2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan Consultation Now Open — Ottawa Defining the Next Three Years

IRCC has officially opened the 2026 consultations on immigration levels, running from May 12 to June 14, 2026. The feedback collected through an online survey will help inform the development of the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, which the federal government is expected to table by November 2026. The consultations will be responsible for determining the number of newcomers expected to arrive in Canada, as well as the balance between temporary residents and permanent immigration. Immigration News CanadaCIC TIMES

The survey has been updated this year to focus on open-ended questions, giving respondents more space to share their views in their own words — changes based on public feedback from prior years. The consultation is open to individuals as well as organizations including employers, settlement agencies, educational institutions, municipal governments, and industry associations. The Express Entry reform consultation closes May 24, and IRCC is expected to analyze both files through the summer, with the Minister tabling the 2027–2029 Levels Plan in Parliament in the fall. Canada.caAnsari Immigration

Why it matters: The current 2026–2028 plan set permanent resident admissions at 380,000 annually and cut temporary resident targets dramatically. The next plan will define immigration volumes through the end of the decade. This consultation is a rare, direct channel for Canadians — and everyone already in Canada on a temporary basis — to shape those decisions.

Canada’s Population Declined in Late 2025 — Temporary Resident Contraction Takes Hold

Statistics Canada says Canada’s population stood at 41,472,081 on January 1, 2026, down by 103,504 people from October 1, 2025 — a quarterly decrease of 0.2 per cent. The decline stands out because Canada had still posted population growth of 80,385 in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 256,804 in the fourth quarter of 2023, meaning the country moved from strong late-year growth to an outright population decline in just two years. Canada Immigration

The biggest factor behind the slowdown was a large drop in the number of temporary residents. The number of temporary residents fell from 3,149,131 on October 1, 2024 to 2,676,441 on January 1, 2026. The fourth-quarter 2025 decline was mainly linked to lower numbers of study permit holders, work permit holders, and people holding both types of permits. The government’s dramatic 43% reduction in new temporary residents — from roughly 674,000 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026 — was designed to shore up its commitment to reducing the temporary resident population to less than 5%, albeit under an extended timeline. Canada ImmigrationRBC

Why it matters: Canada’s population has not recorded a quarterly decline in living memory under normal (non-pandemic) conditions. The data confirms that Ottawa’s immigration contraction is working as a demographic tool — but economists and labour market analysts are beginning to quantify the costs in labour supply, consumer demand, and long-term GDP growth. The housing market may ease; the workforce may tighten.