Alberta voters back limits on services for temporary residents as migrant groups voice alarm

Unofficial Alberta referendum results show majorities backing proposals to limit provincially funded services and charge fees for people with non-permanent immigration status, and Migrante Alberta said temporary foreign workers fear paying for health care.

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A majority of Albertans voted yes to the first four questions in the province's 19 October referendum, which dealt with immigration and access to provincially funded services for non-permanent residents, according to preliminary results. In unofficial Elections Alberta figures reported by The Hub on 21 October, increased provincial control over immigration drew 53.4 percent support with about 90 percent of ballots counted, and three proposals aimed at people with non-permanent immigration status drew 51.9, 54.9 and 55.2 percent.

Those three proposals would limit provincially funded programs to citizens, permanent residents and people with Alberta-approved status, require 12 months' residency before temporary residents qualify for social supports, and charge them fees for health care and education. Official results are due on 29 October, The Hub reported.

"The immediate reaction from temporary foreign workers here is deep concern that they are going to have to start paying for health care," Marco Luciano, executive director of the Edmonton-based migrant rights group Migrante Alberta, told The Globe and Mail. The Globe reported that about 260,000 temporary residents lived in Alberta at the end of 2025, about 5.8 per cent of the population, according to Statistics Canada, and that Premier Danielle Smith has floated a $1,900 fee for temporary residents to access public health care.

Smith said her government would act on the immigration reforms voters endorsed over the coming months and years, The Hub reported. Calgary immigration lawyer Yameena Ansari told The Globe that increased provincial control over immigration is not constitutionally viable, but that Alberta governs education, health care and certain social services and could introduce bills affecting temporary residents' access to them.

Before the vote, CBC News reported that members of Filipinos Rising hosted events and community forums to answer questions about the referendum. Julie Alati-it worked with the group to create an information sheet, host sessions for seniors and answer questions through WhatsApp.