- Permits becoming effective fell from 684,000 in 2023 to 517,000 in 2024.
- New-application approvals were just over 30% in the first half of 2025, versus 51% a year earlier.
- Provinces used less than half their allocation spaces in 2025.
Checked against gazette.gc.ca
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says Canada had about 725,000 study permit holders by September 2025, down from over 1 million in January 2024. The decline contributed to a wider fall in temporary residents.
Applicants covered by the 2026 instructions must provide an attestation letter with their application, starting January 1, 2026. Some students are exempt.
The figures count people holding permits, not enrollment at Canadian schools. They also differ from the number of permits that became effective during a year, which includes new arrivals and people already in Canada.
The government introduced an application-processing cap in 2024 as part of its plan to reduce the temporary population to below 5% of the total population by the end of 2027. The cap controls how many applications the department accepts for processing.
Statistics Canada linked falling permit-holder numbers to a third-quarter 2025 decrease in non-permanent residents. The figures cover study-only holders, people holding both work and study permits, and work-permit-only holders.
The 2026 instructions also make the letter requirement central for many applicants. Here are the different measures behind the decline.
Permit counts track both the population already here and newly effective permits
| Measure | Period and figure | Comparison or reported change |
|---|---|---|
| Permit holders | About 725,000, September 2025 | Over 1 million, January 2024 |
| Study-only holders | Third quarter of 2025 | 73,682 fewer |
| Work-and-study holders | Third quarter of 2025 | 67,616 fewer |
| Work-only holders | Third quarter of 2025 | 35,231 fewer |
| Permits becoming effective | 517,000, 2024 | 684,000, 2023 |
The number of permits becoming effective is a flow, not the count of people holding permits at a given time. Of the 517,000 effective permits in 2024, 293,835 went to new students entering Canada; the rest went to students already in the country. The totals do not measure school enrollment.
Regional approval numbers also shifted. Senator Allister Surette said Atlantic provinces saw an almost 60% decrease in approvals in 2024 compared with 2023. Government Representative in the Senate Pierre Moreau cited decreases of 75% in Ontario, 62% in Manitoba, 65% in British Columbia and Alberta, and 35% in Quebec. The government accepted a recommendation to consult provinces and territories and account for regional differences.
The cap and higher financial requirements shaped applications
IRCC said the annual intake cap was not reached and provinces and territories had unused spaces in both 2024 and 2025. Provinces used less than half their allocation spaces in 2025. The department has linked student demand to recruitment practices and changed requirements, including higher financial thresholds.
The cost-of-living amount applicants had to demonstrate rose from $10,000 to $20,635 on January 1, 2024. Quebec set its own threshold for one person aged 18 or over: $15,508 for 2025 and $24,617 for 2026.
New-application approval rates were just over 30% in the first half of 2025, compared with 51% in the same period of 2024. Other changes include revised post-graduation work permit eligibility: all applicants must submit language results, and some students in non-degree programs must study in an eligible field linked to long-term job shortages.
The House of Commons committee report records the policy changes and their effects. It also quotes Canadian Bureau for International Education President and Chief Executive Larissa Bezo calling the reforms “a serious overcorrection.”
Applicants covered by the 2026 instructions need an attestation letter
The 2026 ministerial instructions run from January 1 through December 31. Applicants who fall under them must include a provincial or territorial attestation letter. Applications missing a required letter will not be accepted for processing.
Quebec has a separate provincial acceptance-certificate process. Master’s and doctoral students enrolled at public designated learning institutions do not need a PAL/TAL from January 1, 2026. Existing permit holders applying to extend at the same institution and level of study are also exempt from the letter requirement.
The federal notice sets out the 2026 instructions and exemptions. Applicants should check whether their program and institution place them inside the letter requirement before submitting.
