Canada | Update on international student permit cap

Canadian officials released a statement on finalized provincial and territorial allocations for the 2024 cap on international student permit applications.

Key Points:

• The national cap on study permit applications addressing the rapid increase of international students in Canada was first announced on Jan. 22.
• The national cap for 2024 has been calculated such that the number of international students coming to Canada should be the same as the number of students whose permits expire in 2024.
• The initial target of 485,000 was adjusted to account for students in Canada who apply for an extension, study permit approval rates and students who are exempt from the cap (primary and secondary school students and master’s or doctoral degree students). After accounting for these adjustments, there are approximately 393,000 study permits applications to be allocated to the provinces and territories under the national cap.
• Provinces receiving more international students in 2024 than in 2023 had their allocations adjusted to limit growth to 10% compared to 2023. Provinces receiving fewer international students for the same period had their allocations adjusted to reduce the negative impact in the first year and support broader regional immigration goals.
• A top-up was also allocated to provinces with lower study permit approval rates.
• As a result of these adjustments in allocations, a total of 552,000 study permit applications have been allocated to provinces and territories under the national cap, expecting to yield approximately 292,000 approved study permits, representing a 28% reduction from 2023 for the groups included under the cap.

Additional Information: Marc Miller, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, noted some of the variables influencing the number of new international students arriving in Canada in 2024 include provinces and territories that don’t use their full allocations, changing approval rates and in-year adjustments. “These results will help me make decisions on allocations for 2025. … We will continue to work collaboratively with provinces and territories to strengthen the International Student Program and to provide students with the supports they need to succeed in Canada,” he said.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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