Six in ten Canadians think too many immigrants are arriving, according to a recent survey for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The 2025-26 IRCC Online Tracking Survey found 60 percent of respondents viewed current levels as excessive, while 28 percent considered them appropriate and 4 percent said they were too low. The online poll of 2,260 people took place in August 2025, before the government released its updated immigration targets.
Even after learning that Canada planned to welcome about 380,000 permanent residents in 2026, 57 percent still said numbers were too high. That share dropped to 51 percent when told the figure equaled roughly 1 percent of the population. The 2026-2028 levels plan, announced in November 2025, kept permanent resident targets steady at 380,000 a year but sharply reduced temporary residents, including international students.
At the same time, 42 percent of respondents said immigration has a positive effect on Canada, compared with 37 percent who saw a negative impact and 17 percent who saw neither. The results highlight a gap between general support for immigration and concerns over its scale amid strains on housing, health care and infrastructure. Opposition eased slightly when people received specific information about planned targets. The survey used an online panel weighted to match national demographics and reported no margin of error.
