Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Feb. 25, 2026. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby
The federal government has soft-launched an immigration program that will see 33,000 temporary foreign workers become permanent residents in Canada over the next two years, Immigration Minister Lena Diab confirmed.
The program, first announced in November as part of Ottawa’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, seeks to “accelerate” a pathway for work permit holders already in Canada to transition to permanent residence in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to tackle labour shortages in in-demand sectors.
