Canada Cuts Temporary Residents But Still Approved 180,000 PRs in H1 2026: China Reclaims Top Three Spot

Canada Cuts Temporary Residents But Still Approved 180,000 PRs in H1 2026: China Reclaims Top Three Spot

The Big Picture

According to the latest IRCC data for January-June 2026, Canada has admitted approximately 181,810 new permanent residents.

This means that while the government is drastically tightening student permits, work permits, and temporary resident numbers, the permanent resident pathway has not simultaneously “closed.”

Canada’s 2026 annual PR target remains at 380,000. The official 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets the PR target at 380,000 for each of 2026, 2027, and 2028; meanwhile, the 2026 target for new temporary residents has been compressed to 385,000.

This creates a clear policy divergence: what Canada is truly cutting is the “temporary identity increment,” not permanent immigration as a whole.

Layer 2: India Still First, But the Gap Is Narrowing

India remains the top source country for Canadian PRs in H1 2026: 44,335 people, accounting for approximately 24.4% of all new PRs.

The second-largest source is the Philippines: 13,470 people (7.4%).

China ranks third: 9,630 people (5.3%).

China has surpassed Cameroon (8,810 people, 4.8%) to reclaim a spot in the top three. Data source: IRCC Open Government Portal.

What is truly noteworthy is not that India remains first, but that India’s share is steadily declining:

• 2023: India approached 140,000, about 30%

• 2024: About 127,000, about 26%

• 2025: Dropped to 98,830, about 25%

• H1 2026: Still around 25%

India still leads by a wide margin, but Canada’s PR source structure is no longer as heavily concentrated as it was in 2023.

Layer 3: Canada Is “Changing the Entrance”

The direction of Canadian immigration policy in 2026 is clear: reduce new international students and some foreign workers, while prioritizing conversion of those already living and working in Canada into permanent residents.

IRCC data for H1 2026 shows:

• Economic immigrants: 100,705 people, 55.4%

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC): 23,670

• Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): 41,820

• Federal Skilled Worker: 26,820

Family class sponsorship: 44,970 people, 24.8%.

Resettled refugees and protected persons in Canada: 32,825 people, 18.1%.

This year also launched the In-Canada Workers Initiative, designed to accelerate PR conversion for temporary workers already in Canada working in labour-shortage sectors. The government stated this program targets workers who are already contributing to the Canadian economy.

Canada plans to admit at least 20,000 workers through this one-time initiative in 2026, with approximately 11,300 already having completed PR conversion by mid-year.

The real storyline is not “is Canada still accepting immigrants?” but rather “Canada is shifting its immigration system from ‘bring more people in’ to ‘select PRs from those already here.'”

This aligns with the same policy direction as the many CEC, French-language, and PNP targeted draws this year.

Data Sources

• IRCC Official Data: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/reports-statistics/statistics-open-data/immigration-stats/permanent-residents.html

• IRCC Open Government Portal (by Country of Citizenship CSV): https://www.ircc.canada.ca/opendata-donneesouvertes/data/ODP-PR-Citz.csv

• IRCC Open Government Portal (by Immigration Category CSV): https://www.ircc.canada.ca/opendata-donneesouvertes/data/ODP-PR-PT_IMMCAT.csv