Buying Property in Canada as a Foreigner in 2026: After the Ban, the Underused Visa Routes, and Where Non-Residents Can Still Legally Buy

Published on: May 22, 2026

Quick answer: Canada's federal foreign-buyer ban under the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act runs to 1 January 2027, but it is narrower than the headlines suggest. It applies only inside Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, only to buildings with three or fewer dwelling units, and several exemptions let specific non-Canadians (most commonly valid work-permit holders) buy one home each. That leaves real legal routes open: rural and recreational areas outside the CMA/CA grid, buildings with four or more dwelling units anywhere, and the work-permit, student, refugee, diplomatic and spouse carve-outs. Even where the ban does not apply, buyers must also weigh the 1% Underused Housing Tax and provincial surcharges like Ontario's 25% NRST and BC's 20% additional transfer tax.

May 2026, Canada is the only major OECD economy with a federal, nationwide ban on foreign residential buyers. The Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act ("the Act") came into force on 1 January 2023, was extended to 1 January 2027, and survives a change of government, for now. Yet thousands of non-citizens legally bought Canadian homes in 2024 and 2025, and will buy them in 2026, by using statutory exemptions that most foreign buyers do not know exist. This is the country guide.

The Headline Most Foreign Buyers Get Wrong

The ban is real. It is also narrower than the global press coverage suggests.

The Act prohibits "non-Canadians", meaning persons who are not Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons registered under the Indian Act, from purchasing "residential property" in Canada. Originally scheduled to expire on 1 January 2025, it was extended by two years in February 2024 and is now set to lapse on 1 January 2027. Sanctions for breach: fines up to CA