Canada's Foreign Buyer Ban Ends Jan 1, 2027 Unless Ottawa Acts: What Stays in B.C.
In 79 days, on January 1, 2027, the federal ban on non-Canadians buying homes is scheduled to repeal itself. As of today, October 14, 2026, Ottawa hasn't announced an extension, a replacement or a decision to let it end. The repeal is still sitting in the law, waiting for its date.
Here's the part that gets lost in the headlines: in Metro Vancouver, foreign buyers were already a rounding error before the ban started. In 2022, the last full year without it, 1.3% of residential purchases in the region had a foreign buyer on title. In July 2026 it was 18 purchases out of 3,974. And whatever Ottawa does, B.C.'s 20% foreign buyer tax, the speculation and vacancy tax and Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax aren't tied to the federal date.
Source: Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1, s. 149; B.C. Property Transfer Tax Data, Metro Vancouver Regional District monthly files 2018-2026; Government of B.C., additional property transfer tax; Government of B.C., SVT tax rates.
Where the ban stands on October 14
The law is the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act. It came into force on January 1, 2023 and was built to expire: the same 2022 budget bill that created it also contained a section repealing it, originally set to take effect on the second anniversary, January 1, 2025.
On February 4, 2024, Finance Canada announced a two-year extension. Parliament changed "second anniversary" to "fourth anniversary" in the Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1, which moved the repeal to January 1, 2027. The regulations are repealed the same day. That's the whole mechanism. If Parliament does nothing, the ban ends on New Year's Day.
What's been said since then, as reported:
- Housing Minister Gregor Robertson said in 2025 that the government would use 2026 to review the policy and look at models used elsewhere, including Australia's, which steers foreign buyers to newly built homes. That's a paraphrase in news coverage; I haven't found a direct quote or an official proposal.
- Budget 2025 (November 4, 2025) didn't extend the ban. It mentioned "the federal foreign buyer ban" only as an existing measure, in the same breath as scrapping the Underused Housing Tax.
- The Spring Economic Update on April 28, 2026 doesn't mention it at all.
- On October 7, 2026, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne told reporters in Ottawa, according to Bloomberg's report as republished by Canadian Mortgage Trends: "We're looking at all the options that we have in front of us." He added that "the market is very different from one region to the other, even one community from the other."
Finance Canada has said Budget 2026 is coming "this fall" without giving a date, so that's one place an announcement could land. I'm not going to guess what it says. As of today the federal consolidation on Justice Laws still lists the repeal as an amendment not yet in force, and I haven't found any bill to change it.
Who it covers, and what counts as a purchase
The core rule is one sentence: "it is prohibited for a non-Canadian to purchase, directly or indirectly, any residential property." Each word in it is defined.
Non-Canadian means anyone who isn't a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a person registered under the Indian Act. It also means a corporation incorporated outside Canada, and a Canadian corporation that isn't listed on a Canadian stock exchange and is controlled by non-Canadians. Control starts at 10% of the equity value or voting rights. That threshold was 3% until March 27, 2023.
Residential property means a detached house or similar building with up to three dwelling units, a semi-detached house, a rowhouse unit, or a condo unit. A building with four or more units isn't covered, so a fourplex or an apartment building never was. Since March 2023, vacant land zoned residential or mixed use isn't covered either.
Where: only inside a census metropolitan area or census agglomeration. Every city in Metro Vancouver is inside the Vancouver CMA, so in practice the whole region is covered. Smaller places outside any CMA or CA are not; CMHC has an address lookup map if you need to check a specific property.
Purchase means acquiring a legal or equitable interest, with or without conditions. Things that are not a purchase: inheriting, getting a home in a divorce or separation, receiving it as a gift, renting a place to live in, a secured creditor enforcing its security, and buying for the purposes of development. A contract signed before January 1, 2023 was grandfathered.
One practical point: CMHC says it's the buyer's responsibility to comply. The Act doesn't make realtors or lawyers responsible. If you're not a citizen or PR, don't assume someone else has checked.
