Ottawa will cut back again on international students with 2025 cap

The federal government is once again reducing the number of international student permits that Canada will issue, with the changes affecting 2025 and outlining plans for 2026. Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Labour Minister Randy Boissonnault made the announcement on Wednesday.

These adjustments are part of the national cap on international student intake, introduced by the government in January. The goal of the cap is to lower the percentage of temporary residents in Canada from 6.5 percent of the total population to 5 percent.

For 2025, Canada aims to issue 437,000 study permits, a 10 percent decrease from the 485,000 permits issued in 2024. This number will remain the same for 2026, stabilizing intake levels.

“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,” Miller stated.

Miller and Boissonnault also revealed additional restrictions for open work permits for spouses of international students. These changes will limit work permit eligibility for spouses of master’s degree students to those whose programs last at least 16 months. Spouses of foreign workers will also face restrictions, with eligibility limited to those working in management, “professional occupations,” or sectors experiencing labor shortages.

“The Temporary Foreign Worker Program was designed to address labor market shortages when qualified Canadians could not fill those roles. Currently, we know more Canadians are available to take these positions,” Boissonnault explained.

In January, Miller mentioned that the international student cap would reduce numbers by 35 percent over the next two years, stressing that the measures are temporary and will remain in effect for two years.

While the cap applies nationally, its impact will vary by province. Provinces experiencing “the most unsustainable growth” in international student numbers will need to make more significant reductions compared to others.

“In the spirit of fairness, we are also allocating the cap space by province based on population,” Miller noted, adding that “some provinces will see much more significant reductions.”

This cap follows a series of restrictions introduced last year, including an increase in the financial proof required from international students applying for study permits. Previously, applicants needed to show a minimum of $10,000 in their bank accounts to demonstrate their ability to meet living expenses in Canada. As of December 2023, this amount was raised to $20,635, in addition to tuition fees.