Canada: Significant Temporary Cap Introduced for International Students and New Guidelines for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program
April 1, 2024
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At a Glance
- The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced a temporary two-year cap on the issuance of certain new international student permits.
- To implement the cap, every study permit application submitted to IRCC from January 22, 2024 will require an attestation letter issued by a province or territory.
- The cap will cut the number of new, approved study permits in 2024 to 360,000 – a 35% decrease from 2023.
- The government will be allocating the cap among provinces and territories based on their population.
- Concurrently, the government has also announced new guidelines under the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program and restricted the work permit eligibility for spouses of study permit holders. The changes include restrictions on work permit eligibility for students of certain types of institutions and spouses of students in certain programs; and extended validity of PGWP for graduates of master’s and doctoral programs in Canada.
The situation
The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced a temporary two-year cap on new international student permits, effective immediately, new guidelines under the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program, and restrictions for spouses of students.
A closer look
| Change | Details | Impact |
| Cap on new international student permits |
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|
| New guidelines for the PGWP program and restrictions for spouses of students |
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|
Background
- Goal of the cap. According to the government, the number of international students in Canada has tripled in the last 10 years, in part due to some schools increasing the number of international students they are accepting.
- Canadian international student program background. The cap is the latest in a series of measures aimed at improving student program integrity and ensuring that learning institutions set a higher standard of support for international students. It follows other recently announced policy updates for international students and enhancements to the International Student Program with similar aims.
- Immigration growth balance. The measure is also in line with Canada’s 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan, which aims to balance economic growth (in this case making Canada a leading destination of choice for students around the world) with the pressure that immigration growth presents in areas such as housing, health care services, and infrastructure.
Looking ahead
The cap will be reassessed in two years, by which time the government plans to adopt the previously-announced Recognized Institutions Framework for Canadian colleges and universities, under which institutions that meet certain criteria could be accredited and benefit from priority processing of study permits.
IRCC also announced that in 2024, it intends to implement targeted pilot programs to help international students pursue their studies in Canada.
Fragomen will report on relevant details and updates.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
