Canada To Admit 20,000 Foreign Workers, Including Ghanaians, in Major 2026 Programme

• Canada has reacted to the declining number of foreigners coming into the country in recent times
• The government has announced a new special programme to attract foreign workers into the country
• Social media users who reacted to the post have, therefore, shared varied opinions on the decision by the Canadian government

The Canadian government has gone public on the number of persons travelling into the country recently.

In a Facebook post, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) disclosed that fewer people are now coming to Canada to work and study in 2026 compared to 2024.

Sharing data on the phenomenon, it disclosed that the number of new students coming to Canada in 2026 dropped by 88 per cent compared to 2024.

On the part of foreign workers, it was also disclosed that the number of people coming into the country dropped by 78 per cent.

"Get the facts: The number of new students and workers arriving in Canada continued to decline in March 2026. For students, there was a drop of 88% compared to March 2024. For workers, there was a drop of 78% compared to March 2024."

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Canada's quest to attract foreign workers

The IRCC, on its website, announced that a special programme has been created to attract specific workers into the country.

For 2026, it announced that the One-time In-Canada Workers Initiative will seek to bring 20,000 workers into the country by granting permanent residency.

"In 2026, we plan to admit at least 20,000 workers as permanent residents through this initiative. The remaining will be admitted in 2027," a statement read in part on the website.

At the time of writing, the post had gained over 1,000 likes and 400 comments.

Below is the Facebook post by the IRCC on attracting workers.

Reaction to Canada’s move to attract workers

Social media users who reacted to the announcement by Canada shared varied opinions on the measures put in place to attract workers under a new initiative.

Veronika Trifunova stated:

“How many are coming under the TFW plan but also the International Mobility Program (IMP), which is also like the TFW but with even fewer restrictions? Most people do not even know that plan exists.”

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Mary-Jo Dodds stated:

“We need immigration at the right levels. Infrastructure has to keep up. Canadians are not replacing themselves. Canada benefits from highly educated immigrants like doctors (my GP immigrated here from Iran), and we make Canada stronger by accepting the cream of the crop and having the best educated workforce in the world.”

Nitin Arora said:

“Canada is a country that needs immigration, but it needs a balanced and sustainable approach. The government first opened the faucet too much and created a flood-like situation that affected jobs, housing, infrastructure, and the overall economy for Canadians. Now they are almost shutting it off completely, which will eventually hurt businesses, labour supply, and long-term growth.”

Canada bans visitors from 3 countries

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Canada imposed a travel ban on individuals intending to visit from three major African countries.

The Government of Canada, through its Public Health Agency, announced the new sweeping border measures in a press release on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.

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It follows concerns for Ghanaians and other African nationals looking to visit Canada as the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws closer.

Source: YEN.com.gh