TR to PR 2026: Canada's Permanent Residence Pathway for 33,000 Workers

If you have not applied yet

This is the point most coverage gets wrong: the initiative is not an open door for new applicants. There is no portal to rush and no documents to race to submit. If you do not already have a PR application in one of the qualifying programs, your route in is to qualify for and apply to the underlying program first:

• Working in a smaller community with a qualifying job offer? Look at the Provincial Nominee Program, the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, or the Atlantic Immigration Program.
• In caregiving or agri-food work? The caregiver pilots and the Agri-Food Pilot are the doors that feed this initiative.
• Strong profile but living in a big city? Express Entry is likely your faster path. Check your CRS score first.

A Go Far Global RCIC can tell you which underlying program fits your situation and timeline.

Why the big cities are excluded

Because eligibility runs through programs built for smaller communities, workers in the Census Metropolitan Areas do not benefit from this initiative. Minister Diab confirmed the urban exclusion. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and the other major metros are out. See the full breakdown of the excluded cities.

The most-affected excluded metros include Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, Laval, Quebec City, Halifax, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, and Victoria.

If you live in one of these cities, the initiative will not accelerate anything for you. Your realistic routes are a PNP stream tied to a smaller community, or Express Entry.

TR to PR 2026 vs the 2021 program: what actually changed

Most of the confusion comes from comparing 2026 to 2021. They are very different.

The 2021 TR to PR program opened on a single day, May 6, 2021, as a true public intake: 90,000 spots across healthcare, essential workers, and international graduates, first-come first-served. The portal crashed under the rush, and the streams filled within hours.

The 2026 In-Canada Workers Initiative is the opposite:

• No public portal and no first-come race. IRCC processes existing applications.
• No new application and no new fee. You already applied through your original program.
• Smaller and steadier: up to 33,000 over two years, drawn from inventory, versus 90,000 in a day.
• Community-based, not graduate-based: it runs through PNP, AIP, and the rural, francophone, caregiver, and agri-food pilots, with no international-graduate stream.

If you read elsewhere that you must "prepare documents for the May 2026 portal," that advice describes the 2021 model. It is not what IRCC implemented in 2026.

How TR to PR fits with Express Entry and PNP

Since the initiative only accelerates existing applications, your real decision is which permanent-residence program to be in:

If your CRS score is competitive, Express Entry may still be faster. If you are rooted in a smaller community, a PNP or pilot application is what puts you in line for the In-Canada Workers Initiative.

Processing and timeline

IRCC has not published a separate service standard for the initiative. It processes eligible files under their original program's stream, the point being to move them faster than the standard queue. About 3,600 of the 20,000 grants planned for 2026 had been issued by early May, with the rest expected through 2026 and the balance of the 33,000 in 2027. See IRCC processing times by program for current standard timelines.

If your work permit is approaching expiry while your PR application is in progress, ask an RCIC about a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) to keep your status valid.

How Go Far Global helps

Go Far Global's RCIC-licensed consultants help temporary workers get into and through the programs that feed the In-Canada Workers Initiative:

• Eligibility check. We confirm whether your existing PR application qualifies for prioritization, or which underlying program fits if you have not applied.
• Application strategy. For workers in smaller communities, we build the strongest provincial or pilot application to get you in line.
• Document audit. Full review against IRCC standards, including certified translations.
• Status maintenance. BOWP and renewals so your status holds during processing.
• Procedural fairness response. If IRCC issues a fairness letter or refusal, we draft and file the response on time.

Book a free consultation to map your route.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a TR to PR 2026 application portal? No. IRCC did not open a new public portal. The In-Canada Workers Initiative accelerates permanent-residence applications that eligible workers already submitted through programs like the PNP, the Atlantic Immigration Program, the rural and francophone community pilots, the caregiver pilots, and the Agri-Food Pilot. If you qualify, you file nothing new.

Do I need to apply or submit documents for TR to PR 2026? Only if you have not yet applied to a qualifying program. The initiative itself requires no action, because IRCC processes eligible applications from its existing inventory. If you have not applied for PR at all, your step is to qualify for and apply to an underlying program such as a PNP stream, a community pilot, a caregiver pilot, or the Agri-Food Pilot.

How many people will get permanent residence through TR to PR 2026? Up to 33,000 over 2026 and 2027, with a 2026 target of about 20,000. IRCC reported roughly 3,600 grants by early May 2026.

Who is eligible for TR to PR 2026? Workers who already have a PR application in progress through PNP, AIP, RCIP, FCIP, a caregiver pilot, or the Agri-Food Pilot, and who have lived in a smaller Canadian community outside a Census Metropolitan Area for at least two years.

Are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver excluded from TR to PR 2026? Yes. The initiative runs through programs built for smaller communities, so workers in the Census Metropolitan Areas do not benefit. See the excluded-cities breakdown.

I work in a big city. What are my options? The initiative will not accelerate anything for you. Look at Express Entry if your CRS score is competitive, or a PNP stream tied to a smaller community.

Is TR to PR 2026 the same as the 2021 program? No. The 2021 program was a one-day public portal for 90,000 applicants. The 2026 initiative is an internal acceleration of existing applications, with no portal and no first-come race.

My work permit is expiring. Can I still benefit? If you have an eligible PR application in progress, ask an RCIC about a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) to maintain your status while IRCC processes your file.

Sources

• Understanding the one-time In-Canada Workers Initiative (IRCC)
• 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan: supplementary information (IRCC)
• Open work permits under the temporary-to-permanent resident pathway (IRCC)
• Provincial Nominee Program (IRCC)
• Atlantic Immigration Program (IRCC)

Updated May 29, 2026 by Rami Mamar, RCIC-IRB (License #R515110). Reviewed against IRCC's May 2026 In-Canada Workers Initiative guidance and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. For case-specific advice, book a consultation.