IRCC Policy Update — July 30, 2026
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Canada's 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan targets 380,000 new permanent residents annually, with 385,000 new temporary resident arrivals in 2026 dropping to 370,000 in 2027 and 2028 — down sharply from 673,650 temporary resident arrivals in 2025.
As of March 31–April 1, 2026, Canadian passport fees increased for the first time since 2013 (e.g., 10-year adult passport now $163.50), and a new '30 days or free' passport processing guarantee took effect.
Additional recent IRCC changes include updated Parents and Grandparents Program super visa income calculation rules (March 20), increased permanent residence fees effective April 30, and a simplified co-op work permit process for post-secondary international students (April 9).
What You Should Do
- If you are applying for a Canadian passport, check the new fee schedule at canada.ca before submitting — adults pay $163.50 for a 10-year passport from within Canada as of March 31, 2026. If your application takes longer than 30 business days to process, you are entitled to a full fee refund under the '30 days or free' guarantee.
- If you plan to apply for permanent residence, note that PR fees are increasing on April 30, 2026. Submit your application and pay fees before April 30 to lock in current rates. Check the updated fee schedule at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship.
- If you are sponsoring a parent or grandparent for a super visa, review the updated income requirement calculation rules that took effect March 20, 2026, at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices.html to ensure your sponsorship application uses the correct income figures.
- If you are a post-secondary international student in a co-op program, check the simplified co-op work permit requirements announced April 9, 2026, at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices.html to see if you qualify for the streamlined process.
- If you are a temporary foreign worker or international student planning to come to Canada, note that new arrival targets have dropped significantly (385,000 in 2026). Monitor your specific program's processing updates at canada.ca/express-entry and ircc.canada.ca regularly, as competition for spots will increase.
Sources
Topics Covered
Service Fee Adjustments: Canadian passport fees rose on March 31, 2026 (first increase since 2013), permanent residence fees are increasing April 30, 2026, and right of citizenship fees are also rising — all announced in March 2026 IRCC notices.
Student Work Authorization Simplification: As of April 9, 2026, IRCC simplified the co-op work permit requirement for post-secondary international students, reducing administrative barriers for students in work-integrated learning programs.
Parents and Grandparents Program Regional Disparities: IRCC announced changes to how the super visa income requirement is calculated for parents and grandparents sponsorships (March 20, 2026), and separately issued a notice on July 15, 2026 about steps to 'responsibly manage' the Parents and Grandparents Program.
2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan: Canada's 2026-2028 Levels Plan sets permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year and drastically cuts new temporary resident arrivals from 673,650 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027–2028, aiming to reduce the temporary resident share of Canada's population to under 5% by end of 2027.
More IRCC Policy Updates
IRCC Policy Update — July 27, 2026
Jul 27, 2026
IRCC Policy Update — July 23, 2026
Jul 23, 2026
IRCC Policy Update — July 20, 2026
Jul 20, 2026
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