Canada has launched a programme to transition skilled temporary foreign workers to permanent residence, immigration minister Lena Metlege Diab confirmed, amid concerns that rising numbers of migrants are running out of legal status.
The programme aims to grant permanent status to 33,000 workers in in-demand sectors over two years.
It was first announced in November, but government officials have provided few details since.
“We have launched it already,” Diab told the Star in an interview this week.
She added, “I am not in a position to tell you specifically how many so far, but we will in the month of April be able to provide more clarity and more detail on them.”
Recent government data showed that more than 2.1 million temporary residents had their permits expire in 2025, and another 1.9 million are expected to run out of status in 2026. These figures have raised concerns about a potential surge in the undocumented population.
The programme is part of an effort by Prime Minister Mark Carney to reduce the share of non-permanent residents to under five per cent of Canada’s population by 2027, down from 6.8 per cent at the end of 2025.
Transitioning temporary migrants into permanent residents is seen as a key way to achieve that goal. Last year, more than half of the 395,000 new permanent residents were previously in Canada on temporary permits.
“If you’re in Canada on temporary status, be it visitor, be it student, be it worker, for whatever reason you wish to stay longer than the time limit, we are saying please apply for an extension,” said Diab.
She added: “If you do not apply for an extension, we expect you to honour that commitment and leave. What we are also saying is even if you did apply for extension, it may be granted or it may be rejected for various reasons. If it is then rejected, we expect you to also leave.”
What is Bill C-12?
Diab is also overseeing the controversial Bill C-12, which would give immigration officials the power to cancel, pause or suspend documents and applications in the public interest.
“It’s exceptional powers,” she said.
She added, “There are many eyes that will have to go on a decision like this.”
The minister aims to reduce temporary resident numbers, stabilise permanent resident admissions, ensure francophone settlement outside Quebec, and implement an international talent attraction strategy.
She is working closely with provincial governments and local communities to balance labour needs and worker protections. “You’ve got politicians that are saying, ‘Shut down the temporary foreign workers program,’ but I hear from hundreds and hundreds of industry, businesses, people that are working, chambers of commerce … they need workers because there aren’t enough Canadians to fill the jobs in certain sectors,” Diab said.
Diab also spoke about international students, who have faced significant reductions under the new federal plan.
“The more that we can look after our institutions and our integrity and strengthen our system and make sure that the students that are coming are really getting a valuable education, I think that is really the most important,” she said.
