2.1M temporary residents will have expired or expiring permits this year. But will they leave Canada?

Abhishek Parmar has spent more than six years making Windsor-Essex his new home. But now he is one of the 2.1 million temporary residents who may have to leave Canada this year.

“I have never even thought of leaving this place," he said. "And now, things are coming to an end. It is not a good feeling."

The 25-year-old arrived in Windsor-Essex in 2019 from India to pursue mechanical engineering technology at St. Clair College. After having spent more than $80,000 on tuition and living expenses, Parmar said he landed a job at an automotive company in LaSalle. He filed for permanent residence (PR) in 2024 with an Ontario immigration pathway.

“Then the news of tariffs hit and I was laid off,” he said. “Then I worked in another automotive company in Windsor, and again, I was laid off after a couple of months because of tariffs.” 

He found a similar role again, he said. But it meant his dreams of getting PR via the provincial immigration pathway fell through as it was linked to his employment. 

“I completely lost everything regarding PR, on a whim,” he said. “It was heartbreaking.”

Parmar’s work permit expires mid-March. Now his plans of making Windsor his forever home, starting a business and buying his first house here are on hold.

Parmar is not alone. 

According to the data shared by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), 1.49 million temporary residents had their permits expire last year. Another 1.4 million will expire this year, for a total of 2.9 million over two years. These do not include study permit or study permit extension holders.

Of those 1.4 million expiring this year, 55 per cent are due to expire by June alone.

IRCC says 395,000 spots were available for PR last year and another 380,000 this year. While some of those 2.9 million will get PR status, at least 2.1 million people will still be left with expired or expiring visas.

On Sunday, Parmar appeared for his English proficiency test, and like many other newcomers, he's been working hard to learn French. He’s "overwhelmed," he said, but he’s doing everything he can to achieve PR.

If nothing works out, Parmar said like his friends, he will go back to India and apply for PR from there. He’s also considering trying to get his work permit extended.

“Temporary residents in Canada must comply with the requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and must leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay,” IRCC said in an emailed statement.