IRCC releases expected work and study permit holder outflows for coming years

IRCC releases expected work and study permit holder outflows for coming years

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) expects more than half a million Non-permanent Residents (NPRs) to leave Canada, or transition to permanent residence (PR) status by the end of this year.

The term NPR encompasses those who are in Canada on a temporary status, including work and study permit holders in the country*. Note that while targets for 2025 have now been confirmed by IRCC, subsequent targets may be altered and will only be committed to by November 1st of the preceding year.

Canada’s immigration department has also released the number of new NPRs it expects to welcome in the next three years; as IRCC continues toward its goal of managing NPR levels in the country to 5 % of Canada’s total population.

*NPR may also refer to:

  • Asylum claimants;
  • Protected persons; and/or
  • The dependents of any identified category (work permit holders, study permit holders, asylum claimants, and/or protected persons).

What are the NPR outflows IRCC expects this year, and in the next three years?

According to Canada’s Annual Report on Immigration for 2024, IRCC expects 588,409 NPRs to leave Canada or transition to PR status by the end of 2024. While the department does plan a reduction in NPR levels in the coming years, they still anticipate a net change of 299,216 more NPRs in Canada by the end of 2024. According to IRCC, by the end of the year, there will be an expected 2.9 million NPRs in Canada, representing 7.1% of the total population.

Over the next three years, IRCC expects the following outflows of NPRs in Canada:

Non-permanent Resident (NPR) Measures 2025 2026 2027
Total NPR outflows 1,262,801 1,104,658 875,179
Net change in NPR numbers -445,901 -445,622 17,439
Population of NPRs in Canada 2,515,099 2,069,477 2,086,916
NPRs as a % of the Canadian population 6.1% 5.0% 5.0%

How many NPRs does IRCC expect to welcome in the next three years?

The Annual Report on Immigration for 2024 also contained expected NPR inflows for the next three years. By the end of the year, IRCC expects a combined 887,625 new NPRs in the country.

Over the next three years, IRCC aims to welcome the following numbers of NPRs:

Non-permanent Resident (NPR) Measures 2025 2026 2027
Total NPR inflows 816,900 659,036 892,568
NPR inflows subject to targets for students and workers 673,650 516,600 543,600
NPR inflows for contingency reserves 143,250 142,436 348,968
Number of new work permit holders through the International Mobility Program (IMP) 285,750 128,700 155,700
Number of new work permit holders through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) 82,000 82,000 82,000
Number of new study permit holders 305,900 305,900 305,900

Work permits issued under the IMP may include the following programs or pathways:

Work permits issued under the TFWP may include the following programs or pathways:

Note that the above lists are not conclusive inclusions of work permit issuing programs and streams contained under the IMP or the TFWP.

What actions has IRCC taken to achieve its NPR targets?

Canada’s immigration department has already committed to several steps toward reducing the country’s overall NPR population.

These include: