In 2026, Ottawa is planning to sharply reduce immigration under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan for Canada after years of record-high intake, but critics are saying these lower numbers are still too high.In the federal government’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, permanent resident admissions are set to drop to 380,000, down from 395,000 in 2025 and a peak of over 483,000 in 2024.Ottawa plans to maintain this lower target through 2028 by prioritizing skilled workers, Canadians with previous work experience, and Francophones.Temporary worker admissions are also set to fall from 367,750 in 2025 to roughly 230,000 in 2026, as Ottawa aims to reduce the temporary resident population to under 5% of the country’s total population.International student permits are being hit the hardest, with 155,000 new study permits planned in 2026 — a sharp decline from 437,000 in 2025 and more than 650,000 in 2023..Survey shows majority of Albertans support referendum on increasing control over immigration.Family reunification admissions will also fall to 84,000, while work permits for spouses and children of students and foreign workers are being heavily restricted, and refugee and humanitarian admissions are set to drop to 56,200, down nearly 12,000 from earlier targets.Combining all of those admissions together, the total number for 2026 adds up to just over 821,000..The news was met with consternation online, with critics such as political commentator Kat Kanada saying, “We need an extended halt for many years to deal with the current mess.”“Saying we need to reduce immigration in Canada is like saying we need to reduce the fire that's burning down our house. Like, no, we need to put the fire out completely if we are to salvage the house.”.Author Bill Tufts, who has done work on demographics, said, “That’s silly to suggest 821,000 legal mass immigrants is a sharp tightening — what about the illegals not included?”Many critics have repeatedly said over the last several months that Canada’s immigration system is broken and needs a complete overhaul.Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre told The Hub in June that “we’re going to need more people to leave than to come for the next several years, and that means having negative population growth in that time period.”.In November, an OMNI News Leger poll, which surveyed 1,510 immigrants, found that two-thirds of those polled believed Canada should admit fewer than 300,000 immigrants annually, with four in ten supporting a figure below 100,000.Those who have lived in Canada longer were more likely to favour stricter limits, while newcomers and younger respondents were more supportive of higher intake.Concerns have also been continually raised over Canada’s temporary foreign worker population.An Angus Reid poll conducted in September found that 52% of Canadians view the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program negatively, with 55% saying Canada accepts too many TFWs.Many respondents cited perceived negative impacts on the labour market, youth employment, and housing..Police federation head acknowledges crime increase as immigration rises.Statistics Canada reported youth unemployment at 14.7% in October 2025, highlighting worries that temporary foreign workers may compete with young Canadians for entry-level jobs in sectors like hospitality and retail.Meanwhile, the population of temporary migrants has dropped to 2,847,737, contributing to a 0.2% decrease in Canada’s population in the third quarter of 2025.There have also been concerns raised about immigration enforcement.The National Post recently reported that federal records at the start of 2025 showed 4.9 million visas were set to expire that year, prompting Conservative MPs such as Michelle Rempel Garner (Calgary-Centre North) to criticize Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government for having no plan to remove those overstaying their visas.In terms of enforcement, removals in 2025 totalled 18,785, slightly up from 17,357 in 2024.As Carney’s government moves forward with its new immigration plan, the debate over whether the cuts go too far — or not far enough — shows little sign of abating.With continued stress being placed on sectors such as industry, education, and health care, immigration is set to continue being a defining issue in 2026 and beyond.
