For years, Canada promoted itself as a land of opportunity, encouraging international students, skilled workers and foreign professionals to study, work and build their futures here.
Now, thousands of temporary residents say that dream is slipping away.
As the federal government tightens immigration targets and cuts permanent residency intake levels, many newcomers who invested years of their lives — and often hundreds of thousands of dollars — into Canada are finding themselves trapped in uncertainty.
From engineers and IT specialists to teachers and banking professionals, temporary residents across the country say the immigration system they trusted has dramatically changed midstream.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has pledged to reduce pressure on housing, healthcare and infrastructure by scaling back immigration growth and “taking back control” of the system.
According to federal estimates, nearly 1.94 million study, work and visitor permits are set to expire by the end of 2026, with another 1 million expiring in 2027. At the same time, annual permanent resident admissions have been reduced from roughly 500,000 to 380,000.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab recently defended the changes, saying the government is trying to create a “sustainable immigration system for the future.”
But for many temporary residents already living in Canada, the sudden policy shift has created stress, financial hardship and growing disillusionment.
Skilled Workers Facing New Barriers
Arthur Ma arrived from China in 2015, completed high school in Markham and later graduated from the University of Waterloo. Now employed in cloud infrastructure engineering, he still has not received an invitation for permanent residency despite years of Canadian education and work experience.
With his work permit expiring next year, Ma has enrolled in expensive French-language courses in hopes of boosting his immigration points score.
“I’m basically Canadian,” he said, explaining that his life, career and closest friendships are now rooted in Canada.
Similarly, Sarah Amerinia, an engineer originally from Iran, says she feels abandoned after following every step expected of skilled immigrants.
After earning postgraduate credentials in Newfoundland and securing engineering work in Ontario, she discovered that even obtaining a Canadian professional engineering licence provides little advantage under the current immigration scoring system.
“I left my country, my family and everything behind, believing in Canada’s promise of fairness and opportunity,” Amerinia said.
Families Living in Fear and Uncertainty
For Hennedige Udari Kasunka Fernando and her family, delays in immigration processing have pushed them into precarious status despite applying through a legitimate caregiver pathway.
The former special-needs teacher from Sri Lanka arrived in Calgary in 2025 after her husband had already moved to Canada under the temporary foreign worker program.
Although the family applied for permanent residence last year, they are still waiting for confirmation while struggling financially on minimum-wage incomes.
“We pray to God to give us a pathway to stay in Canada,” Fernando said.
The family sold their home and belongings in Sri Lanka to move to Canada and now fears returning home would cancel their immigration application entirely.
Young Professionals Forced to Leave Canada
Parth Israni came to Canada from India in 2019 and completed two postgraduate diplomas before finding work in the financial sector.
But after his post-graduation work permit expired, he lost the ability to continue working legally despite building a career in Canadian banking.
At one point, he admitted he was tempted to purchase a fraudulent job offer from recruiters promising immigration solutions.
“I worked hard. I got a decent job in my field. Why would I do that?” he said.
Eventually, Israni exhausted his savings and returned to India earlier this year, though he still hopes to one day qualify for permanent residence.
Even High Earners Face Obstacles
Murali Jampani moved to Canada from the United States under a federal program aimed at attracting skilled technology workers holding U.S. H-1B visas.
Despite earning approximately $200,000 annually in the IT sector, Jampani said Canada’s immigration points system heavily penalized him because of his age.
“At 37, there’s no way mathematically possible for me to get permanent residence,” he previously said.
After months of uncertainty, Ontario eventually nominated him through a provincial program, allowing his permanent residence application to proceed.
Still, he says the experience exposed deep flaws in Canada’s immigration approach.
“We’re ready to make Canada home. What I’m asking for is give us a fair chance,” Jampani said.
Growing Questions About Canada’s Immigration Future
Canada’s immigration system has long been viewed internationally as one of the world’s most welcoming and structured pathways for skilled newcomers.
However, critics say rapidly changing policies, shrinking quotas, high competition and lengthy processing times are now leaving many qualified workers feeling abandoned after they were encouraged to build their lives here.
As temporary residents continue facing uncertainty, experts warn Canada also risks losing highly educated talent, skilled labour and future economic contributors to competing countries offering more stable immigration pathways.