Tracker · IRCC figures to August 31, 2026
Is Canada on track for its 2026 target?
Not yet. Canada is behind its 2026 target. Behind pace
From January to August 31, 2026, 216,575 people became permanent residents under the Immigration Levels Plan: 57% of the 380,000 target, with 8 of 12 months gone. Each month IRCC publishes new figures, and this page shows them against the plan in plain numbers.
- 216,575
- Counted toward the 2026 target, January to August
- 253,300
- Needed by August 31 to be on pace — 36,700 short
- 324,900
- Where 2026 ends if this pace holds (our projection). The plan allows 350,000 to 420,000
- 46,330
- More through the two one-time initiatives, which do not count toward the target
01What the numbers mean
About 36,700 behind pace
To land 380,000 people in 2026, Canada needed about 253,300 by August 31, 2026. It had 216,575. If the rest of the year keeps the same pace, 2026 ends near 324,900, below the 350,000 to 420,000 range the plan allows. For comparison, 2025 finished at 393,775 against a target of 395,000.
Counting everyone, 5% fewer than 2025
On top of the target, 31,245 protected persons and 15,085 workers already in Canada became permanent residents through two one-time initiatives. Counting everyone, 262,905 people became permanent residents from January to August, against 277,060 in the same months of 2025.
What it means for you
These numbers describe the whole system, not your own application. A slower year does not change who qualifies. If you are waiting on a decision, check the current processing time for your program and keep your temporary status valid until you land.
02Program by program
How each program is doing against its own 2026 target. “On pace” means within five percentage points of where it should be after 8 months (67% of the year).
3 behind pace4 on pace4 ahead of pace
| Program | Admitted so far | 2026 target | Share of target | Versus pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workers and business | ||||
| Express EntryCanadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades | 55,865 | 109,000 | 51% | 16,800 behind |
| Provincial Nominee Program1including Ontario’s OINP | 58,320 | 91,500 | 64% | On pace · 2,700 behind |
| Quebec skilled workers and business3selected by Quebec | 17,540 | Set by Quebec | – | Not compared |
| Caregivers and other federal pilots1caregiver, Agri-Food, rural and other federal pilots | 6,550 | 8,175 | 80% | 1,100 ahead |
| Atlantic Immigration Program1 | 3,310 | 4,000 | 83% | 600 ahead |
| Federal businessStart-up Visa and self-employed | 250 | 500 | 50% | 100 behind |
| Family | ||||
| Spouses, partners and children | 47,400 | 69,000 | 69% | On pace · 1,400 ahead |
| Parents and grandparents | 11,160 | 15,000 | 74% | 1,200 ahead |
| Refugees and protected persons | ||||
| Protected persons in Canada2and their dependants abroad | 6,195 | 20,000 | 31% | 7,100 behind |
| Government-assisted refugees | 8,980 | 13,300 | 68% | On pace · 100 ahead |
| Privately sponsored refugees | 10,110 | 16,000 | 63% | On pace · 600 behind |
| Humanitarian and other | ||||
| Humanitarian, compassionate and other4public policies, permit holders and other | 5,320 | 6,900 | 77% | 700 ahead |
| All programs, counted toward the target | 216,575 | 380,000 | 57% | 36,700 behind |
- 1 Includes people admitted through the one-time In-Canada Workers Initiative, which IRCC processes through these programs and does not split out in its data (15,085 in all so far this year). These lines therefore read slightly high against their targets.
- 2 Excludes the 31,245 people admitted through the one-time initiative for protected persons, which is in addition to the target.
- 3 Quebec selects its own economic immigrants under the Canada–Quebec Accord. The federal plan does not set a number for this line, so it is shown without a comparison.
- 4 IRCC’s open data does not group humanitarian, public policy and other admissions exactly as the plan does, so read this line as approximate.
- The black line in each bar marks where a program should be by now. Program figures are sums of IRCC’s open data by immigration category, which IRCC rounds to the nearest 5 and marks as not for precise calculations, so they are approximate and do not add up exactly to the total.
03Month by month
New permanent residents each month in 2026, split into those counted toward the target and those admitted through the one-time initiatives, with the same month of 2025 for comparison.
| Month | Counted toward target | One-time initiatives | All new PRs | 2025, same month | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21,715 | 2,510 | 24,225 | 34,055 | |
| February | 26,115 | 3,175 | 29,290 | 35,275 | |
| March | 25,745 | 3,885 | 29,630 | 34,985 | |
| April | 27,000 | 2,890 | 29,890 | 28,055 | |
| May | 28,480 | 5,940 | 34,420 | 36,430 | |
| June | 27,160 | 7,690 | 34,850 | 39,045 | |
| July | 32,645 | 7,800 | 40,445 | 38,735 | |
| August | 27,715 | 12,440 | 40,155 | 30,480 | |
| January to August | 216,575 | 46,330 | 262,905 | 277,060 |
- One-time initiatives: 31,245 protected persons and 15,085 workers so far in 2026. IRCC rounds each figure to the nearest 5.
