Newspunjab
5 May 2026
The Canadian government has taken a major step to address the labour shortage in small and rural communities by accelerating the process of granting permanent residence (PR) to 33,000 workers already living in the country. This information was given by Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada, which is part of the “In-Canada Workers Initiative” launched in the 2025 budget.
Under this scheme, PR will be given to 33,000 workers during 2026 and 2027, out of which at least 20,000 workers will get permanent residency in 2026 itself, while the rest will be covered in 2027. So far, PR has been given to about 3,600 workers between January and February 2026.
This initiative is for people who have lived in small and rural areas of Canada for at least two years and are contributing to the local economy. The government is prioritizing applications from work permit holders who are already eligible under various immigration programs—such as the Provincial Nominee Program, Atlantic Immigration Program, Community Immigration Pilot, Caregiver Pilot and Agrifood Pilot.
According to Minister Diab, this step will not only address the labor shortage, but will also help strengthen and stabilize local economies. In addition, this initiative will help reduce the current backlog of PR applications and contribute to the government’s goal of reducing the share of temporary residents to less than 5% by 2027.
