A new program in Canada’s immigration policy has quietly begun to take shape, once again drawing the attention of many temporary residents. This is because the Canadian federal government has begun implementing a new TR to PR (Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident) conversion program that offers approximately 33,000 foreign workers the opportunity to apply for permanent residency. Lena Mettlidge Diab, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, stated in an interview last March that the program has already been launched, and that specific application criteria and details are scheduled to be released around April 2026. First mentioned in last year’s federal budget, this program has been officially confirmed through the federal government’s annual immigration levels plan. It is scheduled to run for approximately two years, with the core objective of providing permanent residency opportunities primarily to foreign workers employed in specific high-demand occupations within Canada and to temporary residents living and working in rural areas.
This measure should be understood not merely as the addition of a new immigration program, but within the context of the temporary resident management policies the Canadian government has been pursuing in recent years. Canada has long actively welcomed international students and foreign workers to address economic growth and labor shortages, but since 2023, the rapid increase in the number of temporary residents has simultaneously raised various social issues, such as housing problems and the burden on public services. Consequently, the federal government has clearly stated its policy direction to gradually reduce the number of temporary residents starting in 2024 and has set a goal to lower the proportion of temporary residents relative to Canada’s total population to 5% or less by 2027.
In this process, the Canadian government has pursued a dual approach: implementing policies to reduce new inflows while simultaneously converting a portion of the workforce already residing in Canada into permanent residents. A prime example is the cap on international student visa issuance, which took effect in 2024. For the first time in its history, Canada imposed an annual limit on the number of international student visa applications. At the same time, the government amended the system to no longer issue Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) to graduates of curriculum licensing programs offered by certain private educational institutions.
In addition, the hiring procedures for foreign workers were significantly tightened in the fall of 2024. Under the LMIA system—which employers must follow to hire foreign workers—measures were implemented to suspend the acceptance of applications for the Low-Wage Stream in regions with high unemployment rates, making it difficult to even initiate the process of obtaining new work visas in those areas.
Around the same time, the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) and the Spousal Open Work Permit programs also underwent major changes. Starting in November 2024, the issuance of PGWPs began to be restricted primarily to graduates of programs linked to specific high-demand fields, such as healthcare and skilled trades, and applicants were also required to submit language test scores meeting a certain threshold. Furthermore, starting in 2025, open work permits issued to spouses of international students were restricted to certain programs, such as doctoral programs or master’s programs of a certain duration, and regulations were amended so that spouses of foreign workers could only receive work permits if they were employed in highly skilled occupations or specific in-demand occupations.
These policy changes have effectively led to a significant slowdown in the growth rate of temporary residents. According to Statistics Canada data, Canada’s population growth virtually halted in 2025, and in some quarters, the population even began to decline—a situation considered highly unusual since modern statistical records began in 1971. In the same year, the number of international students entering the country fell by approximately 60% from about 293,000 in the previous year to around 115,000, and the number of foreign workers also decreased by about 47%, from 390,000 to 184,000.
It is against this backdrop that the current TR-to-PR conversion program was introduced. The Canadian government is pursuing a strategy to adjust the overall size of the temporary resident population by, on the one hand, reducing the inflow of new temporary residents and, on the other hand, converting some of the foreign workers already participating in the Canadian economy and labor market into permanent residents. In particular, since workers who have been employed for long periods in rural areas and specific industries have often already established roots in their local communities, converting them into permanent residents is considered a meaningful policy in terms of labor market stability and sustaining the local economy.
However, the information released so far is very limited. While it has been confirmed that the program has begun, specific eligibility requirements, application procedures, and application forms have not yet been announced, and the government has only stated that more detailed guidelines are scheduled to be released in April 2026. Nevertheless, Canadian immigration media outlets and experts are compiling and sharing a list of basic documents that foreign workers considering applying should prepare in advance. Generally, the permanent residency application process requires a variety of documents, including language test results, Educational Credential Assessments (ECA), criminal record checks, employment contracts, employment history, tax-related documents, pay stubs, passports, and identification documents. In particular, since language test scores are typically valid for two years, applicants need to check whether their existing scores need to be renewed before they expire. Additionally, for foreign degrees, an Educational Credential Assessment through a designated agency is likely to be required. Additionally, for applicants currently working in Canada, documents that prove their actual employment status—such as a copy of their work permit, a letter of confirmation from their employer, and pay stubs—are likely to play a crucial role.
One aspect often overlooked during the immigration application process is the preparation of a letter of explanation. If there are gaps in your address history or employment history, if the actual duties you perform differ slightly from the job description in your employment contract, or if you are unable to submit certain documents, submitting a document explaining these circumstances in advance will help the officer understand your situation. In fact, during the Canadian immigration review process, there have been cases where minor misunderstandings or differences in the interpretation of information have led to delays in processing or even the rejection of an application; therefore, it is important to address these issues in advance and submit the necessary documentation.
Additionally, the declaration of a common-law relationship is also strictly required. Since a partner with whom you have lived together for at least one year and maintained a common-law relationship holds the same status as a spouse in an immigration application, you must declare this relationship even if you are not applying to immigrate together, and you must prove the relationship through evidence such as records of a shared address or joint financial accounts. Omitting or concealing this information can lead to serious legal problems and, in the worst case, may result in restrictions on applying for Canadian immigration for up to five years.
While we must wait for an official announcement to see exactly how this TR to PR program will take shape, one thing is clear: the Canadian government is not simply scaling back its policies for temporary residents. It is highly likely that the government will continue to adopt an approach that reduces new immigration while selectively converting individuals already contributing to the Canadian economy and labor market into permanent residents. Ultimately, the core direction of Canada’s immigration policy is shifting away from simply increasing or decreasing numbers and is instead focusing on who is settled and how.
Therefore, rather than a one-off measure, this program can be interpreted as a signal of how Canada intends to design its management of temporary residents and its permanent residency selection structure moving forward. While this may present new opportunities for foreign workers currently in Canada on temporary status, it also signifies that the government’s requirements and standards are becoming increasingly stringent. Ultimately, Canada’s immigration system is expected to become increasingly sophisticated, moving away from a structure that grants opportunities solely based on length of stay toward one that comprehensively evaluates actual contributions to the labor market and the likelihood of successful settlement.
A new program in Canada’s immigration policy has quietly begun to take shape, once again drawing the attention of many temporary residents. This is because the Canadian federal government has begun implementing a new TR to PR (Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident) conversion program that offers approximately 33,000 foreign workers the opportunity to apply for permanent residency. Lena Mettlidge Diab, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, stated in an interview last March that the program has already been launched, and that specific application criteria and details are scheduled to be released around April 2026. First mentioned in last year’s federal budget, this program has been officially confirmed through the federal government’s annual immigration levels plan. It is scheduled to run for approximately two years, with the core objective of providing permanent residency opportunities primarily to foreign workers employed in specific high-demand occupations within Canada and to temporary residents living and working in rural areas.
This measure should be understood not merely as the addition of a new immigration program, but within the context of the temporary resident management policies the Canadian government has been pursuing in recent years. Canada has long actively welcomed international students and foreign workers to address economic growth and labor shortages, but since 2023, the rapid increase in the number of temporary residents has simultaneously raised various social issues, such as housing problems and the burden on public services. Consequently, the federal government has clearly stated its policy direction to gradually reduce the number of temporary residents starting in 2024 and has set a goal to lower the proportion of temporary residents relative to Canada’s total population to 5% or less by 2027.
In this process, the Canadian government has pursued a dual approach: implementing policies to reduce new inflows while simultaneously converting a portion of the workforce already residing in Canada into permanent residents. A prime example is the cap on international student visa issuance, which took effect in 2024. For the first time in its history, Canada imposed an annual limit on the number of international student visa applications. At the same time, the government amended the system to no longer issue Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) to graduates of curriculum licensing programs offered by certain private educational institutions.
In addition, the hiring procedures for foreign workers were significantly tightened in the fall of 2024. Under the LMIA system—which employers must follow to hire foreign workers—measures were implemented to suspend the acceptance of applications for the Low-Wage Stream in regions with high unemployment rates, making it difficult to even initiate the process of obtaining new work visas in those areas.
