The results are in: the Liberal Party of Canada has secured victory in the 2025 federal election and is set to form a minority government. With Mark Carney poised to become Canada’s next Prime Minister, attention is already turning to what this leadership change will mean for immigration.

While it is too early to know exactly how policy will unfold, the Liberal Party’s election platform offers key indicators of the direction ahead—marked by a focus on recalibration and sustainability.

Stabilizing Permanent Resident Admissions

A major pillar of the Liberal platform is its commitment to “stabilize” permanent resident (PR) admissions. Acknowledging that immigration levels have grown at what it describes as an “unsustainable” pace, the party plans to limit PR admissions to under 1% of Canada’s population annually beyond 2027.

Canada’s current Immigration Levels Plan already sets targets of 395,000 PRs in 2025, 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027. With an estimated population of 41.5 million, these targets are aligned with the Liberal commitment. However, the party’s platform signals that it will maintain this cap going forward to ensure housing, health care, and social services can keep pace with immigration.

Reducing Temporary Resident Numbers

Perhaps more striking is the promise to reduce Canada’s temporary resident population. As of January 2025, about 3.02 million temporary residents—roughly 7.25% of the national population—are living in Canada. The Liberal Party plans to reduce this to under 5% by the end of 2027.

This will be achieved partly by enabling more transitions from temporary to permanent status, but also by imposing stricter caps. Previous policy changes under the Liberal government, such as limits on study permits and tightening Post Graduation Work Permit eligibility, are likely to continue under Carney’s leadership.

Carney has stated that immigration caps will remain in place “until we have expanded housing” and absorbed the surge in newcomers that arrived during and after the pandemic.

Boosting Francophone Immigration

The party also aims to strengthen French-speaking communities outside Quebec by raising the francophone immigration target to 12% by 2029. This would build on current goals of 8.5% in 2025, 9.5% in 2026, and 10% in 2027.

Supporting Economic Immigration

To attract global talent, the Liberals have pledged to revamp the Global Skills Strategy—a program that fast-tracks work permits for highly skilled workers. New initiatives are expected to help high-growth businesses and entrepreneurs bring in top talent, including skilled professionals from the United States.

The platform also highlights a renewed focus on speeding up the recognition of foreign credentials. This would allow internationally trained workers to contribute to the Canadian economy more quickly after arrival.

Operational Improvements and Enforcement

Recognizing ongoing challenges with processing times and backlogs, the Liberals promise to invest in digital service tools that can streamline application processing.

Other commitments include:

• • Legal aid funding for asylum seekers and refugees;
    
  • Strengthened enforcement to remove failed claimants once their cases have been resolved;
    
  • Enhanced border security and stricter visa controls to combat immigration fraud.
    
    

The platform also reaffirms the government’s commitment to Quebec’s unique role in immigration, pledging continued cooperation under the Canada-Québec Accord.

What Comes Next?

Canada’s immigration story has long balanced economic growth, humanitarian commitments, and social cohesion. The incoming Liberal government appears set to recalibrate that balance, aiming to manage population growth while safeguarding public infrastructure. As the new government takes shape, stakeholders across sectors will be watching closely to see how these promises translate into policy—and how Canada’s immigration landscape evolves in the years ahead.