C.D. Howe Institute Urges Canada to Track Expired Permits

The C.D. Howe Institute’s Immigration Targets Council is urging the Canadian government to further reduce temporary resident numbers and implement stricter tracking for individuals with expired study or work permits. Council chair Parisa Mahboubi warned that the government is "flying in the dark" due to a lack of reliable data on whether non-permanent residents actually exit the country after their legal status ends.

These recommendations come as Prime Minister Mark Carney pursues a policy reversal to curb immigration levels he described as "too high". The government aims to reduce temporary residents to less than 5% of the population by the end of 2027 and has lowered annual permanent resident targets to 380,000 for the 2026-2028 period.

Recent data shows a divergence in temporary resident trends: study permit holders dropped nearly 39% to 632,535 by June 2026, while work permit holders increased to 1.55 million. The council argues that immigration policy must align with infrastructure capacity, particularly in healthcare and housing, to ensure national prosperity rather than focusing on simple population growth.