Canada further reducing the number of international student permits

The Liberal government says it will slash the number of international student permits it issues by another 10 per cent.

The government says the new target for 2025 and 2026 will be 437,000 permits. In 2024, the target was 485,000 permits.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday the government expects the changes to "yield approximately 300,000 fewer study permits" over the next three years.

Ottawa is also putting new limits on work permits for spouses of both foreign workers and students in master's degree programs.

Earlier this year, the Liberal government announced a temporary cap to reduce the number of new student visas by more than a third this year.

Those changes followed significant scrutiny of the international student program as experts warned that strong population growth was putting pressure on an already strained housing market.

Miller said the measures the government has taken until now are working, citing "more than anecdotal evidence that there has been an impact on certain rental markets where students are more prevalent."

He acknowledged it has been a turbulent year for universities and colleges, which want predictability, but said he expects them to adjust to the new rules.

"I've told post-secondary institutions several times that they need to adjust their recruitment practices," he said. "I have told them that the cost of acquisition of international students is certain to increase."