Canada is making it tougher for international students to get study visas and work permits. The Canadian government has announced that work permit eligibility rules for international graduates will be modified soon.
Canada is proactively taking steps to discourage foreigners from exploiting its immigration policy. The big picture is that Canada plans to decrease foreign student intake following a reduction in visa issuance and work permit applications for foreign workers and master’s degree students.
Overall, Canada will issue 35% fewer international student permits this year.
8 Major Announcements Impacting Work-Permit and Study Visa
Reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025 based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued, stabilizing the intake cap for 2026 such that the number of study permits issued remains the same as in 2025. For 2025, this means reducing study permits issued to 437,000.
Further, this Fall, there will also be modifications to the post-graduation work visa scheme.
Limiting work permit eligibility, later this year, to spouses of master’s degree students to only those whose program is at least 16 months in duration
Limiting work permit eligibility later this year to spouses of foreign workers in management or professional occupations or in sectors with labour shortages—under Canada’s work permit programs (TFWP and IMP)
Post-graduation work permit applicants must meet a Canadian Language Benchmark level 7 or 5 for university graduates and CLB 5 for college graduates on or after November 1, 2024.
The 2025–2026 study permit intake cap will include master’s and doctoral students who will now have to submit a provincial or territorial attestation letter. IRCC will be reserving approximately 12% of allocation spaces for these students.
In 2025, the government will lower the cap on international student study permits by 10 per cent of its 2024 goal. Employers will also be subject to a 10-per-cent cap on low-wage temporary foreign workers, with some industries exempted.
The proposed reduction of temporary residents from 6.5% of Canada’s total population to 5% will be reflected in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which will be released by November 1, 2024.
“The shift encourages students to consider other emerging destinations like Germany, Singapore, Italy, and Ireland, which are becoming increasingly attractive as top education choices. While Canada remains a leading destination, these changes underscore the expanding array of global opportunities for Indian students,” says Saurabh Arora, Founder & CEO, University Living.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted – “We’re granting 35% fewer international student permits this year. And next year, that number’s going down by another 10%. Immigration is an advantage for our economy — but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down,” he said.
Trudeau also tweeted, “We’re reducing the number of low-wage, temporary foreign workers and shortening the duration of their work terms. We adjusted the program after the pandemic, but the labour market’s changed. We need businesses to invest in Canadian workers.”
Canada plans to lower the annual limits on study permits by an additional 10% in 2025 and limit the eligibility for work permits for international graduates. However, graduates from programs at public colleges will remain eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) of up to three years if they graduate from a field of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage.