In a significant immigration update, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has announced that it is fast-tracking permanent residence (PR) applications for eligible workers already in Canada under its new In-Canada Workers Initiative, commonly referred to as the TR-to-PR pathway.
The one-time initiative aims to transition up to 33,000 temporary workers into permanent residents across 2026 and 2027, with a strong focus on addressing labour shortages in smaller communities across the country.
Under the updated guidance, priority is being given to applicants who have already applied for PR through existing programs and have been living in rural or smaller communities for at least two years. Importantly, IRCC confirmed that no new application is required—eligible candidates will be processed directly from existing application inventories.
Workers from several key immigration streams are included in this accelerated process, such as the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, and the Agri-Food Pilot, among others. These programs largely support sectors facing labour shortages, particularly outside major urban centres.
Early progress figures show that 3,600 workers were granted permanent residence between January and February 2026, representing about 18 per cent of the year’s target. The federal government has indicated it is on track to meet at least 20,000 approvals in 2026, with the remaining cases expected to be finalized in 2027.
The initiative aligns with Canada’s broader immigration strategy, which aims to reduce the proportion of temporary residents to below five per cent of the population by 2027, while strengthening regional economies through targeted immigration.
Officials have also emphasized a continued shift toward rural immigration, with recent policies making it easier for employers in smaller communities to retain and hire temporary foreign workers. These efforts are designed to ensure that critical industries—such as agriculture, caregiving, and essential services—have access to a stable, long-term workforce.
For many temporary workers already contributing to Canada’s economy, this move offers a clearer and faster pathway to permanent settlement, particularly for those who have built their lives in communities outside major cities.