OLLO – Study Permit Application Cap – November 4, 2024
Key Facts and Figures
The national intake cap for 2024 was based on a zero net-growth model where the number of approved study permits in 2024 is meant to be approximately equal to the number of permits expiring in 2024. For 2024, this target was 485,000 study permits issued.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has published the full methodology for how the national intake cap for 2024 was calculated, and how allocations of study permit application spaces to provinces and territories were developed based on population share, 2023 permit volumes and 2023 approval rates (national, provincial and territorial).
For 2025, the target number of study permits issued is based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target – from 485,000 to 437,000 study permits issued – in alignment with our commitment to reduce temporary resident volumes to 5% of Canada’s total population by the end of 2026. Allocations for provinces and territories are currently being finalized.
Key Messages
Early signs indicate that the cap is effectively reining in international student volumes and recent reports also show that rent prices are decreasing in certain university towns. However, further reductions are necessary to ensure that the International Student Program remains sustainable and to meet the commitment announced in March 2024 to decrease Canada’s temporary resident population to 5% of Canada’s total population by the end of 2026. As such, the intake cap will continue in 2025 and 2026.
Further details on the 2025 allocations to provinces and territories are forthcoming.
On August 26, 2024, IRCC launched the new Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot Program (FMCSP), in partnership with designated French-language and bilingual post-secondary learning institutions outside Quebec.
IRCC will accept a total of 2,300 additional study permit applications under this pilot for the first year in order to support the vitality of French post-secondary education and help build the labour force of the future for Francophone minority communities. Participating students will have access to settlement services during their studies and a direct path to permanent residence once they graduate.
The pilot program will reduce barriers, making the International Student Program more equitable for French-speaking study permit applicants from regions of the world that have experienced low study permit acceptance rates in the past, namely Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
Beyond this pilot, and other exempted cohorts, it is the responsibility of the provinces and territories to distribute their allocations to designated learning institutions in their jurisdictions.
Since launching the cap, IRCC has strongly encouraged provincial and territorial counterparts to distribute their allocations in a way that would support their individual immigration objectives, including Francophone immigration objectives.
Although provinces and territories are not subject to the Official Languages Act in the same way that federal institutions are, we are committed to finding ways to collaborate with provinces and territories to ensure we uphold our obligations under the Act.
We are paying close attention to see whether the cap is having an impact on Francophone students and Francophone designated learning institutions outside of Quebec, and to observe the mitigating impact of the FMCSP.
