Canada Welcomes 182,100 New Residents in H1 2026

In the first half of 2026, Canada welcomed 182,100 new permanent residents, which is 40.8% of its annual target of 446,000, as reported by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This total includes admissions from the regular permanent residence program and two one-time initiatives aimed at individuals already residing in Canada, specifically protected persons and certain in-Canada workers.

Under the standard permanent residence target of 380,000 for 2026, Canada admitted 155,800 new permanent residents from January 1 to June 30, falling short of the required 190,000 admissions by 34,200. The economic immigration stream, which includes programs like Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Program, saw a significant shortfall, with only 89,200 admissions against a target of 239,800.

Conversely, family-class admissions totaled 45,100, exceeding the necessary pace for the year. Additionally, 12,400 permanent residents admitted outside Quebec were French-speaking or bilingual, contributing to Canada's goal for language diversity in immigration.