MARC Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, on Wednesday announcing additional measures to manage the volume of temporary resident arrivals, announced a reduction of international student study permits to 437,000 for 2025.
He said that this further reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025 was based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued, and then stabilizing the intake cap for 2026 such that the number of study permits issued remains the same as 2025.
He also announced:
- updating the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program this fall to better align with immigration goals and labour market needs
- limiting work permit eligibility, later this year, to spouses of master’s degree students to only those whose program is at least 16 months in duration
- limiting work permit eligibility later this year to spouses of foreign workers in management or professional occupations or in sectors with labour shortages—under Canada’s work permit programs (TFWP and IMP)
Miller noted that like many countries, Canada is experiencing more asylum claims as the number of displaced people worldwide continues to grow, and that contributes to growing temporary resident volumes. To align with our humanitarian responsibilities, the government has been working on several measures to address integrity issues and strengthen the in-Canada asylum system, including:
- implementing a partial visa requirements for Mexican nationals
- improving claims processing while maintaining the fairness and integrity of the asylum system, as announced in 2024
- reviewing visa decision-making so that Canada’s highly trained officers have the right tools to detect fraud and reduce the number of non-genuine visitors
- exploring more measures to further strengthen visa integrity
Miller said that earlier this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced a decrease in the number of temporary residents—from 6.5% of Canada’s total population down to 5% by 2026. To achieve this goal, the federal government is taking action to manage the increase of temporary residents and hold employers misusing the system accountable. Canada is reforming the International Student Program, tightening eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers, enforcing employer compliance more strictly, and making labour market impact assessments more rigorous to mitigate fraud, and more.
Miller said: “The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to—just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to. We are taking action to strengthen our temporary residence programs and roll out a more comprehensive immigration plan to meet the demands of today’s changing landscape. Our immigration system must preserve its integrity, and be well managed and sustainable. And as we look forward, we will do everything it takes to achieve that goal and set newcomers up for success.”
Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, said: “The Temporary Foreign Worker Program was designed to address labour market shortages when qualified Canadians were not able to fill those roles. Right now, we know that there are more Canadians qualified to fill open positions. The changes we are making today will prioritize Canadian workers and ensures Canadians can trust the program is meeting the needs of our economy.”
Quick Facts:
* The proposed reduction of temporary residents from 6.5% of Canada’s total population to 5% will be reflected in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which will be released by November 1, 2024.
* Graduates from programs at public colleges will remain eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) of up to three years if they graduate from a field of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage.
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