According to recent remarks made by Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller to the Globe and Mail, there are really about 292,000 study permits available this year for international students attending colleges and universities. 292 000 permits will be approved.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) set a maximum of about 360,000 students for the total number of study permit applications that will be granted this year on January 22.
The cap aims to curb “unsustainable growth” in Canada’s international student program by reducing the number of approved study permits by 35% over two years. IRCC also said it would improve the system’s integrity.
What has been clarified?
Reputable Canadian daily The Globe and Mail reports that the IRCC has explained that their forecast of 360,000 new research permits awarded in 2024 included cap-exempt permits. As a result, this year’s approval rate for new undergraduate study permits at colleges and universities will only be 292,000.
The immigration minister can only control the quantity of applications the IRCC processes; she is not legally able to restrict the amount of visas that are authorized.
This was brought up by the Minister in remarks at the most recent meeting of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM).
“I am only able to limit the number of applications; I cannot actually issue visas,” he declared. We assume a degree of acceptance and rejection at our level, and the math works by producing a large number of visas. We capped the intake at a specific amount and then dispersed it across Canada according to population. 292 000 permits will be approved.
Furthermore, university programs leading to master’s and doctorate degrees as well as elementary and secondary schools were not included in the Minister’s directive to set an application processing ceiling of 606,250 permits.
In contrast, the most recent report from the Globe and Mail states that the IRCC plans to approve a mere 292,200 additional undergraduate and college study visas.
Furthermore, the IRCC failed to mention at the time that students who would not be affected by the cap—such as those pursuing master’s degrees or primary and high school education—were also included in this processing limit.
How is Canada looking to implement this study permit cap?
The provinces will be in charge of implementing the study permit cap more broadly than the IRCC has. In order to achieve this, provinces are in charge of providing a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) to foreign students who are qualified to enroll in classes at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI)* under their authority. These letters inform the IRCC that the approved student may be counted toward the province’s study permit allotment in accordance with the laws of the province or territory in where their school is located.
*DLIs are the only schools in Canada that are approved to accept international students.
Based on ministerial instructions, PALs must be written and signed by the provincial/territorial government and must contain an applicant’s:
- Full name;
- Date of birth; and
- Address.
Under the new system, study permit applicants will now need both a letter of acceptance (LOA) and a PAL to apply to IRCC for their study permit. Previously international students only required the former. The number of allocations given to a province or territory will be based on their respective populations.
Only British Columbia and Alberta have disclosed their plans to provide PALs to students thus far. Students that meet all eligibility requirements will receive PALs through both systems through their DLIs, which will then apply to the provincial government.
The federal government has set a deadline of March 31, 2024, for the province governments to design and put into place their PAL delivery systems.
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