Canada to Assist TR-to-PR Eligible Workers Under Existing Programs

On May 4, 2026, an announcement was made providing an update on the In-Canada Workers Initiative, the one-time pathway first announced in Budget 2025. The initiative is intended to transition up to 33,000 temporary residents already in Canada to permanent residence (PR) over 2026 and 2027.

1. The initial wave is being drawn from existing PR inventories

IRCC is initially accelerating eligible applications already on file from work permit holders who have applied for permanent residence under one of the following programs:

• the Provincial Nominee Program

• the Atlantic Immigration Program

• the community immigration pilots

• the caregiver pilots

• the Agri-Food Pilot

  
  

Applicants must also have been living in smaller communities in Canada for two years or more.

2. 3,600 workers were granted PR in the first two months of 2026

Between January 1 and February 28, 2026, IRCC granted permanent residence to 3,600 workers under the initiative. The department states it remains on track to meet its 2026 target of at least 20,000 transitions, with the remainder scheduled for 2027.

3. Eligible applicants do not need to take any action

The May 4 release confirms that eligible applicants are being drawn from existing inventories and do not need to take any action. Selection occurs through the original program in which the PR application was filed.

4. The initiative is tied to the temporary-resident reduction target

IRCC frames the In-Canada Workers Initiative as part of the federal government's effort to reduce the share of temporary residents to less than 5% of Canada's population by the end of 2027. The broader framing is set out in Canada's immigration levels plan.

This move indicates one part of the larger plan for the Canadian government's goals to use immigration to fill labour shortages in rural communities that need it most, by providing qualified labour. Additionally, it aims to reduce temporary residents in other areas.

5. Progress will be tracked monthly

IRCC has indicated that updates on the initiative will be published monthly through its reporting page on student and temporary worker numbers in Canada.

Harris Amir is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) and the founder of Harris Amir Canada Immigration Consulting. CICC Registration #R707703.

For questions about Canadian immigration matters, visit Harris Amir Canada Immigration Consulting at www.amirimmigration.com