What IRCC announced
On November 5, 2026, alongside the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a time-limited measure for 2027. For one year, and outside the plan's 380,000 target, IRCC will make extra space to process permanent residence applications from people who are already living in Canada. The backgrounder puts the total at up to 200,000 people, in a workers cohort and a humanitarian cohort.
IRCC's wording is specific. The measure "is not a new pathway and will not increase admissions on a recurring basis", and "applicants do not need to apply separately or take any additional steps to be considered".
The workers cohort
IRCC describes up to 100,000 additional spaces for workers already in communities outside Quebec, as well as their families. A worker must be in one of two situations:
- waiting for a decision on a permanent residence application under certain programs that are now closed to new applications, including the Start-up Visa Program, the Self-Employed Persons Program, the Agri-Food Pilot and the home care worker (caregiver) programs; or
- eligible to apply for permanent residence through the Provincial Nominee Program.
The provinces and territories have a central role in this cohort. According to the backgrounder, the federal government will increase their nominee allocations so they can nominate workers who meet regional needs. They will also be able to identify workers who have already applied under select federal programs: the Atlantic Immigration Program and the closed programs listed above.
The humanitarian cohort
The second group is up to 100,000 spaces for people already in Canada who applied through specific pathways. IRCC lists:
- spouses, common-law partners and children of Canadians and permanent residents who have already applied and are waiting for a final decision;
- remaining applicants under the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways, which closed on August 31, 2026;
- remaining applicants under the pathway for Ukrainian nationals with family members in Canada, which closed on October 22, 2024;
- in-Canada humanitarian and compassionate applicants whose applications are already approved in principle.
For spouses and partners, the backgrounder says the added space will "significantly help bring wait times closer to 12 months" for applicants destined outside Quebec. IRCC's posted estimate for spousal sponsorship inside Canada, outside Quebec, was about 26 months as of October 9, 2026.
What IRCC has not said yet
The announcement gives the groups and the ceilings, not the mechanics. There is no detail yet on how the extra nominee space will be divided among provinces, how a province will identify a worker whose federal application is pending, or in what order files will be finalized. Every figure is "up to": the measure does not promise that each pending application in these programs will be decided in 2027.
Two earlier one-time initiatives continue through 2027: 33,000 work permit holders and up to 115,000 protected persons in Canada moving to permanent residence.
What to do if you are in one of these groups
There is nothing to apply for under this measure and no extra step to take. Be careful with anyone who offers to file an application under it.
If you already have an application in one of the listed categories, keep it ready to finalize. Make sure IRCC has your current address, email and phone number. Answer requests for documents, medical exams or police certificates by the deadline. Keep your temporary status valid while you wait.
If you are a worker without a permanent residence application, the route is your province's nominee program. Watch the province's own announcements for how it will use the extra space.