Canada Study Visas Drop 48%, 1 Lakh Fewer Permits Issued in 2024

• Canada issued just 267,890 study permits in 2024 - a 48% year-on-year drop.
• Approval rate fell to 33% in early 2025; Indian student permits declined 31%.
• Caps, attestation rules, and tighter PGWP limits are reshaping demand across campuses.

Canadian immigration officials only approved 267,890 new study permits in 2024, which is a dramatic decrease of 48 percent since last year - and almost 100,000 permits below the stated IRCC target of 364,000. This reduction is largely due to a federal cap on new international enrollments which was implemented in early 2024 as a measured response to housing and public services stressors.

Application volumes decreased by almost a third (32%) - encompassing both the cap and the migration of focus on study opportunities from within Canada. The approval rates also fell - nearly 60 percent in 2023, to only 48 percent in circumstances with heightened selectivity and more stringent documentation that must be provided. Indian students were also disproportionately impacted: study permit issuances fell 31 percent year on year in Q1 2025, from 44,295 to 30,650 ports of entry permits, while levels of acceptable financial thresholds and provincial attestation rules were being enforced more strictly.

Also Read: UK Makes eVisas Mandatory for International Students and Workers

The downward trend carried on into 2025: from January to April study permit approval rates decreased even further to 33 percent (down from 48 percent), and the volume new students arriving decreased by around 56 percent (meaning total 2025 issuances will likely not exceed 165,000 – the lowest in a non-pandemic year since 2016.

The immigration clampdown affects not just postgraduate students, but their dependants too. Federal caps have tightened eligibility as well, directly affecting eligibility via Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letters (PAL/TAL) now required for master's and doctoral students. Moreover, restrictions on both post-study work permits and spouse eligibility have expanded the restrictions reducing Canada’s attractiveness as a pathway for residency.

The downstream effects are now visible: many Canadian institutions, from colleges to universities, have already indicated enrollment declines of 30–50 percent, with approximately 8,600 job losses—mostly in Ontario’s public colleges, the employment losses reflect the financial strain caused by the decline in international tuition revenue. Experts cautioned that ongoing uncertainty and drip-feed policy change are undermining Canada’s higher education strategy because decisions around policy need to be enacted in coherence and stability if Canada wants to remain competitive internationally regarding international enrolment.