From TR to PR: Canada has launched a new immigration programme for temporary residents

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has quietly launched a one-time measure to provide a pathway from TR to PR for 33,000 workers currently in Canada.

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab stated in an interview that the programme was implemented quietly, with further details to be released in April, according to a report by the Toronto Star on 6 March 2026.

This programme was first announced in the federal budget last November and confirmed in the immigration levels plan of the federal government.

According to the government website, this one-time measure will run for 2 years, targeting temporary foreign workers “working in Canada in specific high-demand sectors,” with a focus on those living in rural areas.

At the time of writing, the government has not announced specific eligibility criteria or application instructions.

Foreign nationals intending to apply through this pathway can prepare documents such as language test results and proof of educational qualifications in advance.

The new pathway from temporary residence to permanent residence comes as a large number of temporary residents face the expiration of their status. Most temporary residents in Canada hold status through work permit and/or study permit, both of which are temporary permits with fixed expiry dates.

Depending on their specific situation, foreign nationals may apply for an extension; if they are ineligible or refused, they are required to leave Canada when their authorized stay expires.

Measures to reduce the number of temporary residents

Since January 2024, the Canadian federal government has consistently pursued a path to reduce the total number of temporary residents by strictly controlling the issuance of study permits and work permits, with the goal of bringing the temporary resident rate to below 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.

According to the government’s plan, the reduction in temporary residents will come from a combination of transitioning current temporary residents to permanent residence and the departure of temporary residents whose status has expired.

In January 2024, the government applied an annual cap on study permit applications and stipulated that graduates from post-secondary programmes delivered through curriculum licensing arrangements would no longer be eligible for Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

Further measures were implemented in the summer and autumn of the same year. In September 2024, the government imposed a pause on processing a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) under the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Programme (TFWP) in areas with high unemployment rates, preventing employers and foreign workers in affected areas from initiating the application process for new or extended permits under the low-wage stream of this programme.

Also in September 2024, the government announced major restrictions on the issuance of Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP) and Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWP), with the goal of reducing the number of work permits issued by hundreds of thousands over the next 3 years.

Basic immigration requirements

Eligibility for PGWP from November 2024 is limited to graduates from study programmes related to high-demand fields such as healthcare and skilled trades, excluding graduates of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes. PGWP applicants must also meet minimum language proficiency requirements through official language tests.

For Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWP) issued to spouses of international students, from January 2025, they are only issued to spouses of students enrolled in doctoral programmes, master’s programmes lasting at least 16 months, or certain professional programmes such as engineering, nursing, law, medicine and dentistry.

Also from January 2025, SOWP issued to spouses of foreign workers only applies to spouses of workers in the highest-skilled occupations (TEER 0 and 1), and the spouses of skilled workers (TEER 2 and 3) working in high-demand priority occupations within sectors such as healthcare, construction, and natural resources.

This is the latest news article. Content will be updated as further details become available.