Canada Starts First Count of People Without Status
Statistics Canada is attempting its first population estimate of people without legal immigration status, a figure the federal government concedes it has never reliably measured.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Immigration
Live Poll
Should the federal government do more to track and remove visa overstayers?
Statistics Canada has begun its first-ever population count of people without legal immigration status, after the federal government conceded there is no reliable estimate. Estimates range from 20,000 to 500,000 according to IRCC, while Pierre Poilievre has cited two million.
Why it matters
The count is intended to restore the integrity of Canada's immigration system and follows gaps in tracking identified in an auditor general report and a CBSA briefing. Statistics Canada also wants to avoid a repeat of a dramatic correction after temporary residents who lost status were found to have renewed their visas.
Estimates of people without legal status range from 20,000 to 500,000, compared with an estimated 14 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States in 2023. Of 39,500 expired permit holders who should have left, CBSA could confirm only 16,000 departures, leaving 23,500 former international students unaccounted for.
The players
Statistics Canada
Canada's federal statistical agency, responsible for the national census and population estimates.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
The federal agency responsible for border security, customs and tracking the entry and exit of travellers.
Pierre Poilievre
Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, who has cited a figure of two million people without legal status.
Alain Gagnon
Demographer at Université de Montréal who was consulted by Statistics Canada on the estimate.
The details
Statistics Canada set up a special unit in its demographics section and sought the help of academics including Alain Gagnon. The estimate will rely largely on integrating CBSA's entry and exit database with IRCC's visa-issuing system, and CBSA has set up an internal triage system to target enforcement. Statistics Canada added more than 200,000 people to the population count on Sept. 23.
Timeline
March 2026: An auditor general report cited gaps in immigration tracking.
April 2026: A CBSA briefing acknowledged limitations in its entry-exit tracking system.
2024: Study permits expired for 549,000 individuals.
Sept. 23: Statistics Canada added over 200,000 people to the population count.
November 5, 2026: Canada began its first-ever population count of people without legal status.
Legal Context
The effort follows an earlier correction Statistics Canada made after temporary residents who lost status were found to have renewed their visas. Conservatives have separately called for a better system to track departures of temporary visa holders.
The count may clarify how many temporary residents remain in Canada without status, which could shape enforcement priorities and departure tracking for visa holders. Changes to the entry-exit system could affect how quickly departures are recorded for travellers.
The takeaway
Official population figures for people without legal status remain highly uncertain, so estimates from different sources should be read with caution. Watching how Statistics Canada reconciles its records will show whether the effort produces a usable baseline.
Further reading
For broader context on how the country tracks newcomers, see Immigration coverage on Wisevoter.
Live Poll
Should the federal government do more to track and remove visa overstayers?
