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The parliamentary budget officer predicts Canada’s population growth will remain flat in 2026, mainly due to cuts in non-permanent resident admissions in the latest federal Immigration Levels Plan.
The PBO analysis of annual immigration targets projects the government will hit its goal of reducing non-permanent residents from 7.6 per cent of the total population in 2024 to five per cent by the end of 2027, one year later than originally planned.
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The federal immigration plan includes a dramatic cut to the number of temporary work and student visas, from almost 674,000 in 2025 to 385,000 this year.
The plan sets a target of 380,000 permanent resident admissions annually between 2026 and 2028, with two one-time programs to fast-track permanent residency for 148,000 non-permanent residents over the next two years.
The PBO predicts these one-time programs will play a significant role in reducing the number of non-permanent residents in Canada to less than five per cent of the population.
The PBO report projects that Canada’s population will grow by 0.3 per cent in 2027 before stabilizing at around 0.8 per cent annually in the medium term.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2026.