Around the same time, the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) and the Spousal Open Work Permit programs also underwent major changes. Starting in November 2024, the issuance of PGWPs began to be restricted primarily to graduates of programs linked to specific high-demand fields, such as healthcare and skilled trades, and applicants were also required to submit language test scores meeting a certain threshold. Furthermore, starting in 2025, open work permits issued to spouses of international students were restricted to certain programs, such as doctoral programs or master’s programs of a certain duration, and regulations were amended so that spouses of foreign workers could only receive work permits if they were employed in highly skilled occupations or specific in-demand occupations.
These policy changes have effectively led to a significant slowdown in the growth rate of temporary residents. According to Statistics Canada data, Canada’s population growth virtually halted in 2025, and in some quarters, the population even began to decline—a situation considered highly unusual since modern statistical records began in 1971. In the same year, the number of international students entering the country fell by approximately 60% from about 293,000 in the previous year to around 115,000, and the number of foreign workers also decreased by about 47%, from 390,000 to 184,000.
It is against this backdrop that the current TR-to-PR conversion program was introduced. The Canadian government is pursuing a strategy to adjust the overall size of the temporary resident population by, on the one hand, reducing the inflow of new temporary residents and, on the other hand, converting some of the foreign workers already participating in the Canadian economy and labor market into permanent residents. In particular, since workers who have been employed for long periods in rural areas and specific industries have often already established roots in their local communities, converting them into permanent residents is considered a meaningful policy in terms of labor market stability and sustaining the local economy.
However, the information released so far is very limited. While it has been confirmed that the program has begun, specific eligibility requirements, application procedures, and application forms have not yet been announced, and the government has only stated that more detailed guidelines are scheduled to be released in April 2026. Nevertheless, Canadian immigration media outlets and experts are compiling and sharing a list of basic documents that foreign workers considering applying should prepare in advance. Generally, the permanent residency application process requires a variety of documents, including language test results, Educational Credential Assessments (ECA), criminal record checks, employment contracts, employment history, tax-related documents, pay stubs, passports, and identification documents. In particular, since language test scores are typically valid for two years, applicants need to check whether their existing scores need to be renewed before they expire. Additionally, for foreign degrees, an Educational Credential Assessment through a designated agency is likely to be required. Additionally, for applicants currently working in Canada, documents that prove their actual employment status—such as a copy of their work permit, a letter of confirmation from their employer, and pay stubs—are likely to play a crucial role.
One aspect often overlooked during the immigration application process is the preparation of a letter of explanation. If there are gaps in your address history or employment history, if the actual duties you perform differ slightly from the job description in your employment contract, or if you are unable to submit certain documents, submitting a document explaining these circumstances in advance will help the officer understand your situation. In fact, during the Canadian immigration review process, there have been cases where minor misunderstandings or differences in the interpretation of information have led to delays in processing or even the rejection of an application; therefore, it is important to address these issues in advance and submit the necessary documentation.
Additionally, the declaration of a common-law relationship is also strictly required. Since a partner with whom you have lived together for at least one year and maintained a common-law relationship holds the same status as a spouse in an immigration application, you must declare this relationship even if you are not applying to immigrate together, and you must prove the relationship through evidence such as records of a shared address or joint financial accounts. Omitting or concealing this information can lead to serious legal problems and, in the worst case, may result in restrictions on applying for Canadian immigration for up to five years.
While we must wait for an official announcement to see exactly how this TR to PR program will take shape, one thing is clear: the Canadian government is not simply scaling back its policies for temporary residents. It is highly likely that the government will continue to adopt an approach that reduces new immigration while selectively converting individuals already contributing to the Canadian economy and labor market into permanent residents. Ultimately, the core direction of Canada’s immigration policy is shifting away from simply increasing or decreasing numbers and is instead focusing on who is settled and how.
Therefore, rather than a one-off measure, this program can be interpreted as a signal of how Canada intends to design its management of temporary residents and its permanent residency selection structure moving forward. While this may present new opportunities for foreign workers currently in Canada on temporary status, it also signifies that the government’s requirements and standards are becoming increasingly stringent. Ultimately, Canada’s immigration system is expected to become increasingly sophisticated, moving away from a structure that grants opportunities solely based on length of stay toward one that comprehensively evaluates actual contributions to the labor market and the likelihood of successful settlement.