Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has outlined a suite of programs that will launch next year to help temporary residents, skilled workers and select pilot participants transition to permanent status. According to a briefing released 1 December, up to 33,000 work-permit holders already in Canada will receive accelerated processing under a revamped “TR-to-PR” pathway, echoing the 2021 initiative that filled its quota in 24 hours.
A separate fast-track stream will target U.S. H-1B visa holders in high-tech, health-care and research occupations, capitalising on the overwhelming response to a 2023 open-work-permit pilot. IRCC also confirmed that construction workers, agriculture and fish-processing employees, and skilled refugees under a permanent Economic Mobility pathway will gain dedicated routes to PR. Several pilots that hit their caps in 2025—such as the Home-Care Worker programs—are expected to reopen with adjusted quotas.
![Ottawa Details New Permanent-Residence Pathways Slated for 2026]()
For employers, the announcement offers clarity on talent-retention planning. Companies with large populations of post-grad work-permit holders or intra-company transferees should audit employee status and prepare documentation so they can file as soon as portals open. Immigration counsel note that quota-based streams are likely to fill quickly, making early readiness essential.
While final regulations are pending, IRCC says the new pathways are aligned with the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, which maintains overall targets at 500,000 but shifts a greater share to in-Canada candidates to ease housing and infrastructure pressures.
A separate fast-track stream will target U.S. H-1B visa holders in high-tech, health-care and research occupations, capitalising on the overwhelming response to a 2023 open-work-permit pilot. IRCC also confirmed that construction workers, agriculture and fish-processing employees, and skilled refugees under a permanent Economic Mobility pathway will gain dedicated routes to PR. Several pilots that hit their caps in 2025—such as the Home-Care Worker programs—are expected to reopen with adjusted quotas.
For employers, the announcement offers clarity on talent-retention planning. Companies with large populations of post-grad work-permit holders or intra-company transferees should audit employee status and prepare documentation so they can file as soon as portals open. Immigration counsel note that quota-based streams are likely to fill quickly, making early readiness essential.
While final regulations are pending, IRCC says the new pathways are aligned with the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, which maintains overall targets at 500,000 but shifts a greater share to in-Canada candidates to ease housing and infrastructure pressures.
