Canada announces international student cap numbers for 2026 and updated programme guidance

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced this week that it expects to issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026. That number includes the 155,000 new study permits previously announced in the Immigration Levels Plan, along with 253,000 extensions for current and returning students.

For context, IRCC notes that that projected total for 2026 is 7% lower than the 2025 target of 437,000 and 16% lower than the 2024 target of 485,000.

There are three additional points of context that are important to our thinking about those cap limits for next year.

First, they now exclude master’s and doctoral degree students enrolled at public institutions. Those students are currently counted under the cap but will be exempt as of 2026.

Second, Canada is nowhere close to its current cap limits with study permit application volumes and study permit issuances trending well below IRCC targets for 2025.

Finally, study permit approval rates are trending well below historical norms this year. The approval rate for new study permit applications through the first half of 2025 was just over 30%. That compares to an approval rate of 51% for applications processed in the same period in 2024.

The following chart from IRCC breaks down the 2026 target into key student categories, both those exempted from the enrolment cap (masters, doctoral, and K-12 students) and those that require a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) in order to apply for a study permit under the enrolment cap.

IRCC's updated cap breakdown for 2026 provides detailed allocations and targets for each province and territory in Canada, both in terms of expected study permit issuance and with respect to the allocation of PAL/TALs for each region as well.

Perhaps the most important observation that could be made of those totals may be that they suggest an easing of study permit processing in the year ahead, with the expectation that approval rates will return to something closer to historical norms of 50%+.

The IRCC outline anticipates nearly 310,000 study permit applications for students captured under the enrolment cap, from which the ministry expects to issue 180,000 study permits. Those totals indicate a projected approval rate of 58%, which is nearly double the current approval rate in 2025.

Updated programme guidance

In updated guidance issued on 24 November 2025, IRCC provided some important updates for Canada's international student programme.

First, "Students who are transitioning from secondary to post-secondary studies and have submitted their application for a post-secondary study permit prior to their current study permit expiring may begin their studies at the post-secondary designated learning institution (DLI) while they wait for their application to be finalised."

Second, IRCC has also provided some clarifying detail for students enrolled in joint programme (that is, at two institutions) resulting in a single credential. IRCC advises that such students require a PAL/TAL for the province or territory in which the institution issuing the credential is based. Such students will also require a single study permit for the institution issuing the credential for the entire duration of their studies.

For additional background, please see:

• "Canada announces new incentives for international recruitment of master’s and PhD students"
• "Canada cuts foreign enrolment cap by nearly 50% as current year trends below COVID levels"