Much like the US experiencing drastic drops in international student arrivals, Canada has suffered a similar fate in recent time. According to revised data released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Wednesday, a nearly 60% fall in the number of foreign students coming to the country was recorded in 2025.
International student arrivals drop in Canada
The shocking data reveal indicated that 278,900 lesser foreign arrivals came to Canada between January and August 2025, as opposed to the figures recorded during the same period last year.
Digging deeper into the 60% decline, the report showed that over 132,000 fewer international student arrivals were recorded in the first eight months of the year. In August itself, just 45,380 foreign student came to the country.
The decreasing number of international students can be attributed to Canada introducing an annual cap of study permits in 2024, with a 10% reduction in 2025.
Indian students in Canada
As per India’s Ministry of External Affairs’ data, the number of students from the country pursuing educational opportunities all over the globe hit the staggering 1.8 million-mark in 2025.
As for where those numbers linked to Canada stand, the MEA disclosed that by the end of 2024, 427,000 Indian students were in Canada, making it a more-sought-after option over the US, where 337,630 students from the South Asian country were recorded.
Additionally, BorderPass data reported by the PIE showed that four out of five Indian students who applied for a Canadian study permit were rejected in Q2 2025. Despite 40% of Canada’s international student enrollment accounting for Indian students, 80% of study permit application individuals filed from the South Asian country were denied during this period.
IRCC data
In addition to the dropping student arrivals, incoming temporary foreign worker figures also slumped by 146,395 between Jan-August 2025 compared to where these figures stood in 2024. In August, only 16,890 new workers came in.
The IRCC has since responded to these swift changes, saying, “We expect the number of work permits and extensions to go down in the months ahead to reflect the impact of the new measures.”
They added, “While we have committed to reducing the number of temporary residents in Canada, it will take time for the full effects to appear in the data. Inventories of existing applications continue to be processed under the rules that were in place when they were submitted.”
The changing numbers ultimately represent Canada’s crackdown on immigration, with aims to bring the tally of temporary residents – including both foreign students and workers – to a mere 5% of the total population by 2026.
