Canada to Fast-Track Permanent Residency for 200,000 Foreign Nationals in 2027

The Canadian government has announced plans to accelerate permanent residency processing for up to 200,000 foreign nationals already living in the country in 2027 as part of efforts to reduce immigration backlogs and improve processing times.

The initiative, announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under its 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, will provide additional admission spaces for selected foreign workers and humanitarian applicants seeking permanent residency.

The programme will be divided into two categories: workers and humanitarian applicants, with up to 100,000 spaces allocated to each group.

Under the workers’ category, eligible foreign nationals already residing in Canada, alongside their accompanying family members, will be considered.

The government said it would work with provincial and territorial authorities to identify applicants whose skills meet regional labour market needs.

Beneficiaries are expected to include qualified applicants under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and 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.

The humanitarian category will cover up to 100,000 people already in Canada who are awaiting permanent residency decisions under selected family reunification and humanitarian programmes.

Those expected to benefit include spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have submitted permanent residency applications.

Other eligible groups include Hong Kong residents applying through designated immigration pathways, Ukrainian nationals under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway and individuals whose humanitarian and compassionate applications have received approval in principle.

According to the IRCC, the additional spaces will help clear outstanding applications under the Hong Kong and Ukraine immigration pathways while supporting family reunification and Canada’s humanitarian commitments.

The department also said the initiative would reduce waiting periods for spouses and partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the aim of bringing processing times closer to 12 months for applicants settling outside Quebec.

IRCC clarified that eligible applicants would not need to submit separate applications or take additional steps to benefit from the initiative.

However, the programme does not create a new immigration pathway for foreigners applying from outside Canada.

It is specifically designed for eligible individuals already living in the country.

The additional 200,000 spaces will also be separate from Canada’s regular permanent residency admission target of 380,000 for 2027.

Under the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada intends to maintain annual permanent residency admissions at 380,000 while targeting 370,000 new temporary residents in 2027.

The temporary resident target comprises 220,000 foreign workers and 150,000 international students.

The initiative forms part of the Canadian government’s broader efforts to address labour shortages, reduce immigration application backlogs and provide greater certainty for foreign nationals who have already established lives in the country.

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