In 2025, Canada will issue 437,000 study permits, marking a 10% reduction from the previous year. This decision aims to alleviate pressures on housing, healthcare, and other services exacerbated by rapid population growth from immigration.
To implement this cap, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has introduced Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs). Most study permit applicants, including master's and doctoral students, are now required to submit a PAL with their application. These letters confirm that students are included within the federal government's international student cap.
IRCC has also detailed the allocation of study permits across provinces and territories for students requiring a PAL in 2025:
Province/Territory | Graduate Degree Students | Remaining PAL-Required Students |
|
| Total PAL-Required Students |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ontario | 21,841 | 94,899 |
|
| 116,740 |
Quebec | 19,683 | 53,294 |
|
| 72,977 |
British Columbia | 20,053 | 33,536 |
|
| 53,589 |
Alberta | 3,887 | 28,773 |
|
| 32,660 |
Manitoba | 1,224 | 8,797 |
|
| 10,021 |
Nova Scotia | 1,954 | 6,343 |
|
| 8,297 |
Saskatchewan | 1,578 | 7,291 |
|
| 8,869 |
New Brunswick | 1,400 | 5,030 |
|
| 6,430 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 1,456 | 3,208 |
|
| 4,664 |
Prince Edward Island | 205 | 1,045 |
|
| 1,250 |
Northwest Territories | 0 | 220 |
|
| 220 |
Yukon | 1 | 338 |
|
| 339 |
Nunavut | 0 | 220 |
|
| 220 |
Total | 73,282 | 242,994 |
|
| 316,276 |
Additionally, exchange students are now exempt from the PAL requirement, joining primary and secondary students, certain Government of Canada priority groups, and existing study permit holders applying for extensions at the same institution and level of study.
These measures reflect Canada's commitment to balancing the benefits of international students with the need to manage local challenges effectively.