Temporary workers in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal won’t be eligible for Canada’s new TR to PR pathway.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab said the program will exclude all Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), in an interview with “I’m Canada” on April 18, 2026 \u2014 a classification that covers Canada’s largest urban centres.<\/p>\n
Assess your Eligibility for Canadian Permanent Residence Diab also indicated that she expected “much more\u201d of the full selection criteria for the TR to PR pathway to come out \u201cin the next coming weeks\u201d.<\/p>\n In an earlier interview on March 6,<\/a> Diab said that the pathway had already launched, but had not provided further information, and that more details would be released in April.<\/p>\n Foreign nationals who wish to prepare their documents for the launch of the pathway can refer to our article<\/a> on the topic.<\/p>\n What is a CMA?<\/p>\n Statistics Canada defines a CMA<\/a> as one or more neighbouring municipalities centred on an urban core with a total population of at least 100,000, of which at least 50,000 live in the core. Canada has 41 CMAs, home to about 84% of the country’s population according to the 2021 census.<\/p>\n Beyond the three cities the Minister named, Canada’s CMAs include (but are not limited to):<\/p>\n Calgary; You can check whether your area is a CMA using Statistics Canada’s full list of census metropolitan areas<\/a>.<\/p>\n About the TR to PR pathway<\/p>\n The TR to PR pathway is a one-time federal measure that will grant permanent residence to 33,000 temporary workers over 2026 and 2027.<\/a><\/p>\n IRCC l<\/a>aunched the program quietly in March<\/a>, with more details expected in April. It targets temporary foreign workers already living and working in Canada, with a focus on those in rural communities.<\/p>\n An earlier\u00a0TR-to-PR pathway<\/a> launched on April 14, 2021, and hit its application cap on July 16\u00a0that same year.<\/p>\n
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\nEdmonton;
\nHalifax;
\nHamilton;
\nKitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo
\nOttawa-Gatineau;
\nWinnipeg; and
\nQuebec City.<\/p>\n