Canada cuts study permits for 2025, here’s what it means for students

Canada’s approval of new international student permits has plunged to its lowest level in ten years, even deeper than during the COVID-19 shutdown.

According to new data from ApplyBoard, Ottawa’s strict caps on post-secondary intakes are driving the decline. The platform projects that the federal government will approve just 80,000 new study permits in 2025, a 62% drop from 2024 and far below pre-pandemic levels. By comparison, Canada approved around 92,000 new permits at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

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Screenshot [ApplyBoard's - Canada's Student Cap Causes Greater Declines Than Pandemic]

ApplyBoard warned that the sharp decline will make 2025 “one of the most competitive years ever” for students hoping to begin studies in Canada.

Colleges are bearing the brunt of the cap, with extensions now making up nearly 80% of all study permits, and fewer than 30,000 new approvals expected for college programs nationwide. Universities, meanwhile, show modest recovery, with approval rates rising from 30% in May to 55% in August, but opportunities remain limited.

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The report also noted that students from India, the Philippines, and several African nations face the lowest approval 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 persist, ApplyBoard projects that Canada’s total international student population could shrink by up to 50% in 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-graduation work opportunities, and multicultural environment.

“While short-term challenges persist, student confidence in Canada’s long-term value remains remarkably strong,” the report concluded.