Canada is making sweeping changes in the international student sector. These changes will have an impact on all of Canada’s provinces and territories. Earlier in 2024, Canada announced that there would be changes coming in order to better protect international students. These changes included an increase in the cost of living requirement, an update on international student work eligibility, and perhaps most strikingly, an announcement that there would be a cap on study permits issued to international students.

International student numbers in Canada have increased greatly in the last few years. The number of international students swelled to over 800,000 in 2022 and has continued to increase as colleges and universities throughout Canada have been accepting growing numbers of students. The implementation of a cap is meant to address the rapid increase in international students in Canada.

International Student Allocations For Provinces And Territories

The announcement that there would be a cap implemented on the number of study permits coming in 2024 was unprecedented. Although a cap was talked about and considered in late 2023, the coming cap is historic in that this is the first cap on study permits in Canada’s history. Now, more details of the specific numbers of students allocated to each province and territory have been revealed.

The allocation of study permit applications amongst each province and territory were revealed in April 2024, a few months after the initial announcement that a cap on study permits was set to be implemented. The announcement from The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, contains information on how the numbers allocated as part of the cap were determined.

Methodology in Determining the Cap

The national cap was determined based on the number of study permits that were set to expire this year in Canada, in what Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is calling the net zero first-year growth model.

This means that, in 2024, the target would be to have 485,000 approved study permits based on how many study permits were set to expire. However, approximately 20% of students apply for an extension when their permit is about to expire. Thus, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada subtracted 20% from 485,000 to come to a revised target number of 364,000 approved study permits for 2024 throughout Canada.

However, even though this cap is being implemented, it is important to note that primary, secondary, master’s and doctoral degree students are exempt from the cap. As such, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada expects to allocate roughly 393,000 study permits to account for those students who are exempt from the cap. The total number of study permit applications allowed will be about 552,000, as not all study permit applications are accepted.

Cap Numbers Per Province and Territory

When allocating a portion of the cap to each province and territory, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada determined what portion of the 393,000 study permits to be issued based on the population share of each province and territory. This means that each province and territory will have an adjustment made compared with the number of study permits issued in 2023. To prevent unsustainable growth, provinces that were due for an increase, based on the proportion of the population, have had that increase limited to 10% when compared to 2023. Provinces due to see a decrease in the number of international students have had their allocations adjusted to lessen the negative impact of the cap in the first year.

The territories received large percentage increases in their study permit allocations. As a result of the total number of students in the territories being very low, they were not limited to the 10% increase that the provinces were limited to. Ontario and British Columbia are losing the largest number of students year over year as British Columbia is losing 18% of their student share and Ontario is losing 41% of their total. All of the other provinces have 10% increases or 10% decreases in their year-over-year number of international students.

Impact of the Study Permit Cap on Ontario

Ontario, being Canada’s largest province by population, has received the largest allocation of study permits at 235,000. This corresponds to a projection of 141,000 approved study permits. This number represents a drastic change from 2023, which reflects a 41% decrease. The Ontario government has responded to the allocation by prioritizing certain programs in high-demand areas, including skilled trades, health, human resources, STEM, hospitality and child care. French language enrolment will also be prioritized. Further, institutions cannot admit more students than they did in 2023, and international students cannot exceed 55% of the institution’s domestic first-year enrolment.

Moreover, 96% of the study permits will be allocated to students attending Ontario publicly assisted colleges and universities. The remaining four percent will be allocated to Ontario’s language schools, private universities and other institutions. Career colleges are not to receive any of the allocations. Now, attestation letters are required by international students to study in Ontario. Students can receive these letters from their postsecondary institutions.

These changes will drastically impact colleges, as 13 out of 24 colleges are set to see a decline in applications. Colleges with public-private college partnerships will see a large decline, and Conestoga College was specifically mentioned as a college that is going to see a large decline in the number of international students it can admit.

Overall, the number of international students in Canada is going to change, as the student population is being redistributed throughout Canada. Provinces like Ontario and British Columbia are set to be impacted the most, and the ramifications of the study permit cap will have far-reaching impacts throughout Canada.

Contact Garson Immigration Law for Canadian Immigration Assistance

Garson Immigration Law is a Toronto-based law firm that helps people find practical solutions for their immigration needs. Whether you are seeking to obtain permanent residence in Canada, overcome inadmissibility, or obtain a student visa, our trusted immigration lawyers can help. If you have questions about an immigration matter, contact us online or call us at 416-321-2860 to learn how we can assist you.

