Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced provincial and territorial allocations for 2025 under the international student cap.
For 2025, IRCC plans to issue a total of 437,000 study permits, which represents a 10% decrease from the 2024 cap. In 2024, IRCC capped the number of study permit applications that could be accepted for processing, reducing the number of international students coming to Canada by about 40%.
Requirements and Key Details
Since the introduction of the cap last year, most study permit applicants have been required to submit a provincial attestation letter or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL). This requirement now extends to master’s and doctoral students, as well as most applicants applying from within Canada.
To support this change, IRCC is reserving spaces specifically for graduate students. Additionally, a new exemption is now in place for exchange students, ensuring that Canadian students can continue to benefit from reciprocal agreements to study abroad.
The following groups continue to be exempt from submitting a PAL/TAL:
- primary and secondary (kindergarten to grade 12) students
- certain Government of Canada priority groups and vulnerable cohorts
- existing study permit holders applying for an extension at the same designated learning institution (DLI) and at the same level of study.
The International Student Cap by the Numbers
Of the 437,000 study permits expected to be issued in 2025, 120,724 are expected to come from PAL/TAL-exempt students, while 316,267 are expected to come from PAL/TAL-required groups.
Allocations are based on the average approval rate for each province and territory from 2023 and 2024.
DLIs, provinces and territories cannot carry over unused allocation spaces or PAL/TALs from the previous cap year.
With the coming-into-force of new regulations in November 2024, designated learning institutions (DLIs) are now required to participate in student compliance reporting, as well as the letter of acceptance verification process. Failing to do so could result in a DLI being suspended for a period of up to one year, during which it won’t be able to receive new international students.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.