The exceptions, with the exact conditions
For anyone already in Canada on a permit, the exceptions matter more than the rule, and the conditions are narrower than they sound.
| Who | Exempt if |
|---|---|
| Work-permit holder | At least 183 days of validity left on the work permit (or authorization to work) on the purchase date, and no more than one residential property bought. No price cap |
| International student | Enrolled in a program at a designated learning institution, and all of: filed all required income tax returns for each of the 5 tax years before the purchase year; in Canada at least 244 days in each of those 5 years; price $500,000 or less; no more than one residential property |
| Spouse or common-law partner | Buying together with a spouse or partner who is a citizen, PR, registered Indian, a temporary resident who qualifies under the work-permit or student rules, or a protected person. Common-law means living together in a conjugal relationship for at least a year |
| Protected persons, eligible refugee claimants | Protected persons under IRPA s. 95(2), or a claim found eligible and referred to the Refugee Protection Division |
| Safe-haven temporary residents (incl. CUAET) | Valid temporary status under a public policy to give safe haven to people fleeing conflict. CMHC says CUAET arrivals are exempt while that policy is in effect |
| Diplomats, foreign states | Diplomats and consular staff accepted by Global Affairs; foreign states buying for diplomatic purposes |
| Property, not person | 4+ unit buildings, vacant land (since March 2023), purchases for development, anything outside a CMA or CA |
Source: Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, s. 2 and 4; Regulations SOR/2022-250, s. 3-6; CMHC FAQ; CMHC, March 27, 2023 amendments.
The work-permit exception is the one that matters most in Metro Vancouver. Count the 183 days from the date you actually buy. On a presale, the contract itself is likely the "purchase", since the regulations count an interest acquired "with or without conditions", so make sure you have 183+ days left on your permit on the day you sign. I'd also keep valid status through completion, when you take legal title. Confirm with your lawyer.
The student exception is close to theoretical here. Five full years of 244 days in Canada and five tax returns, for a home at $500,000 or less, in a region where the median condo asking price in Burnaby is $685,739 on EstateBlock today (an asking price of active listings, not a sale price).
CMHC lists the paper it expects you to be able to show: your work or study permit, IRCC confirmation of status, and proof of time in Canada such as leases, utility bills and travel records. If you're a Ukrainian whose status has since moved to an ordinary work permit, I couldn't confirm whether the safe-haven exemption still covers you; the 183-day work-permit rule is the safer test to meet. My guide for newcomers buying in B.C. goes through the rest of the process.
Penalties
A non-Canadian who buys in breach of the ban commits an offence and can be fined up to $10,000 on summary conviction. So can anyone who knowingly counsels, induces, aids or abets the purchase, and directors or officers who directed or went along with a corporation's breach.
The bigger risk is the property itself. After a conviction, a provincial superior court can order the home sold on the federal minister's application, and the non-Canadian can't get back more than the price they paid. The sale itself stays valid. So the downside isn't a fine you can budget for; it's losing any gain and paying the costs of a forced sale.
The ban also touches financing. CMHC's mortgage insurance rules say the purchase must not be prohibited under the Act. CMHC-insured homeowner loans are open to citizens, PRs and non-permanent residents legally authorized to work in Canada, so a buyer living abroad, or a student without work authorization, can't use them either way.
How many foreign buyers are there in Metro Vancouver?
Source: B.C. Property Transfer Tax Data, Metro Vancouver Regional District monthly files 2018-2026; annual totals summed from monthly counts
Show the numbers
| Share of residential transactions | |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 2.92% |
| 2019 | 2.03% |
| 2020 | 1.44% |
| 2021 | 1.13% |
| 2022 | 1.30% |
| 2023 | 0.90% |
| 2024 | 0.85% |
| 2025 | 0.63% |
| 2026* | 0.54% |
B.C. has asked every buyer about citizenship on the property transfer tax return since June 10, 2016. "Foreign involvement" means at least one buyer who isn't a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, including foreign corporations. It's a purchase count, by citizenship.
The trend was already pointing down long before Ottawa stepped in: 2.92% in 2018, 2.03% in 2019, 1.44% in 2020. In 2022 it was 1.30% (778 of 59,655). After the ban started it fell to 0.90% in 2023, 0.85% in 2024 and 0.63% in 2025. Through July 2026 it's 0.54%: 138 purchases out of 25,592.
Two cautions. First, the ban isn't the only thing in those numbers: the 20% provincial tax, the speculation tax and the market all changed over the same years, so I wouldn't credit the post-2023 drop to the ban alone. Second, ban-exempt buyers such as work-permit holders still count as foreign involvement, because they're not citizens or PRs. So some of this year's 138 purchases may be people who already live and work here.
