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On 12 November 2026, in Dieppe, New Brunswick, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab gave more details on a time-limited measure announced in Budget 2026. Canada is offering provinces and territories optional, additional Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allocations. The extra space could help up to 100,000 people become permanent residents in 2027, counting workers who already live in Canada and their families together.
Each province or territory can choose how much of this space to use. The allocations are intended to be used by 31 March 2027. This is not a new program, and people who have already applied for permanent residence do not need to do anything or contact IRCC to be considered. We first covered the measure in our post on Canada’s 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan.
What was announced
For workers, the measure works in two ways:
- Additional PNP allocations. Provinces and territories can use them for workers who are established in their communities and meet their labour market needs. See our guide to the Provincial Nominee Program for how nominations work.
- Applications already in the queue. Provinces and territories will also be able to identify workers in their jurisdiction who have already applied for permanent residence and are waiting for a decision. The release names the Atlantic Immigration Program, as well as programs closed to applications, including the Start-up Visa Program, the Self-Employed Persons Program, the Agri-Food Pilot and the home care worker programs.
The extra space is for one year only and comes on top of the Levels Plan targets.
Who it can help
- Workers living in a province or territory outside Quebec who are eligible for its nominee program, and their families. This depends on the province or territory using the extra space and nominating them.
- Workers living in Canada who are waiting for a decision under the Atlantic Immigration Program or one of the closed programs, if the province or territory where they live identifies them. IRCC’s program pages show the Start-up Visa and Self-Employed Persons programs as paused. For Start-up Visa applicants, see what is left for entrepreneurs and current processing times.
Who it does not help
- Workers who are not already in Canada. The workers part is for workers who already live in Canada. The official texts count each worker’s family in the same 100,000 but do not say whether family members must also be in Canada.
- Workers in Quebec. IRCC’s page on the measure limits the workers part to workers in communities outside Quebec.
- Anyone looking for a new way to apply. IRCC says the measure does not create new programs or reopen closed pathways.
The measure is also separate from the In-Canada Worker Initiative announced in Budget 2025.
What is not known yet
- How the extra space will be split among provinces and territories.
- Which provinces and territories will use it. As of 12 November, we found no provincial or territorial statement about it.
- How workers will be chosen. No federal criteria were published for occupation, time in Canada, work permit type, language or wages.
- How many nominations this means. The 100,000 counts workers and family members together, and part of it may go to applications already in the queue.
- What happens to space that is not used by 31 March 2027.
Context: the 2027 targets
| Item | 2027 |
|---|---|
| Overall permanent resident target | 380,000 (range 352,500 to 422,000) |
| PNP target | 95,000 (range 83,000 to 106,000) |
| Extra space for workers, outside the targets | Up to 100,000 workers and family members combined |
| Extra space for humanitarian groups, outside the targets | Up to 100,000 |
The 2027 PNP target of 95,000 is up from the 92,500 set for 2027 in the previous (2026–2028) plan.
The humanitarian part is handled by IRCC, not by the provinces. It covers people already in Canada who have applied for permanent residence, such as spouses, partners and dependent children of Canadians and permanent residents, applicants under the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways and the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway, and people found eligible on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Together, the workers and humanitarian parts cover up to 200,000 people.
How CIC News reported it
CIC News, a private immigration news site, reported the announcement on 12 November. Most of its facts match IRCC’s release, but in several places it goes further than the official texts. The main differences:
- It says Ottawa “directed” provinces to nominate workers “by no later than” 31 March 2027. IRCC says the allocations are offered to provinces as an option and are “intended to be used by” that date.
- It says the allocations can be used in both base and Express Entry-aligned (“enhanced”) PNP streams. No official text we found says this.
- It speaks of “tens of thousands” of extra nominations. No official text gives a number of nominations.
What you can do now
If you already applied under the Atlantic Immigration Program or one of the closed programs listed above (Start-up Visa, Self-Employed Persons, Agri-Food Pilot, home care worker programs), IRCC says you do not need to do anything or contact IRCC to be considered. Whether your application is processed under the extra space depends on your province or territory identifying it. The humanitarian applications described above are handled by IRCC, not by the provinces, and those applicants also do not need to do anything.
If you work in Canada outside Quebec and hope to be nominated, the nomination would come from your province or territory. Check its official PNP website for updates. For other routes from inside Canada, see our guide to moving from a work permit to permanent residence and our Express Entry page.
To review your own situation, you can book a consultation or complete our assessment form.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to apply for these extra spaces?
There is no separate application. IRCC says people who have already applied do not need to take any extra steps or contact IRCC. New nominations come through each province’s or territory’s own nominee program.
Can a worker living outside Canada benefit?
No. The workers part is for workers who already live in Canada.
Is 31 March 2027 a deadline for applicants?
No. It is the date by which the extra allocations are intended to be used, so that workers and their families can become permanent residents in 2027.
Does this measure include Express Entry?
Budget 2026 described the workers part as being for workers “eligible for Express Entry or the Provincial Nominee Program”. IRCC’s own texts on the measure, including the 12 November release, speak only of PNP allocations and applications already in the queue. IRCC has not said whether, or how, Express Entry candidates fit into this measure.
Official sources
- IRCC news release: Minister Metlege Diab highlights how Canada is working with provinces and territories to support worker retention, 12 November 2026
- IRCC: Managing a responsive and predictable immigration system (time-limited measure for 2027), 5 November 2026
- IRCC backgrounder: Building a stronger Canada through a well-managed, predictable immigration system, 5 November 2026
- IRCC: Supplementary Information for the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, 5 November 2026
- IRCC: Supplementary Information for the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan
- Budget 2026, Chapter 3: A more affordable life, 5 November 2026
About this guide
Written by Hadi Imani (registered name Hadi Imani Maman), Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, CICC licence R522575. It is general information, not legal advice; the Canadian authorities decide every application.
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