Minister Miller issues statement on international student allocations for provinces and territories

Statement

Ottawa, April 5, 2024—The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, issued the following statement:

“On January 22, I announced a national cap on study permit applications to address the rapid increase of international students in Canada. Provincial and territorial allocations for 2024 have now been finalized. I would like to take this opportunity to share those figures and explain how we made these decisions.

Net zero first year growth model

“The national cap is based on the amount of expiring study permits this year. This means that the number of international students coming to Canada in 2024 should be the same as the number of students whose permits expire this year. For 2024, the target is 485,000 approved study permits.

“About 20% of students apply for an extension each year and remain in the country. Therefore, IRCC subtracted that amount (97,000) from the target of 485,000 and set aside a small buffer to allow for other variations, resulting in a revised target of 364,000 approved study permits in 2024.

“Accordingly, based on the national approval rate of 60% for study permit applications, the target of 364,000 approved study permits translates into a cap of 606,000 study permit applications received for 2024.

“Some international students are exempt from the cap, such as primary and secondary school students and master’s or doctoral degree students. IRCC deducted the estimated volume of these groups (140,000 based on 2023 data) from the 2024 target number of approved study permits. This resulted in a target of 236,000 approved study permits for 2024, which converts to roughly 393,000 study permit applications to be allocated.

Finalizing provincial and territorial allocations

“IRCC distributed the adjusted number of study permit applications, 393,000, based on the population share of each province and territory. Under this model, some provinces and territories would get more students in 2024 than in 2023, while others would see fewer new students.

“For provinces that would receive more international students in 2024 than in 2023 based on population share, we adjusted their allocation to limit growth to 10% compared to 2023.

“For provinces that would receive fewer international students in 2024 than in 2023, we adjusted their allocation to lessen the negative impact in the first year and support broader regional immigration goals.

“IRCC also topped up allocations for provinces whose approval rate was lower than 60%. The top­-ups will help provinces with lower approval rates reach their expected number of approved study permits in 2024.

“As a result, a total of about 552,000 study permit applications have been allocated to provinces and territories under the national cap. These allocations are expected to yield approximately 292,000 approved study permits, representing a 28% reduction from 2023 for the groups included under the cap.

“Many variables may influence the number of new international students who arrive in Canada in 2024, for example

  • provinces and territories with room to grow may not end up using their full allocations
  • approval rates may change
  • in-year adjustments may be required

“These results will help me make decisions on allocations for 2025. I have included the full allocation model below.

“We will continue to work collaboratively with provinces and territories to strengthen the International Student Program and to provide international students with the supports they need to succeed in Canada.”

Allocation model

Zero net growth (one-out, one-in)
Study permits expiring in 2024 (all cohorts) 485,000
Exempted groups and buffer -249,400
Target new study permits approved 2024 235,600
Assumptions
Approval rate 60%
Allocations (# of applications)
Cap space allocated to PTs 392,667
  SPs Issued (2023) Distribution by Population Share
Province / Territory Excluding K-12 + Grad All Levels of Study Population Share Footnote 1 PT Allocations Projected SPs Approved % Change from 2023
Alberta 22,306 34,903 11.67% 45,824 27,495 23%
British Columbia 60,864 101,576 13.66% 53,638 32,183 -47%
Manitoba 10,155 13,848 3.62% 14,215 8,529 -16%
New Brunswick 6,186 10,354 2.09% 8,207 4,924 -20%
Newfoundland and Labrador 1,290 3,218 1.35% 5,301 3,181 147%
Northwest Territories 4 39 0.12% 471 283 6968%
Nova Scotia 8,604 13,813 2.62% 10,288 6,173 -28%
Nunavut 3 5 0.10% 393 236 7753%
Ontario 239,753 291,609 38.81% 152,394 91,436 -62%
Prince Edward Island 1,336 2,115 0.44% 1,728 1,037 -22%
Quebec 39,663 64,044 22.34% 87,722 52,633 33%
Saskatchewan 6,569 9,990 3.07% 12,055 7,233 10%
Yukon 82 225 0.11% 432 259 216%
Total 404,668Footnote 2 559,091Footnote 3 100% 392,667 235,600 -42%
  Allocation After Initial Adjustment Final Allocation After Top-Ups for PTs with Approval Rate Below 60%
Province / Territory PT Allocations (A) Projected SPs Approved (B) % Change from 2023 Top-Up (C) Revised PT Allocations with Top-Up (A+C) Projected SPs Approved (same as B
Alberta 40,894 24,537 10% N/A 40,894 24,537
British Columbia 83,000 49,800 -18% N/A 83,000 49,800
Manitoba 15,233 9,140 -10% 3,420 18,652 9,140
New Brunswick 9,279 5,567 -10% 5,372 14,651 5,567
Newfoundland and Labrador 2,365 1,419 10% 788 3,153 1,419
Northwest Territories 333 200 4900% N/A 333 200
Nova Scotia 12,906 7,744 -10% 7,472 20,378 7,744
Nunavut 333 200 6567% N/A 333 200
Ontario 235,000 141,000 -41% N/A 235,000 141,000
Prince Edward Island 2,004 1,202 -10% 308 2,312 1,202
Quebec 72,716 43,629 10% 45,202 117,917 43,629
Saskatchewan 12,043 7,226 10% 3,011 15,054 7,226
Yukon 417 250 205% N/A 417 250
Total 486,523 291,914 -28% 65,572 552,095 291,914

For further information (media only), please contact:

Bahoz Dara Aziz
Press Secretary
Minister’s Office
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Bahoz.DaraAziz@cic.gc.ca

Media Relations
Communications Sector
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-952-1650
media@cic.gc.ca

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