Canada has announced the maximum number of study permit applications that will be accepted for processing in 2025 – starting from Jan 22. The federal government has established a cap of 5,05,162 applications from aspiring international students to be processed throughout the remainder of the year.
This notification was recently published in the Canada-Gazette, which adds that any study applications received by the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) after the processing cap has been reached will not be accepted and students will get a refund. It has been clarified that the cap refers to the number of applications that will be accepted for processing, it does not reflect the actual number of study permits that will be issued during this calendar year.
Provinces and territories have been allocated portions of the total 5,50,162 applications. However, a few categories of study permit applications are exempt from the conditions and limitations set by these instructions. For instance, the exemption applies to those applicants seeking to renew their study permit at the same ‘Designated Learning Institution’ at the same level of study as the study permit currently held by them.
Additionally, all study permit applications must include an attestation letter issued by the relevant province or territory, else the application will be rejected and fees refunded.
The number of international students in Canada has hit a little over 10 lakh as of Dec 2023. In 2022, for which country-wise data is available, Canada had admitted 5.5 lakh new students from 184 countries. India was by far the most significant source country, with 2.2 lakh new students, followed by China with 52,000 odd new students.
To control the growing temporary resident population, which includes international students the Canadian government introduced caps in Jan last year. For 2024, the student cap was expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023.
As reported by TOI earlier, on Sept 19, 2024, Marc Miller, immigration minister, announced a further reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025 to 4,37,000 (it was higher than the actual 2024 figure because masters and doctoral program students were now included in the cap figure).
While official data of the number of study permits issued to Indians during the past two years is not available, rising cost of living in Canada, restrictions imposed on post graduate study programs and the strained relations between the two countries are believed to have led to a decline in numbers.