Ottawa announces it’s further reducing the number of international student permits

OTTAWA — The Liberal government will slash the number of international student visas it processes by another 10 per cent.

The government says the new target for 2025 and 2026 will be 437,000 permits. In 2024 the target was 485,000 permits.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on Wednesday the government expects the changes to “yield approximately 300,000 fewer study permits” over the next three years.

Ottawa is also putting new limits on work permits for spouses of both foreign workers and students in master’s degree programs.

Earlier this year, the Liberal government announced a temporary cap to reduce the number of new student visas by more than a third this year.

Those changes came at a time when there was significant scrutiny of the international student program. Experts warned that strong population growth was putting pressure on an already-strained housing market.

Miller said the measures the government has taken until now are working, citing “more than anecdotal evidence that there has been an impact on certain rental markets where students are more prevalent.”

He acknowledged it has been a turbulent year for universities and colleges, which want predictability, but said he expects them to adjust to the new rules.

“I’ve told post-secondary institutions several times that they need to adjust their recruitment practices,” he said. “I have told them that the cost of acquisition of international students is certain to increase.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press