TORONTO, April 21, 2026 – The federal government is planning to introduce a new pathway for temporary residents to transition to permanent residence, commonly known as TR to PR. According to recent comments made by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab in a media interview and related reports, the pathway may exclude major metropolitan areas such as Toronto, though full application details have yet to be officially announced by IRCC. For post-graduation work permit holders, work permit holders, international students, and applicants in the Greater Toronto Area who are accumulating Canadian work experience, the more realistic short-term approach is still to continue paying attention to existing immigration pathways such as Express Entry and the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, or OINP.
Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab discussed recent immigration policy changes, including the highly watched TR to PR pathway, in an exclusive video interview released on April 18. According to information summarized from the interview, the geographic scope of the pathway will be determined based on Statistics Canada’s Census Metropolitan Area, or CMA, classification, and will not be aimed at major urban centres such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Full selection criteria have yet to be further announced.
This statement has direct implications for temporary residents in the Greater Toronto Area. As one of Canada’s major metropolitan areas, Toronto is home to a large number of international graduates, work permit holders, and applicants preparing for immigration. If the new pathway is ultimately implemented in line with the current direction, applicants living and working in Toronto should not understand it as a nationwide pathway open to all temporary residents.
From the federal policy background, the 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan states that the government will take one-time measures in 2026 and 2027 to accelerate the transition of up to 33,000 skilled temporary workers to permanent residence. IRCC information shows that the measure is aimed at temporary workers who are already contributing to communities and working in specific in-demand sectors, with rural areas specifically mentioned.
This means the new measure is not simply a restart of the broad 2021 TR to PR pathway that targeted a large number of temporary residents. Based on currently available public information, it appears to be more focused on moving certain temporary workers who are already employed in Canada and who meet specific community or labour-market needs into the permanent residence system.
For applicants in the Greater Toronto Area, the more practical question now is how to adjust their existing immigration planning. Applicants who are already working in Canada should pay attention to their NOC occupation category, length of work experience, language test results, education credential assessment, employer support, provincial nomination possibilities, and whether they have advantages in French or in-demand sectors. For graduates whose PGWP is approaching expiry, it is also important to assess options for maintaining status and pursuing immigration as early as possible, rather than waiting until the new policy details are released.
Express Entry trends also show that competition remains dynamic. According to the IRCC website, the April 15 Express Entry draw was for the French-language proficiency category, with a minimum CRS score of 419 and 4,000 invitations issued. For applicants without an advantage in French, a provincial nomination, or an in-demand occupation background, score changes and category-based draws still need to be monitored closely.
At the same time, applicants should distinguish between “policy direction” and “official application requirements.” At present, the minister’s video interview and the IRCC Immigration Levels Plan provide policy signals, but the specific eligibility requirements, sector list, geographic scope, language requirements, work experience requirements, employer requirements, and opening date for the new TR to PR pathway still need to be officially announced by IRCC. Any claims made in advance that “Toronto applicants will definitely qualify for the new pathway” or that “a certain type of work permit will definitely meet the requirements” should be treated with caution.
Overall, the federal government’s planned new TR to PR pathway is an important policy signal for temporary residents. However, based on the currently available public information, major metropolitan areas such as Toronto do not appear to be included in the pathway’s intended coverage. For temporary residents in the Greater Toronto Area, the safer short-term approach is to continue preparing around Express Entry, OINP, and other existing pathways while waiting for IRCC to release the official details. (LJI by Yuanyuan)