For a real before-and-after, look at 2016, when B.C. introduced its 15% tax on foreign buyers in Metro Vancouver effective August 2:
| 2016 | All | Foreign | % count | % value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10-30 | 9,292 | 895 | 9.6% | 10.6% |
| Jul | 9,040 | 1,341 | 14.8% | 19.0% |
| Aug (tax) | 7,094 | 62 | 0.9% | 0.9% |
| Sep | 5,868 | 155 | 2.6% | 6.0% |
| Oct | 4,839 | 143 | 3.0% | 2.9% |
| Nov | 5,120 | 209 | 4.1% | 4.7% |
| Dec | 4,365 | 177 | 4.1% | 4.7% |
Source: B.C. Property Transfer Tax Data 2016, regional district monthly. The 2016 file only splits out foreign involvement for all transaction types, so these shares use all market transactions, not residential only. June covers June 10-30; the 15% tax started August 2.
From 1,341 transactions in July (14.8% of the total, 19.0% of the dollar value) to 62 in August (0.9%). Over the rest of 2016 it ran between 2.6% and 4.1% of transactions, nowhere near July. The big drop in foreign buying in Metro Vancouver came from a provincial tax in 2016, six and a half years before the federal ban.
Non-resident owners: a different number
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Housing Statistics Program, Table 46-10-0094-01 (released Aug 26, 2026, reference year 2024)
Show the numbers
| Area | Non-resident owned |
|---|---|
| City of Vancouver | 8.2% |
| Richmond | 8.0% |
| Burnaby | 6.9% |
| Vancouver CMA | 6.2% |
| British Columbia | 5.4% |
| West Vancouver | 5.2% |
| North Vancouver City | 3.6% |
| North Vancouver District | 3.5% |
This is a different measure, so don't mix it with the chart above. Statistics Canada counts ownership, the whole stock of homes, and defines a non-resident as an owner whose main home is outside Canada. It's about where you live, not your passport. A Canadian citizen living in Hong Kong counts as a non-resident; a work-permit holder living in Burnaby doesn't. The ban and B.C.'s 20% tax both work on citizenship and PR status instead.
Condos are where non-resident ownership concentrates. In 2024, 8.2% of condo apartments in the City of Vancouver and 8.0% in Richmond were owned entirely by non-residents, against 6.2% across the Vancouver CMA and 2.3% of detached houses in the CMA. The CMA condo share was 6.7% in 2022 and 6.8% in 2023, so it has moved down only slightly. That's a stock of existing owners; a ban on new purchases doesn't change who already owns.
What stays in B.C. either way
This is the section that matters if you're actually deciding something. The federal ban is one layer. In Metro Vancouver, every other layer is provincial or municipal, and none of it is tied to January 1.
| Rule | Ban lapses | Ban extended |
|---|---|---|
| Federal purchase ban | None (no replacement announced as of Oct 14) | Exceptions only (work permit, spouse...) |
| B.C. 20% extra PTT | Applies | Applies to exempt buyers |
| B.C. SVT, foreign owners | Applies (3% for 2026, 4% announced for 2027); rate is an election issue | Same |
| Vancouver Empty Homes Tax | 3% on empty homes (2025 year) | Same |
| B.C. flipping tax | Sales within 730 days | Same |
| Non-resident seller (s. 116) | Buyer liable for 25% without a certificate | Same |
| Federal UHT | Gone from 2025 on | Gone |
Source: Government of B.C., additional property transfer tax; SVT tax rates; City of Vancouver, Empty Homes Tax; B.C. home flipping tax; Income Tax Act s. 116; CRA, Excise and GST/HST News No. 121.
The 20% additional property transfer tax
Foreign nationals (anyone who isn't a citizen or PR), foreign corporations and taxable trustees pay an extra 20% of the fair market value of their share, on top of regular PTT. It applies across Metro Vancouver from West Vancouver to Maple Ridge, including UBC's Electoral Area A (except Tsawwassen First Nation treaty lands), plus the Fraser Valley, the Capital Regional District, Central Okanagan and Nanaimo. It doesn't apply in Squamish, Whistler or on the Sunshine Coast. It was 15% in Metro Vancouver from August 2, 2016, and has been 20% in all five regions since February 21, 2018.
