Changes to Canada’s Study Permit Program: Impact on International Students

In January, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced a temporary cap on international students, effective from 2024 to 2026. This new policy, supported by the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) system, distributes the cap among Canada's provinces and territories.

IRCC aims to approve 292,000 study permits this year. Recent data shows significant impacts on the international student program, as detailed in a report by ApplyBoard, a Canadian educational technology company.

March Sees a Drop in Study Permit Processing

March 2024 saw only 33,000 study permits processed, a significant drop from over 70,000 processed in the same month last year. The average processing time for study permits also increased to 10.6 weeks in March 2024, up from 9.8 weeks in March 2023. By May 2024, the processing time reached 14.8 weeks.

There was also a historic low in study permits processed for Indian students, with just over 4,000 permits issued in March.

Lower Approval Rates in 2024

The approval rates for study permits have decreased in 2024. From January to April, IRCC processed 152,000 study permit applications, approving about 50% of them. This is a drop from previous years, where approval rates were higher:

This decline is partly due to the temporary suspension of study permit processing early in Q1 while the PAL system was implemented.

Changes in International Student Source Countries

There have been significant shifts in the source countries for international students in 2024. Although Indian students remain the top source, their numbers have dropped. In March 2024, only 4,210 permits were issued to Indian students, compared to 28,073 in March 2023.

On the other hand, students from Ghana and Nigeria now make up a larger proportion of approved study permits, moving to second and third place among source countries. Despite this, approval rates for these countries are lower compared to last year.

Overall, two-thirds of all international student source countries saw lower approval rates in 2024 compared to 2023. However, 12 out of 17 African countries experienced increases in approval volumes in Q1 2024.

Top Source Countries in Q1 2024

The top source countries for international students in the first quarter of 2024 are:

1. India
2. Ghana
3. Nigeria
4. China
5. The Philippines
6. Nepal
7. Iran
8. Guinea
9. France
10. Senegal
11. Bangladesh

Despite the challenges, there is optimism that interest and approval rates for study permits will recover as IRCC works towards its international student target.