Canada’s approval of new international study permits has plunged to its lowest level in a decade, even deeper than during the COVID-19 lockdown.
According to new data from ApplyBoard, Ottawa’s strict post-secondary intake caps are driving the decline. The platform projects that the federal government will approve just 80,000 new research permits in 2025, down 62% from 2024 and well below pre-pandemic levels. By comparison, Canada approved about 92,000 new permits at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
Read more: Rural Indians rush to study abroad as prospects at home are dim
Screenshot [ApplyBoard’s – Canada’s Student Cap Causes Greater Declines Than Pandemic]
ApplyBoard warned that the sharp drop will make 2025 “one of the most competitive years ever” for students hoping to begin studying in Canada.
Colleges bear the brunt of the cap, with extensions now accounting for nearly 80% of all study permits and fewer than 30,000 new approvals expected for college programs nationwide. Universities, meanwhile, are showing modest improvement, with acceptance rates rising from 30% in May to 55% in August, but options remain limited.
Read: It takes a village – but where are Pakistan’s?
The report also noted that students from India, the Philippines and several African nations face the lowest acceptance rates, threatening campus diversity across Canada.
For the first time, students already in Canada will account for nearly two-thirds of all post-secondary permits issued this year, underscoring how extensions have overtaken new approvals.
If current trends continue, ApplyBoard projects that Canada’s overall international student population could shrink by up to 50% by 2026 as fewer new students replace graduating cohorts.
Despite the slowdown, 95% of international students surveyed by ApplyBoard said they still aspire to study in Canada, citing its academic standards, post-secondary job opportunities and multicultural environment.
“While short-term challenges persist, student confidence in Canada’s long-term value remains remarkably strong,” the report concluded.
