion, many experts have labeled it more of a “recalibration” than a reduction. Canada remains committed to maintaining an immigration system that is in balance with economic realities, housing availability, and labor market needs.

    Full details of the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan will be made available in the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, due later this month.

    Check your Eligibility

    Key Questions for the Upcoming Plan

    The commitment suggests yes, but actual numbers will reveal how strictly it is enforced.

    With pressure to bring the share below 5% of the population, will student and worker permit caps tighten further?

    Provinces may argue for greater allocations reflecting regional labor and demographic needs.

    In particular, under Express Entry or provincial nomination, emphasizing skills, region, and language.

    Housing, healthcare, and labor market absorption remain critical constraints. Reports flagged risks of population decline and housing gaps under previous levels.

    1. Percentage Reduction of Temporary Resident Population

    Surplusing is one of the government’s key objectives, and it is focused on reducing the share of temporary residents among the population of Canada currently. Temporary residents currently make up roughly 7% of the population, and the strategy aims to bring it down to 5% by the end of 2026.
    This step is a sign of growing concern over the impact of short-term residents on rental vacancy shortfalls, utilization of the health system, and provincial demands for infrastructure. By providing a particular numerical limitation, Canada hopes to better manage growth while providing those who immigrate with doors opening to permanent residency or other sustainable options, rather than remaining indefinitely within short-term limbo.
    Check your Eligibility in 5 minutes

    A Pivotal Year for Canada’s Immigration Landscape

    Taken together, reductions in federal targets, provincial capacity and Express Entry invitations, and more restrictive policies affecting temporary residents amount to some of the most dramatic cuts to immigration intake Canada has seen in years. Unless there is a significant acceleration in admissions over the remaining months, 2025 is likely to close out with PR numbers substantially below the planned target, marking a new phase of more modest immigration growth.

    Looking Ahead

    When the 2026-2028 Plan is released, the numbers themselves will matter less than the underlying signals: which streams are growing, which are shrinking, and how the government is prioritizing settlement, region, and skills.
    Canada appears to be shifting from high-volume immigration towards a more calibrated, strategic intake – one that balances labor market needs, infrastructure capacity, and community integration. For anyone watching Canada’s immigration policy, the next Plan will offer a window into how the country intends to shape its demographic and economic future.
    Start Your Canada Immigration Journey!

    Is it Worth Moving to Canada?

    Take a free online profile assessment with Universal Adviser

    Recent News

    Website-Pop-UpPOP UP New