Canada has announced plans to grant permanent residency to up to 100,000 workers and their eligible family members already living in the country under a time-limited immigration measure aimed at addressing labour needs and reducing application backlogs.
The initiative, announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, will also provide permanent residence opportunities for up to 45,000 spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in the country.
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An additional 12,600 people who have already been found eligible for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds are expected to benefit.
According to the Canadian government, the measure will provide additional admission spaces in 2027 to speed up applications from people already residing in the country.
The workers’ category will be implemented in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments to address regional labour shortages, while the humanitarian category is intended to fulfil existing commitments, keep families together and reduce processing delays.
According to an IRCC background document, eligible workers include applicants who have already applied through selected federal immigration programmes.
These include the Atlantic Immigration Program, Start-up Visa Program, Self-Employed Persons Program, Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programmes.
Provincial and territorial governments will also be able to nominate workers who meet their regional employment needs through increased allocations under the Provincial Nominee Program.
The government said the initiative would benefit people who had already established themselves in Canadian communities but were still awaiting decisions on their permanent residence applications.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said the measure was part of the government’s efforts to make the country’s immigration system more sustainable while honouring existing commitments to applicants.
She said the initiative would also accelerate decisions for people from Hong Kong and Ukraine who had been waiting under previously established permanent residence pathways.
The government plans to process all outstanding applications under the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways, which closed to new applicants on August 31, 2026.
The applications are expected to result in up to 32,000 permanent resident admissions.
Similarly, Canada intends to clear all remaining applications under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, which stopped accepting new applications on October 22, 2024.
The outstanding applications are expected to account for up to 18,800 admissions, bringing the combined potential admissions under the two pathways to 50,800.
Member of Parliament for Scarborough—Agincourt, Jean Yip, welcomed the decision, saying it represented progress after years of advocacy alongside the Hong Kong community.
She said the measure would provide a path forward for individuals and families who had chosen to make Canada their home.
Her colleague, Michael Ma, who represents Markham—Unionville, said clearing the outstanding applications by the end of 2027 would give applicants greater certainty and help them plan their futures.
Yvan Baker, Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre, said the initiative would also benefit Canadian businesses by ensuring access to workers already contributing to the economy.
The National President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Alexandra Chyczij, also welcomed the government’s plan to address the backlog under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway.
She said the organisation looked forward to continuing discussions with the immigration minister on permanent residence options for Ukrainians living in Canada.
A physician and community representative, Dr Henry Pang, said clearing the Hong Kong application backlog could also strengthen Canada’s healthcare workforce by allowing skilled people already in the country to contribute more fully to public services.
IRCC clarified that the measure would not establish new immigration programmes or reopen pathways that had stopped accepting applications.
It also said eligible applicants would not need to take additional steps or contact the department to have their applications considered under the additional admission spaces.
The government maintained that the beneficiaries were already living, working and contributing to Canadian communities and would therefore not represent new arrivals.
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The initiative forms part of Canada’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, which is intended to bring immigration to more sustainable levels, improve processing times and provide greater certainty for applicants.
Peculiar Adirika is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
