For the second consecutive year in 2025, Canada will cap the number of international students entering the country. This is implemented to ease pressure on housing, healthcare, and other services. Canada will issue 4,37,000 study permits this year, a 10% reduction from 2024, according to a statement from the immigration ministry on Friday, January 24, according to a report by Reuters.

The country introduced a cap on new international student permits in 2024 after population growth in recent years was seen as aggravating a housing shortage. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has announced he will resign in March, had pledged to reduce immigration levels in recent months as polls showed less support for newcomers in Canada.

According to government data, in 2023, the country issued more than 6,50,000 study permits to foreign students. This took the number of international students in the country to a record of more than a million, roughly triple the number who entered the country a decade ago.

Healthcare and housing concerns

Rapid population growth, fuelled by immigration, has put pressure on services such as healthcare and education and driven up housing costs. However, international students pay significantly higher tuition fees than domestic students.

In response to last year's implementation of the international student cap, most study permit applicants must now submit a provincial or territorial attestation letter. Additionally, this year, master's and postdoctoral students will also need the letters.

These attestation letters are intended to confirm that students are included within the federal government's international student cap.