Canada is witnessing a sharp decline in international students arriving in Canada for higher education. This is in contrast of previous trend of massive international students arriving in Canada for education.
Under the Canadian Immigration levels plan of 2025-2027, the federal government has capped study permits resulting fewer international students arriving in Canada.
Canada in recent times has seen a wave of international students arriving in Canada specifically after covid resulting in massive inflation hike and housing crisis. Canada wants to control this number therefore has taken steps to reduce the flow of international students as well as foreign workers.
International Student Arrivals See Historic Decline
If we look into the recently published government data on study permits issuance(as of June 30,2025) it reveals:
- 88,617 lesser international students arrived in Canada between January–June 2025 compared to January to June 2024.
- In June 2025 alone, just 4,185 new students entered Canada this is far below previous years numbers.
- But still as of mid 2025, there are 546,562 active study permit holders, a number expected to shrink further in coming months. Majority of these are old international students who have applied for study permit extension to continue the education.
Recent Number of International Students Arriving in Canada
| Month | Number of Permits |
|---|---|
| Dec-23 | 95,353 |
| Jan-24 | 27,579 |
| Feb-24 | 9,244 |
| Mar-24 | 16,875 |
| Apr-24 | 45,806 |
| May-24 | 14,243 |
| Jun-24 | 11,287 |
| Jul-24 | 17,138 |
| Aug-24 | 79,820 |
| Sep-24 | 28,924 |
| Oct-24 | 6,527 |
| Nov-24 | 5,993 |
| Dec-24 | 29,853 |
| Jan-25 | 11,235 |
| Feb-25 | 4,082 |
| Mar-25 | 3,819 |
| Apr-25 | 8,543 |
| May-25 | 4,553 |
| Jun-25 | 4,185 |
Why Are Fewer Students Coming to Canada?
Canada has taken multiple measures to reduce the flow of new international students to Canada:
- Annual cap on study permits introduced in 2024, followed by an additional 10% reduction in 2025.
- End of the Student Direct Stream (SDS) in some regions e.g. India.
- Higher financial requirements for study permit applicants.
- Limited work permits for spouses of international students.
Fewer intake of international students has resulted in some easing on Canadian housing shortage and high consumer inflation but on the other side Canadian colleges and universities are struggling financially as international students pay 4 to 5 times of tuition paid by domestic students.
How to Improve the Chances of Study Visa Approval
International students who want to study in Canada in future can take these some steps to improve their chances of getting study visa approval:
- Selecting a good public reputable university over college for higher education. Never take admission in a private university in Canada, as they don’t prioritize education.
- Have a high English language scores showing your enhanced proficiency on English language.
- Good academic records always matter in study visa application plus showing strong ties to home country, that you will go back to your home country after completing your education.
