Foreign worker arrivals are already matching 2026 cuts. If this trend continues, Canada may end the year with more than 100,000 fewer workers than the 2025 target.
If arrivals continue at the current speed, Canada may welcome about 202,923 foreign workers (based on 2024 seasonal patterns) by December 31. This is far below the 2025 target of 367,750 workers.
This lower number looks much closer to the 2026 target of 230,000 foreign workers, as listed in the latest Immigration Levels Plan.
Current Foreign Worker Arrivals And Expected Trends
In the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada set a target of 367,750 foreign workers in 2025:
- 82,000 through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
- 285,750 through the International Mobility Program (IMP)
Between January and August 2025, Canada welcomed only 154,515 new foreign workers through both programs. Admissions rose between April and June, similar to 2024.
These numbers are shown below:
Monthly Worker Arrivals (2025)
| Month | Temporary Foreign Worker Permits | International Mobility Program Permits |
| 25-Jan | 3,895 | 11,005 |
| 25-Feb | 3,320 | 11,070 |
| 25-Mar | 4,795 | 13,750 |
| 25-Apr | 7,750 | 15,890 |
| 25-May | 7,470 | 16,205 |
| 25-Jun | 6,470 | 17,555 |
| 25-Jul | 5,420 | 13,030 |
| 25-Aug | 4,195 | 12,695 |
| Total | 43,315 | 111,200 |
To understand full-year numbers more accurately, the data must be compared to 2024 seasonal patterns. This avoids errors caused by months with naturally lower or higher arrivals.
Between January and August 2024, Canada admitted:
- 67,935 TFWP workers
- 232,975 IMP workers
In 2024, these numbers made up the following share of total annual arrivals:
2024 Admission Percentages
| TFWP Admissions (Jan–Aug 2024) | Total TFWP 2024 | % Arrived Jan–Aug |
| 67,935 | 93,595 | 72.58% |
| IMP Admissions (Jan–Aug 2024) | Total IMP 2024 | % Arrived Jan–Aug |
| 232,975 | 300,115 | 77.63% |
Using these percentages, you can calculate projected 2025 totals using this formula:
Yearly admissions total = workers admitted January–August ÷ (percentage)
The results give the following projection for 2025:
| Projected 2025 totals TFWP | Projected 2025 totals IMP | Overall worker admissions in 2025 |
| 59,679 | 143,244 | 202,923 |
Based on this projection, Canada will end 2025 with only 202,923 new foreign workers under both work permit programs.
These numbers fall far below stated temporary foreign worker admissions for this year, as detailed in the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, with the greatest education seen in IMP permits:
| TFWP | IMP | Total | |
| Projected totals in 2025 | 59,679 | 143,244 | 202,923 |
| Admissions target (2025) | 82,000 | 285,750 | 367,750 |
| Difference to 2025 targets | -22,321 | -142,506 | -164,827 |
However, these projected numbers are very close to the 2026 targets, and even fall below the 2026 total target of 230,000.
| TFWP | IMP | Total | |
| Projected totals in 2025 | 59,679 | 143,244 | 202,923 |
| Admissions target (2026) | 60,000 | 170,000 | 230,000 |
| Difference to 2026 targets | -321 | -26,756 | -27,077 |
Policies That Caused The Big Drop In Worker Numbers
As foreign worker arrivals are already matching 2026 cuts, let us look at the policies that caused the big drop in the workers numbers.
Well, between 2024 and 2025, Canada introduced several new rules to reduce the number of temporary residents. This includes both international students and foreign workers.
The goal is to bring temporary residents down to 5% of Canada’s population by 2027.
Important policy changes include:
- A pause on LMIA processing under the low-wage TFWP stream in areas with 6%+ unemployment
- Higher wage requirements for the high-wage stream
- PGWP eligibility limited to approved fields for sub-bachelor programs
- New language requirements for PGWP applications
- Ending COVID-era policy that let visitors switch to work permits more easily
- Stricter rules for Intra-Company Transferees (ICTs)
- Multi-year caps for work permits under IMP and TFWP
- Stricter rules for Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWPs)
IRCC data also shows that international student arrivals for 2025 are also very low and are tracking toward 2026-level targets, not 2025 targets.
Early Effects Of Lower Worker Admissions
While long-term effects are not fully known yet, some short-term impacts are already visible.
A TD report states that the drop in temporary residents has helped:
- slow down rent increases
- reduce pressure on unemployment
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) also reports lower rent growth. It found negative rental price growth in four major cities, including Toronto and Vancouver, partly due to fewer temporary residents.
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