Ottawa: Canada has announced a reduction in the number of international student permits starting in 2025, along with stricter rules for foreign workers, as part of efforts to curb the rising number of temporary residents. This decision follows recent restrictions aimed at controlling record immigration levels, which pushed the country’s population beyond 41 million earlier this particular year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has cited the pressure of high immigration on housing, the job market, and the social services as key reasons for the policy change. Immigration Minister Marc Miller emphasized that coming to Canada is a privilege, not a right, underscoring the government’s stance on limiting temporary residents.
In 2025, the Canada government plans to issue 437,000 study permits for international students, a significant reduction from the 485,000 issued in 2024 and over 500,000 in the year 2023. New restrictions will also be applied to work permits for spouses of some international students and foreign workers. Additionally, Canada will enhance visa scrutiny to address the growing number of fraudulent or rejected asylum claims.
These measures are part of a broader strategy to reduce the temporary resident population to 5% of Canada’s total population, and down from 6.8% recorded in April, as the government works to manage immigration more effectively.
