By Wa Lone
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada will cap the number of international students allowed to enter the country for a second year in a row in 2025, as the government continues to try to ease pressure on housing, healthcare and other services.
Canada will issue 437,000 study permits this year, a 10% reduction from 2024, according to a Friday statement from the immigration ministry.
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.
In 2023, Canada issued more than 650,000 study permits to foreign students, according to government data, taking 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.
Rapid population growth fueled by immigration has put pressure on services, like healthcare and education, and has helped drive up housing costs.
However, international students contribute significantly higher tuition fees compared to 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. This year, master’s and post-doctoral students also will need the letters.
These attestation letters are intended to confirm that students are included within the federal government’s international student cap.
(Reporting by Wa Lone; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Bill Berkrot)
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