Canada’s current plan already pencils in 380,000 new permanent residents for 2027. Here’s how the 2027–2029 levels plan works, where the spots go by program, and what to watch when it’s tabled.
Nova Scotia began charging a $1,000 nominee application fee on September 1, 2026. Across Canada’s nine PNP provinces, worker-stream fees now run from $0 to $2,000 — before IRCC’s $1,590 PR fees.
IRCC’s September 29, 2026 Canadian Experience Class round invited 2,000 candidates at a CRS cut-off of 518, the third drop in a row. But profiles scoring 501–600 rose to 21,070 in four weeks — here’s why the score is easing slowly.
IRCC now splits its pending inventory into files in processing and files waiting for space under the yearly levels targets. As of July 31, 2026, 41% of pending family applications and 42% of protection files are in the second group — roughly 248,000 permanent residence applications not being worked at all.
Every federal caregiver route to permanent residence is now closed to new applicants, and Ministerial Instruction 91 runs to March 30, 2030. The shared pilots bucket caregivers draw from was also cut to 8,175 admissions for 2026.
Express Entry’s senior manager category cut off at CRS 389 on September 16 — 130 points below the Canadian Experience Class round held a day earlier. The score has fallen at all three 2026 rounds, and the reason is not that the category is getting easier.
Canada’s two Hong Kong permanent residence pathways stopped accepting applications on August 31, 2026, after receiving 30,315 applications covering 48,560 people. Here is what happens to filed applications, why the open work permit’s May 2029 date is not a PR deadline, and what routes are left.
The Canadian Experience Class cut-off went from 507 in March to 523 in August. The draws got smaller, not the pool — and 74,105 candidates are stuck one band below the line.