Immigration Structure

I. Executive Summary (Decision Brief)

1.1 Operating Environment Snapshot (Canada’s 2026 posture)

Canada’s 2026 immigration posture is not “open” or “closed.” It is recalibrated—a capacity-managed system shifting from broad intake to precision admissions.

Macro direction: Federal policy is operating under a visible capacity constraint—housing availability, service load, labor market absorption, and public tolerance. The system response is not a freeze; it is a rebalancing of volume and composition. Temporary inflows are being disciplined more aggressively, while permanent economic selection is being protected as a national productivity lever. This creates a two-speed environment: reduced tolerance for loosely justified temporary entry alongside …