04Where new permanent residents settled
All new permanent residents by province or territory, January to August, including the one-time initiatives, with the same months of 2025.
| Province or territory | 2026, Jan–Aug | 2025, Jan–Aug | Change | Share of 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 117,825 | 120,430 | −2% | 44.9% |
| Alberta | 34,565 | 34,575 | 0% | 13.2% |
| British Columbia | 33,415 | 36,765 | −9% | 12.7% |
| Quebec | 28,535 | 41,080 | −31% | 10.9% |
| Manitoba | 14,255 | 13,240 | +8% | 5.4% |
| Saskatchewan | 11,555 | 10,355 | +12% | 4.4% |
| New Brunswick | 7,635 | 7,590 | +1% | 2.9% |
| Nova Scotia | 7,425 | 6,615 | +12% | 2.8% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 4,335 | 3,410 | +27% | 1.7% |
| Prince Edward Island | 1,725 | 1,555 | +11% | 0.7% |
| Yukon | 565 | 505 | +12% | 0.2% |
| Northwest Territories | 355 | 255 | +39% | 0.1% |
| Nunavut | 40 | 0 | – | 0.0% |
| Province not stated | 15 | 5 | – | 0.0% |
- From IRCC’s open data by province of intended destination, rounded to the nearest 5, so the provinces do not add up exactly to the national total.
05How 2025 finished
The full 2025 result against that year’s plan.
| Category | Admitted | Target | Allowed range | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All permanent residents, counted toward the target | 393,775 | 395,000 | 367,000–436,000 | Within the range, 99.7% of target |
| Workers and business (economic) | 224,950 | 232,150 | 215,000–256,000 | Within the range, 96.9% of target |
| Family | 95,190 | 94,500 | 88,500–102,000 | Within the range, 100.7% of target |
| Refugees and protected persons | 59,000 | 58,350 | 55,000–65,000 | Within the range, 101.1% of target |
- The total is IRCC’s monthly count of admissions under the levels plan. Category figures are sums of IRCC’s rounded open data, so they are approximate and do not add up exactly to the total. The humanitarian, compassionate and other line (target 10,000) is not shown because IRCC’s open data does not group those admissions the same way as the plan.
06Questions, answered
Is Canada on track to meet its 2026 immigration target?
Not yet. Canada is behind its 2026 target. From January to August 31, 2026, 216,575 people became permanent residents under the Immigration Levels Plan, 57% of the 380,000 target with 8 of 12 months gone. About 253,300 were needed by then to stay on pace. If the rest of the year keeps the same pace, 2026 ends near 324,900, below the 350,000 to 420,000 range the plan allows.
How many people became permanent residents in 2026 so far?
262,905 from January to August 31, 2026: 216,575 counted toward the levels plan target, plus 31,245 through the one-time initiative for protected persons and 15,085 through the one-time In-Canada Workers Initiative. That is 5% fewer than the same months of 2025.
Do the one-time initiatives count toward the 380,000 target?
No. IRCC reports admissions under the one-time initiative for protected persons and the In-Canada Workers Initiative separately, and both are in addition to the levels plan target. Together they run through 2026 and 2027: up to 115,000 protected persons and up to 33,000 workers.
How many permanent residents did Canada admit in 2025?
393,775 under the levels plan, against a target of 395,000 (allowed range 367,000 to 436,000).
Where do these numbers come from?
From IRCC: its monthly totals of permanent resident admissions under the levels plan and the one-time initiatives, and its open data on admissions by immigration category and province. IRCC rounds to the nearest 5, hides very small counts and revises recent months, so rows may not add up exactly. Targets are from the Immigration Levels Plan.
Sources: IRCC, Understanding permanent residence numbers (opens in a new tab); IRCC open data, Permanent Residents – Monthly IRCC Updates (opens in a new tab); Supplementary Information for the 2026–2028 (opens in a new tab) and 2027–2029 (opens in a new tab) Immigration Levels Plans and the 2025–2027 plan (opens in a new tab); IRCC, Understanding the one-time In-Canada Workers Initiative (opens in a new tab). Figures to August 31, 2026; checked against IRCC November 5, 2026. General information only, not legal advice.
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