Canada sets study permit processing limit for 2025
The Canadian federal government has capped study permit applications at 550,162 for the remainder of 2025. The limit will be in effect until December 31, 2025.
The department will only process study permit applications until the cap is reached. After the cap is reached, any further applications will be returned unprocessed and application fees refunded.
This limit is for total applications sent for processing, meaning that the number of study permits that will be approved this year will be lower than that.
According to the ministerial instructions, Canada’s provincial and territorial governments have already received funding for international students, based on the target of processing 550,162 study permit applications.
The federal government limits study permit applications in order to limit the issuance of new study permits, so as to limit the increase in the number of temporary residents.
Who is exempt from this processing limit?
According to the new ministerial instructions, study permit applicants are exempt from the above processing limit:
- Applicants seeking to renew their study permit at the same Designated Learning Institution (DLI) and at the same current level of study.
- Are being sponsored by a Canadian loved one for immigration under domestic sponsorship;
- Have applied for permanent residence in Canada and received an exemption order for a study permit;
- Applicants who are applying as exchange students for a DLI in Canada.
- Applicants applying to study at a DLI administered by a federal department or agency.
- Applicants who have been selected to participate in the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot Project.
Among other.
This year’s processing target of 550,162 applications is considerably lower than the 606,250 applications the department aimed to process last year. In 2024, the IRCC aimed to approve 364,000 study authorization applications.
The IRCC has not yet declared how many study permits it intends to approve over the course of the year.
The Immigration Levels Plan 2025-2027 reveals that the department expects to receive (or land) 305,900 new students each year between 2025 and 2027 – but this is not the number of approved study permits, but rather the number of new international students the IRCC intends to welcome to Canada each year. Due to the time difference between when a student applies for a study permit and when they arrive in Canada to begin their studies, landings and application approvals are not the same.
Find out more about all the exceptions to the government limits. For a complete application without wasting time, contact Immiservices. Our company has qualified professionals who will help you make your immigration journey a success.
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