Canada opens route to permanent residency for 33,000 workers: Details here

Up to 33,000 temporary workers in Canada may get a chance at permanent residency under a newly launched programme.

Canada has opened a new immigration pathway that could allow up to 33,000 temporary workers already in the country to obtain permanent residency, according to the 2025 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

 

The programme is part of Canada’s immigration levels plan for 2026-2028 and was “soft-launched” in early March 2026, Canada’s immigration minister Lena Metlege Diab said in an interview with The Toronto Star on March 6. Full guidelines and application details are expected in April, according to reporting by CIC News.

 

The one-time pathway aims to convert certain temporary residents (TRs) who are already working in Canada into permanent residents (PRs), particularly those employed in sectors facing labour shortages.

 

Focus on workers already in Canada

According to IRCC’s 2025 report, the pathway will allow eligible work-permit holders currently employed in Canada to apply for permanent residency.

 

The programme mainly targets workers in sectors where Canada continues to face labour shortages, including:

 

• Healthcare
• Skilled trades
• Agriculture, especially in rural areas

 

Diab told The Toronto Star that the initiative is intended to support industries struggling to find workers while offering a stable immigration route for people already contributing to the economy.

 

“This builds on earlier TR-to-PR pathways introduced during the pandemic for essential workers,” IRCC noted in its report to Parliament.

 

Who can apply

Reporting by CIC News, citing IRCC guidance, indicates that applicants must:

• Hold a valid Canadian work permit
• Be currently employed in Canada
• Demonstrate ties to their local communities, such as through tax contributions or long-term employment

 

Priority may also be given to “protected persons”—individuals who cannot return to their home countries due to safety risks.

 

Visitors and international students are not eligible unless they have already transitioned to a work permit, according to CIC News. Details on whether family members can be included in the application are yet to be announced.

 

Part of broader immigration shift

The new pathway is being introduced as Canada recalibrates its immigration policy under Prime Minister Mark Carney.

 

According to IRCC’s 2025 report, the government aims to reduce the number of non-permanent residents to below 5 per cent of the population by 2027. The policy shift also comes as a large number of temporary permits approach expiry.

 

Diab said that around 2.1 million temporary permits expired in 2025 and another 1.9 million are expected to expire in 2026.

 

“We have launched it already,” Diab said, adding that more details would be released “in the month of April”. She also emphasised that individuals whose permits expire must either extend their status or leave Canada.

 

What it could mean for Indian workers

Indian nationals make up roughly 20 per cent of Canada’s temporary workforce, according to IRCC data cited in the 2025 report.

 

As a result, the new pathway could open a faster route to permanent residency for thousands of Indian professionals already working in sectors such as technology, healthcare and skilled trades.

 

For many temporary workers, the policy could offer a rare opportunity to secure long-term status in Canada at a time when several Western countries are tightening immigration rules.