IRCC Policy Update — May 25, 2026
Monday, May 25, 2026
The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets permanent resident targets at up to 395,000 in 2026, with new temporary resident arrival targets of 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in both 2027 and 2028, aiming to reduce Canada's temporary population to under 5% of total population by end of 2027.
Effective April 1, 2026, eight immigration changes took effect including increased passport fees (adults now pay $163.50 for a 10-year passport), a new 30-business-day passport processing guarantee with automatic fee refund if missed, and flexible income requirements for Parents and Grandparents super visa sponsors.
On May 4, 2026, IRCC clarified that its In-Canada Workers Initiative will accelerate processing of up to 33,000 existing PR applications (not issue new invitations) for workers in smaller communities under regional and pilot programs across 2026 and 2027.
What You Should Do
- If you applied for a Canadian passport on or after April 1, 2026 and it has not been processed within 30 business days, you are entitled to a full fee refund under the '30 days or free' guarantee — track your application at passport.canada.ca.
- If you are sponsoring a parent or grandparent via a super visa, review the updated flexible income requirements that took effect April 1, 2026 at canada.ca/super-visa to see if you now qualify.
- If you applied for PR through a regional or pilot program (e.g., Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, Atlantic Immigration Program, Agri-Food Pilot, Caregiver programs) and are living in a smaller community, check whether your application is included in the In-Canada Workers Initiative by reviewing IRCC's May 4, 2026 announcement at canada.ca/in-canada-workers-initiative.
- Review the nine May 2026 immigration changes — including Ontario PNP overhaul, Nova Scotia NSNP 12-month EOI validity, and IRCC restoration of status updated instructions effective May 1, 2026 — at vgis.ca or canada.ca to determine if your application strategy needs updating.
Sources
Topics Covered
2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan: The 2026–2028 plan caps new temporary resident arrivals at 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027–2028, and targets reducing Canada's temporary population to below 5% of total population by end of 2027.
Category-Based Selection System: IRCC introduced five new Express Entry categories for 2026 (Medical doctors, Researchers, Senior managers, Transport occupations, Skilled military recruits) and increased the minimum work experience requirement for renewed categories from 6 months to 1 year.
Service Fee Adjustments: Effective March 31, 2026, Canadian passport fees increased for the first time since 2013 — a 10-year adult passport now costs $163.50, up from $160. A 30-business-day processing guarantee with automatic refund also launched April 1, 2026.
More IRCC Policy Updates
IRCC Policy Update — June 8, 2026
Jun 8, 2026
IRCC Policy Update — June 4, 2026
Jun 4, 2026
IRCC Policy Update — June 1, 2026
Jun 1, 2026
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