A new poll shows immigrants want lower immigration levels than Canada’s plan outlined in Tuesday’s federal budget.
Between 2026 and 2028, officials are targeting 380,000 permanent resident admissions for each year. That’s down from 395,000 in 2025 — but still more than immigrants currently living in Canada have an appetite for.
Even before the federal government released its new immigration targets in Tuesday’s budget, the majority of respondents in a new OMNI News poll said Canada should admit fewer immigrants.
The Leger Poll, commissioned for OMNI News, is one of only a few that solely surveyed the sentiments of immigrants.
Of the 1,510 surveyed, two-thirds said Canada should admit fewer than 300,000 immigrants annually. Four in ten say it should be below 100,000.
The poll results indicated that those who have been in Canada longer were more likely to favour welcoming fewer than 100,000 new immigrants annually, while younger respondents and newcomers showed more support for a higher number.
Results also showed that only one in ten think Canada should welcome more than 300,000 new immigrants a year. About quarter of respondents said they’re not sure.
Canada’s immigration numbers have already dropped following stricter policies for temporary residents, including a cap on study permits for international students and an amended cost of living requirement for students.
The OMNI poll was conducted between October 2 and 15th of this year.
The full poll results, including what respondents had to say about temporary foreign workers, will be released later this month.
