Permanent and temporary targets
The 2026–2028 Levels Plan sets permanent resident admissions at 380,000 annually. For 2026 it sets 385,000 new temporary arrivals, comprising 230,000 workers and 155,000 students. Its temporary-population objective is below 5% by the end of 2027.
A target is not an individual decision
New-arrival targets exclude visitors and permit extensions. PGWPs are treated as extensions or status changes rather than new IMP arrivals. Read the table footnotes before comparing totals; national targets do not establish a CRS cutoff, personal success rate or processing deadline.
Study and work checks remain distinct
Attestation has exceptions and must be checked against the applicant’s programme. PGWP access is not confined to master’s and doctoral graduates: bachelor’s graduates are included in the degree provisions, and other programme types have their own requirements. Neither study admission nor a future work permit is a promise of permanent residence.
Use the plan for planning
Identify the specific programme you intend to use, then record its prerequisites, documents, costs and status conditions. Keep national policy context separate from your personal checklist. Review official notices when the next plan appears instead of reusing an old annual target as an eligibility rule.
Questions before acting
Do national targets replace route requirements?
No. Use the instructions for the particular programme you intend to apply under.
Should I count an extension as a new arrival?
Keep those cohorts separate when using the Levels Plan tables.
Corrections in this revision
The previous version included statements without sufficient direct support. This revision removes or corrects:
- Conflicting 395,000 and 380,000 2026 PR headlines
- Older end-2026 temporary-population target presented as the current plan
- 305,900 student arrivals and 82,000 workers carried across different plans
- False claim that PGWP is restricted to master’s and PhD graduates
- Unsupported draw cutoff and admission advantage claims
Review scope: legal and financial statements in this revised article. Recheck on a provider, professional, immigration or tax-rule change; reuse of dated figures requires a new check.
See recorded sources
- IRCC: 2026–2028 Levels Plan — Canada. Modified 5 November 2025; targets and ranges, not approval guarantees
- IRCC: PAL/TAL requirements — Canada. Current official checklist read 26 September 2026
- IRCC: PGWP eligibility — Canada. Current official checklist read 26 September 2026
These primary references have the jurisdiction, product and scope stated above. A source link is not proof of personalised eligibility.
Visa rules change every month.
Get the changes that matter for your move — one email a month, unsubscribe anytime.
About the author
António Mira is the founder of whereTOemigrate. For over a decade he has worked at the intersection of Portuguese real estate and overseas business, helping international clients navigate the cross-border decisions that come with relocating. He sits on the board of CCIAP (Portuguese-Arab Chamber of Commerce), the Portuguese-Saudi Business Council, and the Portugal-Hong Kong Business Association — always with one focus: enabling overseas business and human mobility into and out of Portugal.
How we verify our data · Editorial standards · About whereTOemigrate