Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has officially confirmed it will grant permanent residency to 20,000 individuals in 2026 through the In-Canada Workers Initiative.
This specialized pathway, originally introduced in Budget 2025, is designed to fast-track temporary residents who have established deep roots in Canadian communities, ensuring that skilled talent remains in the country long-term.
Unlike broad-based immigration streams, the In-Canada Workers Initiative specifically targets temporary permit holders who are already integrated into the workforce.
For 2026, the government is prioritizing workers living in smaller and rural communities. This focus aims to distribute economic benefits across the country rather than concentrating growth solely in major metropolitan hubs like Toronto or Vancouver.
To qualify for this accelerated transition, workers typically need to demonstrate:
- At least two years of residency in a smaller or rural community.
- An active application already in the permanent residency (PR) inventory.
- Current employment that supports local economic needs.
Between January and February 2026, IRCC reported that 3,600 workers had already been granted PR status under this scheme, accounting for 18% of the annual goal. The In-Canada Workers Initiative is part of a larger two-year plan to transition a total of 33,000 workers by the end of 2027.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada made this known in a statement posted on its official X handle on Monday.
The department said the measure forms part of its one-time In-Canada Workers Initiative announced in Budget 2025, which is designed to accelerate the transition of up to 33,000 temporary workers to permanent residence in 2026 and 2027.
“IRCC is aiming to transition at least 20,000 workers to permanent residence in 2026 and the remainder in 2027.
“We are making progress and are on track to meet these goals. Between January 1 and February 28, 2026, 3,600 workers were granted permanent residence under this initiative.
“Eligible applicants being granted permanent residence were already selected through occupation-driven pilots and well-established regional immigration programs led by provinces, territories, and community partners, as well as occupation-driven pilots. Applicants do not need to take any action,” the statement read.
It added: “The one-time In-Canada Workers Initiative was announced in Budget 2025 and will help reduce existing permanent residence inventories to ensure that workers with ties to Canada can continue contributing in the long term.”
As part of the programme, IRCC said it is prioritising eligible applications from existing inventories of work permit holders who have applied for permanent residence through various pathways, including the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, community immigration pilots, caregiver pilots, and the Agri-Food Pilot.
To qualify, applicants must have lived in smaller communities in Canada for two years or more and must already be supporting local economic needs in those regions.
“IRCC is initially accelerating eligible applications from existing inventories of work permit holders who have applied for permanent residence. These eligible workers are already supporting their smaller and rural communities’ labour and economic needs,” the statement said.
It added that IRCC will grant permanent residence to applicants across several in-demand sectors in rural communities facing labour gaps.
