Permanent residence in 2027: IRCC offers the space and each province decides how much to use
On November 12, IRCC set out how the worker component of the time-limited measure announced in Budget 2026 will work. The federal government is offering provinces and territories optional, additional space in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). That space allows up to 100,000 people in total, counting workers already living in Canada and their families, to transition to permanent residence in 2027. The measure creates no program and no right to apply: whether to use the space, and whom to nominate, is up to each province, and the allocations are intended to be used by March 31, 2027.
The 2027 time-limited measure in numbers
| Group | Maximum space | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Workers already living in Canada, outside Quebec, and their families | 100,000 combined | Nominations by each province or territory with additional PNP allocations, and federal applications already submitted that the province identifies |
| Humanitarian cohort: people already in Canada who applied through specific pathways | 100,000 | IRCC processes applications already submitted |
| Within that cohort: spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Canada | 45,000 | Application already submitted, awaiting a decision |
What the 100,000 figure actually covers
- It includes families. IRCC refers to a combined total of 100,000 workers and family members. Read that way, every spouse or child who accompanies a worker takes one of those places, so the number of workers will be lower.
- It is a ceiling, not a target. The space is optional: each province and territory chooses how much to use.
- It sits outside the levels plan. IRCC is adding it for one year only, outside the targets of the 2027-2029 plan. For reference, the PNP target for 2027 is 95,000 admissions.
- It has a time limit. The allocations are intended to be used by March 31, 2027, about four and a half months after the announcement.
Who decides: the province, by regulation
IRCC describes two routes within the workers cohort:
- Provincial nomination. Provinces are being offered additional PNP allocations, which they can use to nominate workers who are established in their communities and meet their labour market needs.
- Federal applications already submitted. Provinces can also identify workers in their jurisdiction who have already applied for permanent residence and are awaiting a decision. IRCC names the Atlantic Immigration Program and programs closed to new applications: the Start-up Visa Program, the Self-Employed Persons Program, the Agri-Food Pilot and the home care worker programs.
In both cases, the measure applies outside Quebec.
The legal framework of the PNP explains why everything goes through the province. Section 87 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations defines a member of the provincial nominee class as a person named in a nomination certificate issued by a province. That certificate rests on two things: the person’s ability to become economically established in Canada and their intention to reside in the province that nominates them. And the same section gives the province sole responsibility for assessing both.
The consequence is direct: no one outside the provincial government can grant a nomination or guarantee one.
What is still unknown in British Columbia
IRCC has not published how much additional space it is offering each province. Nor are there selection criteria specific to the measure: each province and territory sets the requirements of its own program. As of November 13, the BC PNP news page does not mention the measure and was last updated on August 26. For a sense of scale, the BC PNP’s total allocation for 2026 is 6,254 nominations.
Until the province publishes how it will use the space, no list of requirements for “the 100,000” in British Columbia has official backing.
What the measure is not
- It is not a new program. IRCC says so expressly: it creates no programs, reopens no closed pathways and does not increase admissions on a recurring basis.
- It is not something you apply for. There is no separate application, no additional step and no need to contact IRCC for an application to be considered under the measure.
- It is not the initiative for 33,000 workers. The Budget 2025 initiative, which speeds up permanent residence for up to 33,000 work permit holders in 2026 and 2027, continues separately. We covered it in May.
- It does not extend your status. The announcement does not mention work permits or extensions. The obligation in section 29 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) is unchanged: a temporary resident must comply with the conditions of their stay and leave Canada by the end of the authorized period. Waiting for this measure is no substitute for keeping your status valid.
The measure has no registration and no places to reserve. Anyone offering to “sign you up for the 100,000” is offering something that does not exist.
The law prohibits a person who is not legally authorized from advising or representing you for a fee in connection with an immigration application or proceeding, or from offering to do so. Section 91 of the IRPA authorizes lawyers in good standing with a provincial law society, notaries in good standing in Quebec, other members in good standing of those bodies, such as paralegals, and consultants in good standing with the CICC, the college that regulates the profession. Before you pay anyone, check that they are authorized.
Spouses and children with an application in progress
The same measure has a humanitarian cohort of up to 100,000 people. Within it, IRCC expects to help up to 45,000 spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents living in Canada transition to permanent residence. According to IRCC, this will help bring wait times for the spouse or common-law partner class closer to 12 months for people destined for provinces and territories outside Quebec.
It covers applications already submitted and requires no new step.
What to do now
- If you already have an application in the Atlantic Immigration Program or one of the closed programs IRCC names: you do not need to do anything or contact IRCC. It is your province that can identify you.
- If you have not submitted any application: the measure does not open a new pathway. The route is still your province’s PNP, with its own requirements. In British Columbia, what to watch for is the BC PNP’s announcement on how it will use the space.
- If you have a spouse, partner or child application in progress: there is no new step either.
- In every case: keep your status valid. The measure does not extend it.
This measure is not something you apply for, but a provincial nomination is something you prepare for. If you work in British Columbia and want to know whether your profile has a path through the PNP, with or without this additional space, at Megrez Immigration Consultants, operating in Canada since 1996, we help you map out your route to permanent residence. Book a consultation with our regulated consultants.
Source: IRCC, on canada.ca: Minister Metlege Diab highlights how Canada is working with provinces and territories to support worker retention, news release of November 12, 2026; Managing a responsive and sustainable immigration system, section “Time-limited measure for 2027”; Building a stronger Canada through a well-managed, predictable immigration system, backgrounder of November 5, 2026; Supplementary Information for the 2027-2029 Immigration Levels Plan; Immigrate as a provincial nominee. Legislation, on the Justice Laws Website: IRPR, section 87; IRPA, section 29 and section 91; College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act. Government of British Columbia, on welcomebc.ca: BC PNP News. Consulted November 13, 2026. Illustrative image generated with AI.
Verification: text taken from the IRCC pages, the legislation and regulations, and the BC PNP, using a browser. The reading of how the 100,000 is counted and of what section 87 implies is ours. No secondary sources.
Megrez is a regulated immigration consultancy and does not arrange or sell job offers. Informational article on general processes. It does not constitute legal advice. Requirements change: always confirm on canada.ca.