Immigration Levels Plan - Canada's Annual Plan
Today, KeyApply will explore a concept that has been frequently discussed recently – Canada's Immigration Levels Plan. Is the announcement of the immigration plan any new or exciting news? The answer is: it's not new at all. This is an annual event for the Canadian Department of Immigration. Today, KeyApply will help you understand it better:
- What is an Immigration Levels Plan?
- Why does Canada announce this plan every year?
- And specifically for the Start-Up Visa program, how does the annual plan change?
📖 What is an Immigration Levels Plan?
The Immigration Levels Plan is an annual immigration plan submitted to Parliament by the Canadian Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC). It determines how many permanent residents (PRs) Canada expects to accept over the next three years and allocates them across various program categories, such as:
- Economy (Economic class: Express Entry, PNP, Start-Up Visa, Self-Employed...)
- Family reunification
- Humanitarian and Refugee Aid (Refugees & Humanitarian).
For example: In its 2025–2027 plan, IRCC aims for 395,000 permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027.
Although each plan is based on a three-year period, the objectives are updated annually to manage population and workforce needs.
🔁 Do they announce the plan every year?
According to Section 94 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the Minister for Immigration is required to submit an immigration plan by November 1st each year. Each plan covers three years and is updated annually (rolling plan).
Recent history:
| Year of publication | Planning phase | Date of publication | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2024–2026 | November 1, 2023 | Maintain the target of 500,000 PRs per year. |
| 2022 | 2023–2025 | November 1, 2022 | Post-COVID, immigration recovery |
| 2021 | 2022–2024 | February 23, 2022 | Delayed due to the pandemic. |
| 2020 | 2021–2023 | October 30, 2020 | Target 401,000 PR |
| 2019 | 2020–2022 | October 28, 2019 | Gradually increasing to 341,000 PR |
👉 Therefore, since IRCC announces its plan every year, the upcoming announcement for 2025-2028 is not "breaking news" but a normal cycle.
🚀 What's the annual plan specifically for the Start-Up Visa?
The Start-Up Visa is an immigration program for entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, sponsored by Designated Organizations (DOs) of IRCC. However, this program does not accept large numbers of applicants – it is always part of a small group called the Federal Business Stream.
Statistics on plans for recent years:
| Planning year | Federal Business targets (including SUVs) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2024–2026 | ~5,000 (2024) → ~3,500–7,000 (range) | Peak period after DO expansion |
| 2025–2027 | 2,000 (2025) → 1,000 (2026) → 1,000 (2027) | IRCC is starting to tighten quality control. |
| 2026–2028 (projected) | 1,000–1,500 (estimated) | Keep prices low, prioritize genuine projects, and reputable DOs. |
Explain the trend:
- During the period 2018-2022, the number of Letters of Support (LOS) increased rapidly → IRCC is concerned about many "startup projects that only exist on paper".
- Starting in 2023, IRCC began reviewing Designated Organizations (DOs), requiring more transparent reporting.
- The lower target isn't because Canada is abandoning SUVs, but rather to raise standards.
Predictions for 2026:
- Quota holds approximately 1,000 permanent resident (PR) files.
- The processing time may be longer, as IRCC is conducting thorough checks.
- Only genuine projects with actual development activities in Canada will receive positive evaluations.
🌿 When plans change, it's important to understand the reasons behind it.
A program being restricted by quotas doesn't necessarily mean it's fallen out of favor, but rather a natural adjustment after a period of excessively rapid growth.
- Reason: The number of applications is increasing rapidly, but most companies have not yet created real value.
- Result: The government had to reduce targets, tighten procedures, and review DO (Direct-of-Sale) to ensure quality.
Therefore, if start-ups in the SUV program want a more positive review, they must understand the Canadian government's expectations correctly:
- There is a physical product or service;
- There are plans for deployment and operation in Canada;
- They have a real team and a sustainable business model.
Plans are made by humans, and humans can absolutely adjust them – as long as we can demonstrate the real value of the project.
💬 Canada isn't closing its doors to international entrepreneurs – they're just opening selectively, so that truly worthwhile projects can stay.
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