After two years of immigration cuts, including caps on the total number of international students who will be granted student visas, Canada’s international student intake has dwindled to what they were in the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, preliminary data from Statistics Canada shows.
Between the academic years 2003-2004 and 2023-2024, the number of full-time international students in public post-secondary institutions in Canada increased eightfold. But after the federal government pumped the brakes with a student cap in January 2024, the numbers started to dwindle, data shows, falling by one-third.
According to new estimates, the number of full-time international students in public post-secondary institutions decreased four per cent for the academic year 2024-2025 and 26 per cent in 2025-26, Statistics Canada said.
This brings their numbers back to levels recorded in 2021-2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic led to enrolment declining across Canada.
In 2023, the number of international students enrolled in public colleges (288,801) surpassed those in universities (284,160) but the cuts to immigration levels affected college enrolment sharply.
While there was only a slight decline in the year 2024-2025 (three per cent), college enrolment plummeted by 40 per cent in 2025-2026. This marks a 42 per cent decline in international student enrolment in colleges since 2023-2024.
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International student enrolment in universities dropped 17 per cent from 2023-2024 to 2025-2026, dropping to pre-pandemic (2019-2020) levels.
Ontario saw the steepest decline in international student enrolment, dropping six per cent in 2024-2025 and 36 per cent in 2025-2026.
In 2023-2024, Ontario was home to six out of 10 international students in Canada. Last year, that share declined to 54 per cent.
The purpose of the international student cap, which was introduced by the Justin Trudeau government and extended by the Mark Carney government, is to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada to below five per cent of the total population by the end of 2027.
This year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits, including 155,000 to newly arriving international students and 253,000 extensions for current and returning students.
This number is seven per cent lower than the 2025 target of 437,000 and 16 per cent lower than the 2024 target of 485,000, IRCC said in November.
direct democracy is needed with citizens ability to enact and cancel existing laws. what is also needed is an intellectual cut off. laws already don’t allow many people to drive, why people that don’t meet intelligence cut off should vote they hurt themselves and hurt everyone around them. there should be zero immigration for cheap labour replacement. exactly ZERO. there should be programs to build millions of homes for young people because it’s direct future l without it its death in 10-20 years as well as other initiatives in same direction
Hi,
Really informative article on how Canada’s international student enrolment is changing after the new visa caps. It’s important for students to stay updated before planning to study abroad. I also explored helpful UK study resources from Study in UK for comparing better study options.
not good enough, all need to be sent back. Get em outta here
Excellent news 👏
Everytime I go out in public grocery stores, banks,malls and public transit all I see are these international Indian students.this is not Canada anymore 😑
Don’t worry, eventually Canada will be such a S-hit hole they will stop letting these people in out of fear will improve Canada.
STOP bringing these people here! Have you ever heard of WHITE people?
Students are most welcome they should however make arrangements to pay their fees and the people who sponsored them and took responsibilities of paying their fees should comply with their promise of paying their fees they shouldn’t be allowed to work and take jobs away from Canadians,after they graduate they can apply for immigration and then legally work unless they wish to return home and serve their their countries.This is the opinion of vast majority of Canadians.
The government is treasonous, they bring these third “turd” worlders in against the majority of peoples wishes.
Good, ,make it zero.
Justin “The Clap” Trudeau and his progressive sunny ways B.S. turned this country into an unmitigated disaster and “Double Talk Carney ” has done nothing to correct the downfall.
Look over here.. not over there. Paint a complete picture or f off.
Do other nations besides Indians have the right to apply for a student visa in Canada?
I don’t believe it for a second
This will likely cause a downturn in the extortion
But we just granted 30,000 temporary workers citizenship way to go Carney
Numbers are down? Maybe Canadians that have lived and grew up here will be able to find jobs instead of handing them out to newcomers? Maybe there will be fewer car thefts and home invasions committed by people that stay here for a decade on a student Visa?
Weird thing for Stats Canada to say when February 2026 was the literally the second highest month for student Visas issued ever…
Just another way to grift your way in to Canada and never leave are we supposed to cheers these numbers ? Canada the nation that once was admirable is now a wastepit of immigrants, overpriced politicians, unaffordable living conditions, open air drug markets and Trudeau Tent cities. ALLLLLLLYYYY AKKKBARR ………2015 the year the ship hit the iceberg and slowly it is going deeper under water! Elbows up
Good make it even lower
Too many fake student that is being entertained by fake colleges and profit university and being given a student visa by the Liberal weak immigration policy. Too many migrant is coming and feeling entitled to stay while the status they applued fir is “TEMPORARY”, again this the consequences of Trudeau’s Liberal party of fools that is still being implemented by Carney! Canada needs to try another political party rulling and see who can fix what Trudeau and the Liberal broked in Canada!
I don’t see a problem with this as its just more room for Canadian kids. Side Note – According to this news source on another article there are 70,000 visa holders currently in violation of their visa terms somewhere in Canada. A very large chunk of those were student visa’s. Go figure.
Thats cus they use the excuse that they come here school. Once they get that loan poof they vanish.
Cool, now get them down below the 2015 numbers. Covid numbers were still way too high.
Is there even one liberal MP that has a clue?