Canada has recently announced measures to control the issuance of study permits to international students for the next two years. They aim to issue 485,000 study permits in 2024 by reducing the annual number of permits granted. Immigration Minister Marc Miller revealed a national cap on study permit applications on January 22, 2024, in response to the rapid increase in international student numbers.
The provincial and territorial allocations for 2024 have been finalized, accompanied by the unveiling of the Net Zero First Year Growth Model strategy by Miller. This strategy seeks to stabilise incoming post-secondary student numbers while ensuring adequate support and resources for their academic pursuits.
The strategy’s core principle is straightforward: the intake of international students in 2024 will align with the number of students whose study permits are due to expire that year. Various factors were considered, including the annual percentage of students seeking permit extensions, estimated at 20%, equivalent to approximately 97,000 students. After factoring in this buffer, the revised target for 2024 is set at 364,000 study permits.
With a national approval rate of 60% for study permit applications, the adjusted cap for 2024 stands at 606,000 applications. Subtracting the expected volume of exempt groups (140,000 based on 2023 data) from the 2024 target yields a final target of 236,000 accepted study permits, corresponding to an estimated 393,000 applications for study permits for the next year.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has finalised the allocation process for provincial and territorial study permit applications. The allocation model aims to ensure an equitable distribution based on the population proportion of each province and territory, balancing growth management with broader immigration objectives. Additionally, the IRCC implemented top-ups on provinces with acceptance rates below 60%, ensuring equitable grant of study permits and enabling jurisdictions to meet their enrollment goals for 2024.
