Canadian study permit approvals fall far below cap targets

• According to recent data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), study permit approvals have diminished much more steeply than intended under the government's imposed caps for international students in 2024. It was the hope that the caps would represent a 35% cut from 2023; however, the projections are showing that it could rather be more like a 45% cut, with something roughly in the range of 280,000 permits slated for release in 2024, which is shortsightedly the lowest in a non-pandemic year since 2019. 

• The caps enforced from January 2024 are intended to put a lid on what was called "unsustainable growth" in the numbers of international students; yet, greater consequences were felt than what the policymakers had envisioned. Meti Basiri, founder of ApplyBoard, notes that this rapid implementation of changes caused confusion for both students and the institutions. 

• Our analysis shows that, for capped programs, approvals dipped by 60%; and for programs exempt from caps, approvals dipped by 27%. It suggests that the policy changes had a more general impact across several education sectors. The reduction of international students could represent a serious economic blow since they contributed $30.9 billion to the GDP in 2022. 

• Stakeholders are worried about the potential knock-on effects on the economy and the health of the education sector. As Canada goes on to tweak its immigration policy, the higher education sector is eagerly watching with the hope that population growth can be successfully balanced to reap from the economic and cultural diversity benefits of international students.