Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated that Canada may soon pivot from two years of intake reductions toward a “controlled increase” in newcomers, telling the New York Times that the immigration system is “back under control” and poised to support economic growth once more. The remarks, reported by Global News on 29 September, come just weeks before the statutory tabling of the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan. Following record-high population growth in 2023–24, Ottawa slowed both permanent and temporary admissions, introducing a 5 per cent population cap on short-term residents and tougher study-permit quotas. Carney’s latest comments suggest the government now believes housing supply, health-care capacity and visa backlogs have stabilised enough to contemplate higher targets. Policy analysts expect any increase to prioritise economic classes such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Provincial Nominee Programs, as well as regional streams designed to bolster smaller communities. Businesses across manufacturing, clean tech and agri-food have warned that labour shortages are re-emerging as post-pandemic infrastructure projects ramp up. Global mobility managers should prepare scenarios in which Work Permit quotas and Labour Market Impact Assessments become more flexible from mid-2027 onward. A larger permanent-resident envelope would also expand Bridging Open Work Permit eligibility, offering multinationals greater certainty when assigning talent to Canadian operations.
Source: Global News / The Canadian Press