This is the tax that a work-permit holder who's allowed to buy under the ban pays today. The province's own example: foreign buyers of a $3.4 million home pay $88,000 of regular PTT and $680,000 of additional tax. Here's what it looks like on today's median condo asking prices:
| City | Asking | Extra 20% | All PTT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond | $685K | $137K | $149K |
| Burnaby | $686K | $137K | $149K |
| Vancouver | $799K | $160K | $174K |
| North Vancouver | $799K | $160K | $174K |
| West Vancouver | $1.36M | $272K | $297K |
Source: EstateBlock.com live listings, snapshot Oct 14, 2026 (asking prices of active listings, not sale prices); PTT at the general rates, additional tax at 20%. Asking prices of active listings, not sale prices. Asking = median condo asking price; Extra 20% = additional property transfer tax; All PTT = regular PTT plus the extra 20%. Rounded to the nearest thousand. Assumes one buyer purchasing 100% with no exemption.
The median condo asking price in Vancouver on EstateBlock today is $799,000, across 2,315 active condo listings. These are asking prices, not sale prices. A foreign buyer at that price pays $173,780 in transfer tax, $159,800 of it the additional 20%. A citizen pays $13,980. You can run any price through my PTT calculator, and my full PTT explainer has the rates and exemptions.
Two ways out of the 20%, both narrow. A confirmed B.C. Provincial Nominee buying a principal residence as an individual is exempt, once; a spouse on title isn't exempt on their share. And a buyer who becomes a citizen or PR within one year of registration, moves in within 92 days and lives there a full year can apply for a refund. The province warns that buying on the expectation of a refund is "a significant risk", and I agree. PR timing isn't in your control.
Speculation and vacancy tax
The SVT is an annual tax on homes in the taxable areas that aren't a principal residence or rented out. For the 2026 tax year it's 3% of assessed value for foreign owners and "untaxed worldwide earners" (owners whose income not reported in Canada, combined with a spouse's, is more than what they report here), and 1% for citizens and PRs. From 2019 to 2025 it was 2% and 0.5%. The province's rates page says the foreign-owner rate goes to 4% from January 1, 2027, as announced in B.C. Budget 2026. The consolidated Act I checked still showed 3%, so treat 4% as announced, not yet law.
On a vacant $1 million condo with no exemption, that's $30,000 for 2026 and $40,000 for 2027 at the announced rate. A citizen or PR would pay $10,000 for 2026.
The catch for newcomers: the principal residence exemption requires a citizen or PR who's a B.C. resident for tax purposes, or a confirmed B.C. Provincial Nominee for the year of nomination and the next one. A work-permit holder living in their own condo doesn't get it automatically. What they can use is a credit based on B.C. income they (or their spouse) report to CRA, applied for through eTaxBC, which for an owner who lives in the home can reduce the tax, in some cases to zero, or the tenant exemption if the home is rented at least six months of the year. The year you buy is exempt if you paid property transfer tax on the purchase. Check your numbers with my SVT calculator.
Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax, flipping tax, and selling later
Inside the City of Vancouver there's also the Empty Homes Tax: every property needs a declaration each year, and a home deemed or declared empty in the 2025 reference year pays 3% of its assessed value. The City's page doesn't treat foreign owners differently from anyone else. It's separate from the SVT, so an empty Vancouver condo can owe both. My Empty Homes Tax calculator runs the math.
The B.C. home flipping tax applies no matter where the seller lives: up to 20% of the net taxable income on a home sold within 365 days, falling to zero at 730 days. I cover the exemptions in the B.C. home flipping tax explained.
Then the exit. When a non-resident of Canada sells, section 116 of the Income Tax Act makes the buyer liable for 25% of the purchase price, less any certificate limit, unless the seller has a certificate of compliance. The buyer can withhold that amount from the price and has to remit it within 30 days after the end of the month of purchase. That doesn't change with the ban either.
The one federal layer that already disappeared is the Underused Housing Tax, the 1% federal tax on vacant or underused housing. No UHT is payable for 2025 and later years, though 2022-2024 obligations stand.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. If you're not a citizen or PR, confirm your situation with a real estate lawyer and an accountant before you sign anything.
The B.C. election on October 24
B.C. votes on Saturday, October 24, ten days from now, and the provincial taxes above are the ones a new government could actually change. Here's what I found in campaign material up to October 11. The BC NDP has pledged to raise the speculation and vacancy tax by one point, to 5% for foreign owners (from the 4% scheduled for 2027) and 2% for citizens and PRs. On the other side, BC Conservative finance critic Peter Milobar said in April that the SVT "isn't working as intended" and that the government should "scrap it and get back to the drawing board," The Tyee reported. I found no commitment from the NDP, BC Conservatives, BC Greens, CentreBC or OneBC to change the 20% foreign buyer tax. The B.C. Real Estate Association, an industry group, is asking the next government to repeal the foreign buyer tax and review policies to attract new investment. Parties can still publish more before voting day. I keep a running summary in what the B.C. election means for housing.
