As announced in Budget 2026, Canada is introducing a time-limited measure that delivers stability and fairness to select groups of people who are already in Canada while helping provinces and territories address their labour market needs.

Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lena Metlege Diab,  provided more details on the time-limited measure for workers, specifically on how the Government of Canada is offering the provinces and territories optional, additional space to transition up to a combined total of 100,000 workers and their families to permanent residence in 2027. These workers are already living in Canada and are contributing to key industries and supporting economic development in communities of all sizes.

As part of this time-limited measure, provinces and territories will be offered additional Provincial Nominee Program allocations and will be able to choose how much of this additional space they use to transition workers who are established in their communities and meeting their labour market needs. These allocations are intended to be used by March 31, 2027, to support the transition of workers and their families to permanent residence in 2027.

Provincial and territorial governments will also be able to identify workers in their jurisdictions who have already applied for permanent residence, including through several federal programs, and are awaiting a decision. This includes

• the Atlantic Immigration Program
• federal immigration programs and pilots that are closed to applications, including the Start-up Visa Program, Self-Employed Persons Program, Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programs

By helping provinces and territories retain workers already established in their communities, the measure will help employers maintain access to skilled talent and support communities facing labour shortages without adding significant new pressures on housing and community infrastructure.