Ottawa, March 10, 2026—Canada is taking back control to return immigration to sustainable levels, while ensuring it continues to support the economy. Settlement services help newcomers find jobs, contribute to their communities and fill critical gaps in Canada’s labour market. As outlined in Budget 2025, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada is introducing limits to settlement service eligibility for economic immigrants. Limiting how long economic immigrants can access these services encourages earlier use and keeps the services available for newcomers who need them most.
Currently, economic immigrants can access federally funded settlement services at any time after obtaining permanent residence and before obtaining Canadian citizenship. In support of this Budget 2025 commitment, the length of time they are able to access these services, as permanent residents, will change gradually to:
- up to 6 years after obtaining permanent residence, as of April 1, 2026
- up to 5 years after obtaining permanent residence, as of April 1, 2027