Canada is offering provinces and territories extra permanent residence space for established workers and their families, with capacity for a combined maximum of 100,000 people in 2027. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab detailed the measure on November 12, 2026, in Dieppe, New Brunswick.
Provinces choose how much extra space to use
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said provincial and territorial governments will be offered additional allocations under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Each government can decide how much of the optional space it uses to retain workers established in its communities who meet local labour market needs.
The allocations are intended to be used by March 31, 2027, to support transitions to permanent residence during 2027. The release ties that date to the intended use of government allocations, not to a newly announced application deadline for individual workers.
The November 12 release does not provide a province-by-province breakdown of the additional allocations. IRCC’s PNP guidance also states that each province and territory has its own requirements, so the national announcement alone does not establish which workers will receive a nomination.
Existing federal applications are also included
IRCC’s implementation page identifies the worker group as people already living in communities outside Quebec, along with their families. Provincial and territorial governments will also be able to identify workers in their jurisdictions who have already applied for permanent residence and are awaiting a decision. The department names the Atlantic Immigration Program among the routes included.
The measure also covers existing applications through selected federal programs and pilots closed to new applications, including the Start-up Visa Program, Self-Employed Persons Program, Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programs.
IRCC says the measure doesn’t create new programs or reopen closed pathways. People with existing applications covered by the measure don’t need to take extra steps or contact the department to have those files processed under the additional spaces.
Extra space sits outside regular immigration targets
Canada’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan sets a regular permanent resident admissions target of 380,000 for 2027, including 95,000 through the PNP. IRCC says the new time-limited space is outside the levels-plan targets and will not increase admissions on a recurring basis.
The worker measure’s ceiling includes family members and applications across several pathways. It isn’t a count of additional provincial nominations or spaces reserved exclusively for workers themselves.
The measure is also separate from the earlier In-Canada Workers Initiative, which targets accelerated permanent residence for 33,000 work permit holders in 2026 and 2027, according to IRCC’s levels-plan information.
IRCC presents the new measure as a way to help employers maintain access to skilled talent while retaining people already established in Canadian communities. The department says that approach will support communities facing labour shortages without adding significant new pressure on housing and community infrastructure.
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