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Canadian study visa approvals to drop by half in 2024: Report
The decline is expected to affect Indian students the most, as they form a large portion of Canada’s international student population.
Canadian study visa approvals are expected to drop by nearly half this year a new report by ApplyBoard, a Canadian educational technology company that connects international students with universities, found.
The report claims that study permit approvals will decline by nearly 50 percent, with just over 231,000 permits expected by the end of 2024, compared to 436,000 in 2023.
The report attributes this decline to stricter immigration policies and heightened financial requirements, and cites data from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). It also forecasts a 39 percent overall decline in global applications for Canadian study permits in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The Canadian government has implemented several policy changes aimed at reducing the number of foreign students, citing sustainability concerns. One notable change includes the introduction of higher financial requirements. In December 2023, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that students seeking study permits must now show proof of at least $20,635, double the previous requirement of $10,000.
Additionally, a cap on international student intake was imposed in January 2024, aiming to decrease student numbers by 35 percent compared to 2023. Applications for postgraduate programs, which are not subject to the cap, have also seen declines. From January to June 2024, only 114,000 study permits were approved, down 48 percent from the same period in 2023.
This policy shift has particularly impacted Indian students, who represent a significant portion of Canada’s international student population. In 2022, over 226,000 of 550,000 international students in Canada were from India.
While approvals have dropped, the busiest period for processing study permits occurs in the summer and early fall, leaving room for a potential rebound. However, early indicators suggest Canada’s target of 364,000 study permits in 2024 may not be met.
“While Canada is still perceived as a safe and high-quality destination, this data shows that Canada’s ability to attract new students is capable of changing quickly, causing ripple effects across the international education sector,” the report stated.
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