Canada to impose cap on study permit applications for international students

Other than Australia, now Canada is also taking measures to curb the increasing number of international students in the country.

Canada has recently revealed details about its plan to curb the number of increasing international students. The country in North America is planning to decrease the number of new international student permits issued and the target for approved study permits for the year 2024 has been set at 485,000.

While the study abroad trend is catching up among youngsters thanks to the promising career opportunities it provides, countries like Australia and Canada are taking measures to control the increasing number of international students in their countries.

“On January 22, I announced a national cap on study permit applications to address the rapid increase of international students in Canada. Provincial and territorial allocations for 2024 have now been finalized. I would like to take this opportunity to share those figures and explain how we made these decisions," said Immigration Minister Marc Miller, as reported by the Economic Times.

Canada plans to issue nearly 292,000 study permits for college and undergraduate international students in 2024.

Canada's approval rate of 60% for study permit applications

The country has an approval rate of 60 per cent for study permit applications, there is a target of 6,06,000 (3,64,000 X 100/60) study permit applications to be received in 2024, as reported by The Mint.

Some international students are exempt from this cap including primary and secondary school students and even master’s or doctoral degree students. India is among the largest contributors to international students in Canada. However, the study permits issued to Indian students in Canada dropped last year after India removed diplomats from Canada.

To implement the national cap on international student enrollment, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has concluded the allocation process for provincial and territorial study permit applications.

A total of 393,000 adjusted number of study permits was distributed based on the population share of each province and territory. Approximately 552,000 study permit applications have been allocated to provinces and territories under the national cap.

Canada is among the top choices for India's study abroad aspirants. The top universities in Canada include The University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, McGill University, the University of Waterloo, University of Alberta, Univeresity of Montreal, and University of Ottawa.

According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data for the year 2022, there were a total of 551,405 international students from 184 countries in Canada, of which 1,83,310 students were Indians.

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