Only 437,000 study permits will be issued in 2025
A cap on Masters and doctoral program students
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 for university graduates and CLB 5 for college graduates will be required
Graduates from programs at public colleges will only be eligible for a work permit of up to three years
Canada is putting further restrictions and introducing a series of new stricter rules to put a break on international students coming to study for both postgraduate and undergraduate programs. The changes are further reduction in the number of study permits, tightening language testing, changes in eligibility of post-graduate work permits, and reduction in work visa for spouses.
The new measures are part of goal to reduce Canada’s temporary resident numbers from 6.5% of the total Canadian population to 5% over the next three years.
Canadian immigration minister Marc Miller, this week, announced a further reduction in the number of international student study permits to be issued in 2025, 2026 as compared to 2024. For 2025, this means 437,000 study permits will be issued as compared to 485,000 new study permits target in 2024. This is a 10 percent reduction from the 2024 target and 36 percent reduction as compared to 2023.
Before only undergraduate students bore the brunt of the changes and master’s and doctoral students were not part of the cap. But starting in 2025, master’s and doctoral students, among others, will be counted as part of the cap. “As we have now included temporary residents into our levels planning, going forward, we will have an annual target for international students. Simply put: the international student cap is here to stay,” said Miller.
But about 12 percent of the study permits will be reserved for students pursuing master’s and doctoral programs. “Some international students are better set up to integrate and succeed in Canada. In particular, graduate degree students are well aligned with Canada’s labour market needs. That’s why we will be reserving about 12% of the cap for these students and aligning the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program with our economic priorities,” he said.
These changes over the next three years, are expected to yield approximately 300,000 fewer study permit holders.
Another change is in terms of language testing. As of November 1, Canada will institute a new language proficiency requirement for post-graduation work permit applicants that is aligned with requirements for permanent residence streams.
A Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 for university graduates and CLB 5 for college graduates will be required for anyone applying for a post-graduation work permit on or after November 1, 2024.
And for prospective students applying on or after November 1, post-graduation work permit eligibility will depend on the level of study—graduates from bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs will remain eligible for a work permit of up to three years. “These graduates are more likely to acquire transferable knowledge and skills, and be able to adapt to changing economic circumstances over the long term,” he said.
Graduates from programs at public colleges will only be eligible for a work permit of up to three years only if their field of study is linked to labour market shortages in Canada.
These changes will ensure that graduates have the skills and work opportunities to successfully integrate into Canada’s labour market and potentially transition to permanent residence.
There will be further limit on work permit eligibility for spouses of students in doctoral and certain master’s programs, select professional programs, and certain pilot programs.
The work permit eligibility will be limited to include only spouses of highly skilled, specialized workers such as C-suite executives, scientists, engineers, lawyers, professors and technicians, or of workers in sectors where there are key labour shortages.
Spouses of workers in critical sectors, like health care and construction, will continue to be eligible for work permits.
Back in March, Minister Miller announced goal to reduce Canada’s temporary resident numbers from 6.5% of the total Canadian population to 5% over the next three years. The number of temporary foreign workers saw a sharp increase from 437,000 in 2019 to more than 1.2 million in 2023 due to temporary policies making work permits more widely available to fill labour market gaps and to boost our economy—at a time when it was needed, during the pandemic.
“But as the situation has changed, these policies that were always meant to be temporary are not needed anymore, and we are adjusting accordingly by putting stricter access on work permits for international students after graduation, as well as removing work permit eligibility for spouses of undergraduate international students and individuals holding visitors’ permits,” he said.
Unlimited off-campus working hours for international students also ended. Students are now back to working 20 hours per week, as the new limit of 24 hours will be fully implemented later this fall.
“I will provide an update once the 24 hours regulation come into effect, so students can plan accordingly. Until then, working more than 20 hours per week is a violation of the conditions of a study permit—and those who infringe the conditions may face enforcement actions,” he said.
“We heard from a range of experts—including economists, business leaders and service providers—about the state of our immigration system, and how our targets are impacting our communities and economy. The challenges—and actions needed—are clear: Canada has seen a sharp increase in the volume of temporary residents in recent years, driven by a rise in international students, and temporary foreign workers, in addition to a significant increase in asylum claimants. To be clear: all newcomers are valued in Canada. They contribute to Canada’s economic, social and cultural fabric. Our economic future depends on those we bring to Canada.
But we also need to recognize that this can impact communities, such as the increases in unemployment amongst youth and newcomers. By November 1, I will announce our newest Immigration Levels Plan for the next three years. As we head into the fall, we will rebalance our system by setting the right number of newcomers as a critical part of a well-managed system. We are introducing changes to further recalibrate international student, foreign worker and permanent resident volumes. That work has already started,” he said.
By November 1, minister will table the annual immigration levels plan for 2025 to 2027 that will reflect the needs of the economy and communities. “To those who would complain about worker shortages, here’s my message: there’s no better time to hire and invest in Canadian workers.”
