Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget includes a sweeping immigration-levels plan released on November 9 that resets Canada’s intake to 380,000 permanent residents per year from 2026 to 2028—down from the current 500,000 trajectory, but with sharper focus on science and technology skills.
Headline measures earmark C$1.2 billion to recruit 1,000 top researchers and to pilot an ‘accelerated pathway’ for US-based H-1B visa holders frustrated by rising American fees and caps. Indian nationals hold roughly 73 percent of active H-1Bs and are therefore seen as prime beneficiaries. Ottawa says the programme will launch “within months”, offering open work permits and a two-year route to permanent residence.
![Canada unveils 2026-28 immigration targets and fast track for H-1B talent]()
The plan also trims the share of temporary residents to below 5 percent of Canada’s population by 2027, slashing study-permit volumes to 155,000 annually. Universities have urged the government to ensure research recruitment is not undercut by fewer student intakes, as India accounts for nearly 40 percent of current study visas.
For Indian IT firms and professionals, the announcement presents both opportunity and complexity: corporate mobility teams must weigh Canada’s more predictable PR pipeline against its impending cap on temporary work visas. Travel managers should also note biometrics appointment backlogs at VFS centres in Delhi and Bengaluru, which already exceed four weeks.
Headline measures earmark C$1.2 billion to recruit 1,000 top researchers and to pilot an ‘accelerated pathway’ for US-based H-1B visa holders frustrated by rising American fees and caps. Indian nationals hold roughly 73 percent of active H-1Bs and are therefore seen as prime beneficiaries. Ottawa says the programme will launch “within months”, offering open work permits and a two-year route to permanent residence.
The plan also trims the share of temporary residents to below 5 percent of Canada’s population by 2027, slashing study-permit volumes to 155,000 annually. Universities have urged the government to ensure research recruitment is not undercut by fewer student intakes, as India accounts for nearly 40 percent of current study visas.
For Indian IT firms and professionals, the announcement presents both opportunity and complexity: corporate mobility teams must weigh Canada’s more predictable PR pipeline against its impending cap on temporary work visas. Travel managers should also note biometrics appointment backlogs at VFS centres in Delhi and Bengaluru, which already exceed four weeks.
