Canada: International Student Numbers Expected to Fall by 45%

Canadian universities and colleges may witness a significant drop in international student enrollment, more than what Ottawa expected, following the government’s cap on study permits, which will be in place for the next two years, according to Universities Canada.

In an interview with Global News, Gabriel Miller, the president of the Universities Canada, an organization representing Canadian higher education institutions, said international student numbers could drop by at least 45 percent. The final enrollment figures will be released in October.

“There’s every possibility that it’s going to be even worse than we fear. But it’s important to note that we’re already in territory that no one anticipated and that needs to set off a big alarm bell in Ottawa that we need to start turning this around right away,” Miller said.

Miller expressed concerns over the impact of the cap on the number of international students studying in Canada in the future, describing them as an “asset” to institutions. He added that the limit on international student enrollment would hurt Canada’s ability to compete for the talent it wants to attract and keep.

Aiming to address the rapid increase in international students, Canada introduced a two-year cap on international student permit applications in January, initially expected to result in 364,000 approved study permits or a 35 percent drop from the number of permits issued to students in 2023. However, the figure was then changed to 292,000.

“As a result, a total of about 552,000 study permit applications have been allocated to provinces and territories under the national cap. These allocations are expected to yield approximately 292,000 approved study permits, representing a 28% reduction from 2023 for the groups included under the cap,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a statement on April 6.

He explained the national cap on international students is set based on the number of study permits that will expire during the year, with the target for 2024 being 485,000 approved study permits.

Canada hosted over one million international students in 2023, reaching a record high and a 29 percent increase over 2022. Half of these students settled in Ontario, the most populous Canadian province.

India and China continue to lead as Canada’s top two sources of international students, with 427,085 and 101,150 students, respectively. Data from the Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada (IRCC) have shown a notable increase in students from the Philippines and Nigeria as well.

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