My read
Reading Russian? My guide for foreigners buying in Vancouver walks through the same rules for newcomers step by step.
FAQ
Is the foreign buyer ban in Canada ending in 2027?
It is scheduled to. The repeal of the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act takes effect on January 1, 2027 unless Parliament changes it. As of October 14, 2026, Ottawa had not announced an extension, a replacement or a final decision; the finance minister said on October 7 that the government is looking at all its options.
Can a work permit holder buy a house in Canada under the ban?
Yes, if at least 183 days remain on the work permit or work authorization on the purchase date and they have not bought more than one residential property. There is no price cap. In Metro Vancouver they still pay B.C.'s 20% additional property transfer tax unless they are a confirmed B.C. Provincial Nominee.
What property is not covered by the foreign buyer ban?
Buildings with four or more dwelling units, vacant land (since March 27, 2023), purchases for development, and property outside a census metropolitan area or census agglomeration. Inheritance, gifts, divorce or separation transfers, and renting a home are not purchases.
Does B.C.'s 20% foreign buyer tax end with the federal ban?
No. The additional property transfer tax is a separate provincial tax with no end date. It applies to foreign nationals, foreign corporations and taxable trustees buying residential property in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, the Capital Regional District, Central Okanagan and Nanaimo.
Sources
- Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act (Justice Laws, current to Sept 21, 2026)
- Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Regulations, SOR/2022-250
- Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1 (S.C. 2022, c. 10), s. 235-237
- Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1 (S.C. 2024, c. 17), s. 149
- Finance Canada: two-year extension to the ban on foreign ownership of Canadian housing (Feb 4, 2024)
- CMHC: Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act FAQ
- CMHC: Amendments to the regulations (Mar 27, 2023)
- Canadian Mortgage Trends (Bloomberg): Ottawa reviews foreign homebuyer ban as 2027 expiry approaches (Oct 7, 2026)
- Budget 2025, Chapter 5
- Spring Economic Update 2026
- Finance Canada: consultations ahead of Budget 2026 (Jul 6, 2026)
- CMHC: General requirements for homeowner mortgage loan insurance
- CMHC: CMHC Purchase, eligible borrowers
- B.C. Property Transfer Tax Data (BC Data Catalogue)
- B.C. Property Transfer Tax Data 2016, regional district monthly
- B.C. Property Transfer Tax Data 2026, regional district monthly
- B.C. Property Transfer Tax Data dictionary (2026)
- Statistics Canada: Table 46-10-0094-01, non-resident owners (CHSP)
- Government of B.C.: Additional property transfer tax
- Government of B.C.: Areas subject to the additional property transfer tax
- Government of B.C.: Additional property transfer tax refunds
- Property Transfer Tax Regulation, s. 17.02
- Government of B.C.: Property transfer tax rates
- Government of B.C.: PTT calculation examples
- B.C. Budget 2018: Budget and Fiscal Plan (20% rate, Feb 21, 2018)
- Government of B.C.: Speculation and vacancy tax rates
- Government of B.C.: SVT exemptions for individuals
- Government of B.C.: SVT terms and definitions
- Government of B.C.: SVT credit for other owners
- B.C. news release: SVT rate changes (Dec 18, 2025)
- Speculation and Vacancy Tax Act (B.C. Laws)
- Government of B.C.: Tax changes by budget
- City of Vancouver: Empty Homes Tax
- Government of B.C.: B.C. home flipping tax
- Income Tax Act, s. 116
- CRA: Excise and GST/HST News No. 121 (Underused Housing Tax)
- Elections BC: 2026 provincial election
- BC NDP: speculation and vacancy tax pledge (Sept 25, 2026)
- BCREA: 2026 provincial election asks
- The Tyee: Time to Kill the Speculation and Vacancy Tax, Say BC Conservatives (Apr 2, 2026)
- Greater Vancouver Realtors: September 2026 stats package
- EstateBlock.com: live listings (snapshot Oct 14, 2026)
Dan Marusin PREC, REALTOR® · Renanza Realty Inc., 777 Hornby St, Suite 600, Vancouver, BC. This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.