In an effort to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada, the government announced on Wednesday a significant decrease in the issuance of study permits for foreign students, along with stricter regulations for foreign workers—measures that will notably affect many Indian nationals. Data from the immigration department revealed that Canada granted 509,390 study permits in 2023 and 175,920 in the first seven months of 2024. The latest changes are set to limit the number of international study permits to 437,000 in 2025.
Furthermore, the eligibility for work permits for the spouses of some students and temporary foreign workers will be limited.
This announcement comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, facing declining approval ratings ahead of next year’s federal elections, aims to curb the influx of temporary residents, including international students and foreign workers. Earlier this year, Canada introduced a two-year limit on the number of international students allowed.
Statistics Canada noted a significant rise in temporary residents, particularly students and workers, with numbers doubling from 1.4 million in the second quarter of 2022 to 2.8 million in the same period in 2024. The government has committed to reducing the temporary resident population to 5% of the total population, down from 6.8% in April.
The new rules are likely to push Indian students, a major demographic in Canada’s international student population, to consider alternatives in countries like the US, UK, or Australia. According to recent Indian government data, approximately 4.27 lakh Indian students are currently studying in Canada, a figure that has surged by 260% from 2013 to 2022. Reports indicate that around 40% of overseas students in Canada are from India, underscoring the potential impact of these policy changes.