IRCC says eligible applicants need do nothing, as pending applications will be processed under new 2027 admission spaces.

Published 13 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT

3 min read

Ghana misses out as Canada adds Morocco and Seychelles to visa free list

Canada will move up to 45,000 spouses, partners and children of residents to permanent residence in 2027, alongside workers stuck in closed immigration programmes.

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab gave the details in Dieppe, New Brunswick, on Thursday, under a time-limited measure first announced in Budget 2026.

The family spaces go to spouses, common-law partners and dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are living in Canada. They must have already applied for permanent residence and be waiting for a final decision.

There is no new application to file. IRCC says the measure creates no new pathway and reopens no closed programme, and applicants should not contact the department; their pending applications will be processed under the new spaces.

Provinces and territories will be offered optional extra nominations under the Provincial Nominee Program to move up to a combined 100,000 workers and their families to permanent residence in 2027. The extra room is intended to be used by March 31, 2027.

The worker spaces are for people in communities outside Quebec who are awaiting decisions after applying through the Atlantic Immigration Program or through programmes now closed to new applicants: the Start-up Visa Program, the Self-Employed Persons Program, the Agri-Food Pilot and home care worker programmes.

IRCC will also use the 2027 spaces for up to 32,000 people who applied under the Hong Kong pathways, 18,800 under the Ukraine Family Reunification Pathway and 12,600 people already found eligible on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

The Hong Kong pathways closed to new applications in August 2026, and the Ukraine pathway in October 2024.

“Our government understands that by retaining high-value, established workers, we can support economic growth and help our businesses thrive,” Diab said.

For Ghanaians in Canada with pending applications in these groups, the measure promises greater certainty. It offers nothing to anyone outside the country: every group it covers is already living in Canada.

IRCC has published no fees and no application steps for the measure, because there is nothing to apply for.

Anyone asked to pay for a place under it should be cautious, as scammers repackage real immigration news; the Canadian, British and Australian missions in Ghana have a joint effort against visa fraud.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

Canada creates 2027 PR spaces for 45,000 spouses, children and closed-programme applicants

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