Canada's 2026 temporary-worker target is 230,000 new arrivals: 170,000 through the IMP and 60,000 through the TFWP. IRCC reports that new worker arrivals declined by 47% in 2025 compared with 2024. Current restrictions include narrower spousal open-work-permit eligibility, reduced LMIA validity, shorter low-wage employment periods, workforce caps and refusal-to-process rules in higher-unemployment metropolitan areas.
Why it matters: These are not isolated eligibility amendments; they form part of a deliberate reduction in temporary-worker volumes.
Affected: Foreign workers, spouses, employers and applicants seeking extensions based on a principal worker's employment.
Practice implications: For spousal OWPs, establish the principal worker's exact NOC, sector, remaining work authorization and current employment—not merely the type of permit held. For employer applications, recheck wage thresholds, unemployment data and the applicable workforce cap on the filing date.