International students play an important role in Canada’s economy, modern society, and the country’s role on the world stage. The role of international students in Canada’s education system has become much greater in the past few decades. In 2001, Canada had a minor global market share of less than 1% of international students in the world, however, the country has since become one of the top four countries of choice for students seeking to study abroad. In 2022, over 800,000 foreign nationals held study permits in Canada.

In recent years, Canada has been trying to attract more international students to Canada, as the number of foreign nationals holding study permits has drastically increased. The decision from the Government of Canada to increase the number of international students coming to Canada has been the subject of much debate recently, as some critics have been outspoken about the need to better regulate the numbers of international students in Canada. However, the Canadian Government has now implemented a cap on the number of international students in Canada.

Accordingly, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has announced that there are going to be some changes coming for international students in Canada starting in 2024, which will be explored in more detail throughout this blog.

What International Students Should Know

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recently made an announcement titled “Revised requirements to better protect international students” which outlines the changes that will be implemented in order to ensure that international students are well equipped during their time in Canada.

Cost of Living Requirement

A key change is an increased cost of living requirement for study permit applicants. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the increase in the cost of living requirement is to ensure that international students are financially prepared for life in Canada. The previous cost of living requirement of $10,000 was instituted in the early 2000s and thus, an update was desperately needed, as the income requirement has not kept pace with inflation and the year over year rising costs of living. The income requirement has increased more than doubled as study permit applicants will now have to show that they have sufficient funds of at least $20,635. However, this amount is intended to be allocated for living expenses and does not include the cost of tuition and travel costs, so international students will need to take those expenses into additional consideration.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has indicated that the requirement will now be adjusted each year when Statistics Canada updates the low income cut off amount. The low income cut off is calculated as the minimum income necessary to ensure that an individual does not have to spend a greater than average portion of income on necessities. The financial requirement for students will be 75% of the low income cut off. These changes apply to study permit applications received on and after January 1, 2024.

Cap on Study Permits

The Immigration Minister announced that in order to improve “programme integrity” there will be a temporary two-year cap on new international study permits and noted that “the cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from [the number of study permits issued in] 2023.” The cap space will be allocated between provinces to ensure fairness, with some provinces seeing room to grow, while others will be heavily impacted and may see the amount of incoming new students reduced by up to 50%. It is important to note that the cap will not impact current students.

Targeted Pilot Programs

In their announcement, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada also made a mention of targeted pilot programs that will be used to test new ideas. These new pilot programs will be intended to benefit underrepresented groups of international students in Canada.

Housing for International Students

There is also a new focus on designated learning institutions to take stock of how many students they admit based on the number of students they can support academically. Further, the institution must offer adequate housing based on the number of students admitted.

To that end, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has strongly indicated that changes must be made by the designated learning institutions to address the present issues regarding housing and academic support. They have indicated that if changes are not made, measures will be taken before September 2024, which may include limiting the number of visas that are issued.

Temporary Policy Updates

Off-Campus Work

The pandemic policy that waived the requirement for international students to work less than 20 hours per week in Canada has been extended. Currently, international students can work off campus for more than 20 hours per week until April 30, 2024. This extension applies to current international students, as well as international students who applied for their study permit on or before December 7, 2023.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is reconsidering the 20 hours per week policy going forward, with an indication that they are considering expanding the hours per week allowance to 30 hours per week in the future.

Online Study May Satisfy Work Permit Requirements

The temporary policy that allows international students to have their online studying count for future post-graduation work permit requirements is going to be extended for students who begin their program before September 1, 2024. In order for online studying to satisfy this requirement, the online study must be less than 50% of the program of study. This policy will not apply to those who begin programs after September 1, 2024.

Key Takeaways for International Students Seeking to Study in Canada

Overall, there are a large number of changes coming for international students. Current and prospective international students should be aware of the changes that are coming in order to be best prepared for how the changes may impact them.

Contact the Lawyers at Garson Immigration Law for Assistance With Study Permit Applications

At Garson Immigration Law in Toronto, our experienced immigration lawyers help people find solutions for all of their immigration needs, such as obtaining permanent residence in Canada and dealing with issues of inadmissibility. Our focus on immigration allows us to understand our clients’ unique concerns and the obstacles they face. If you have any questions about an immigration matter, or to learn how we can assist you during the process, contact us online or call us at 416-321-2860 to arrange a confidential consultation.