The Canadian government hinted this week that it may raise the current limits for permanent residents admitted under its new temporary program.

“I’m open to discussion on whether or not to review the current caps,” Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino, was quoted saying in the Globe and Mail.

One of the six streams available under the program, the one for international graduates, reached its cap of 40,000 applicants in just over 24 hours. To date, two other streams targeting essential workers and health care workers have received nearly 10,000 applications out of a total cap of 50,000 applications. There have been far fewer applications submitted under three streams reserved for French-speaking or bilingual candidates, largely because these streams do not have a cap and are open until November 2021.

The launch of this new permanent residency pathway is part of a multi-layered approach by the Canadian government to achieve the highest levels of immigration in its history in order to help support the country’s post-coronavirus economic recovery.