Canada cuts international student permits 10% for 2025
UNSPLASH/Amy Tran
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Canada will further limit the number of international student permits it approves.
The Canadian government, citing a softening labour market, is cutting the number of international students it lets into the country.
The government will issue 437,000 study permits to international students in 2025, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday, adding that represents a 10 per cent reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000 permits.
In January, Miller said he planned to set an “intake cap” on international student permit applications, which at the time was expected to result in about 360,000 approved study permits this year, a decrease of 35 per cent from 2023.
The governing Liberals are seeking to stem the flow of immigrants into Canada amid rising unemployment and a housing affordability crisis. Last month, Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault unveiled plans to limit the number of temporary foreign workers in cities where the jobless rate is higher than 6 per cent. In March, Miller said he would reduce the proportion of temporary residents in Canada to 5 per cent of the total population by 2026, down from 6.2 per cent in 2023.
“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,” Miller said Wednesday in a statement. “Our immigration system must preserve its integrity, and be well managed and sustainable.”
Among other changes announced Wednesday, the Post-Graduate Work Permit Program will be changed to “better align with immigration goals and labour market needs,” and there will be stricter limits on work permits issued to spouses of master’s degree students.
