Correction (July 25, 2026): This article, first published June 17, 2026, originally reported that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued approximately 33,000 Express Entry invitations to apply on June 16, 2026, at a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cutoff of 470. According to IRCC’s own Rounds of Invitations record, no Express Entry round took place on that date, and IRCC has never issued a single round of that size; the largest round on record remains 27,332 invitations on February 13, 2021. The figure of 33,000 in fact comes from a separate, unrelated federal measure: the In-Canada Workers Initiative. This article has been rewritten in full below to correct the record.

IRCC is accelerating permanent residence processing for up to 33,000 temporary work permit holders already living in Canada, under a one-time measure announced in Budget 2025 called the In-Canada Workers Initiative. The measure initially targets candidates who have already filed permanent residence applications through a limited set of programs and who have lived in a smaller Canadian community for at least two years. IRCC reported program progress on May 4, 2026, and set a target of at least 20,000 approvals under the initiative by the end of 2026.

  • Program: In-Canada Workers Initiative, a one-time measure announced in Budget 2025.
  • Scope: up to 33,000 work permit holders already residing in Canada.
  • Eligible pathways (initial scope): applicants who filed through the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, community immigration pilots, caregiver pilots, or the Agri-Food Pilot.
  • Residency condition: at least two years living in a smaller Canadian community.
  • Target: at least 20,000 permanent resident approvals under the initiative in 2026, with the remainder in 2027.
  • Progress reported: 3,600 applicants approved between January 1 and February 28, 2026.
  • Announcement: made May 4, 2026, in Ottawa by the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; the same news release also carries remarks from the Honourable Buckley Bélanger, Secretary of State (Rural Development).
  • Applicant action: none required; IRCC applies the acceleration to existing files without any additional step from applicants.

What the In-Canada Workers Initiative Does

The official IRCC news release describes the initiative as a one-time effort to move existing permanent residence applications through the system faster. Unlike an Express Entry round, it does not issue new invitations to apply; the 33,000 figure is a processing target applied to an existing inventory of pending applications, not a single day’s draw. IRCC states it is initially accelerating eligible applications from that inventory across 2026 and 2027, with progress updated monthly on its website.

Who Is Eligible

Acceleration is initially being applied to work permit holders already in Canada who filed a permanent residence application through one of these channels: the Provincial Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, community immigration pilots, caregiver pilots, or the Agri-Food Pilot. A further condition requires at least two years of residence in a smaller Canadian community. Per the same IRCC release, applicants do not need to take any action; the department applies faster processing internally to files that already meet the criteria. These applicants were already selected through the underlying provincial, territorial, community and occupation-driven programs; the initiative changes when their filed applications are decided, not how those applicants were selected.

Progress and Policy Context

At the May 4, 2026 announcement, IRCC reported that 3,600 applicants had already been approved for permanent residence under the initiative between January 1 and February 28, 2026, tracking toward the broader 2026 target of at least 20,000. The department has framed the measure as one part of a broader plan to reduce the temporary resident share of Canada’s population to below 5 percent by the end of 2027. Structurally, it works by converting a portion of the existing inventory of long-resident, already-filed temporary workers into permanent residents.

What This Means for Partner Firms

For firms with clients holding pending Provincial Nominee Program, Atlantic Immigration Program, caregiver, community pilot, or Agri-Food Pilot files, the effect falls on decision timing, not on the selection those files have already cleared. Cases that meet the two-year community-residence condition may move through final decision stages sooner, with volume concentrated across 2026 and 2027 rather than spread evenly. Because IRCC applies the acceleration internally, firms tracking affected files may see status movement on existing applications. Firms following related IRCC measures can track ongoing coverage in CanBizVisa’s Insights archive.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and analytical purposes only and is intended solely for professional immigration practitioners and B2B partners. It does not constitute legal or professional immigration advice. No outcomes are guaranteed or promised. Immigration eligibility and case-specific matters should be directed to a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer.