Ottawa further reducing intake of international students

The federal government is further reducing the number of people it welcomes into Canada by reducing its intake cap on international student study permits for the next two years.

By next year, the government will issue 437,000 international student study permits, down 10% from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued.

That limit will remain for 2026.

“The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to—just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to. We are taking action to strengthen our temporary residence programs and roll out a more comprehensive immigration plan to meet the demands of today’s changing landscape,” said Marc Miller, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship.

The announcement came just after Ottawa also said that it is putting more limits on employers’ use of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program.

And the 2025–26 study permit intake cap will include master’s and doctoral students who will now have to submit a provincial or territorial attestation letter. 

“We will be reserving approximately 12% of allocation spaces for these students in recognition of the benefits they bring to the Canadian labour market,” said the federal government.

The proposed reduction of temporary residents from 6.5% of Canada’s total population to 5% will be reflected in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which will be released by Nov. 1, 2024, according to the federal government.

Changes to Post-Graduation Work Permit Program

Ottawa is also:

• updating the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program this fall to better align with immigration goals and labour market needs
• limiting work permit eligibility, later this year, to spouses of master’s degree students to only those whose program is at least 16 months in duration
• limiting work permit eligibility later this year to spouses of foreign workers in management or professional occupations or in sectors with labour shortages—under Canada’s work permit programs (TFWP and IMP)

Graduates from programs at public colleges will remain eligible for a PGWP of up to three years if they graduate from a field of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage.

As part of changes to the PGWP Program, all applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum language proficiency in French or English. A Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 for university graduates and CLB 5 for college graduates will be required for anyone applying for a post-graduation work permit on or after November 1, 2024.

Previously, a couple of groups representing universities, colleges and institutes in Canada called on the federal government to pivot from its cap on the intake of international students put in place earlier this year.

Ottawa also allows international students to work just up to 24 hours per week.