A statement detailing the process by which Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) determined the final number of study permits every Canadian provinces will receive for 2024 has been made public.
The IRCC clarified that each province would receive an allocation of study permits it could issue to international students, and that the number of permits would be based on the province's population, in response to the announcement on January 22 that the department would implement a cap on the number of applications that will be processed each year.
Today, Immigration Minister Marc Miller released the final distribution of study permits for each province and explained the IRCC's approach for arriving at these figures.
The distribution of the allotment:
Based on their population, provinces, and territories were assigned a certain number of study permit applications.
If no changes are made to the current system, the department observes that some provinces and territories would see an increase in the number of international students in 2024 compared to 2023, while others would see a decrease.
To mitigate any negative effects, the IRCC claims to have modified allocations for provinces that would otherwise receive a reduced number of study permits.
The allocations to those provinces that were expected to have a rise in the number of foreign students in 2024 compared to 2023 were limited to 10% of the total population.
Lastly, the agency increased the funding allotted to the provinces whose approval rate was less than 60%. It claims that by doing this, these provinces will be able to issue more study permits than they had anticipated.
Ontario is allotted the highest amount:
At 235,000, Ontario was allotted the most study permits. It is the most populated province in Canada, with 530 designated learning institutions (DLIs) according to the IRCC's official list. Nevertheless, the government just disclosed that public schools and universities will receive 96% of the study permits it issues. This implies that only a small number of the province's private colleges will be able to take in foreign students.
A significant amount of the total allotment was also given to other provinces. Quebec has been allotted 117,917 study licenses after accounting for population and authorized study permits.
Eight3,000 study licenses were allotted by British Columbia in March, with nearly equal numbers going to public and private universities.
The allocation for Alberta, which is home to 11.67% of Canada's population, was set at 10%, resulting in an allocation of 40,894 research permits altogether.
12,900 research permit allocations were published earlier by Nova Scotia. IRCC's latest data, however, indicates that the province has been allotted 20,378 study permits overall after receiving a top-up of 7,472 permits.
The following is the final distribution for each province and territory:
Province/Territory | PT Allocations (A) | Projected Study Permits Approved (B) | Change from 2023 (%) | Top-Up (C) | Revised PT Allocations with Top-Up (A+C) | Projected Study Permits Approved (same as B) |
Alberta | 40,894 | 24,537 | +10 | N/A | 40,894 | 24,537 |
British Columbia | 83,000 | 49,800 | -18 | N/A | 83,000 | 49,800 |
Manitoba | 15,233 | 9,140 | -10 | 3,420 | 18,652 | 9,140 |
New Brunswick | 9,279 | 5,567 | -10 | 5,372 | 14,651 | 5,567 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,365 | 1,419 | +10 | 788 | 3,153 | 1,419 |
Northwest Territories | 333 | 200 | +4900 | N/A | 333 | 200 |
Nova Scotia | 12,906 | 7,744 | -10 | 7,472 | 20,378 | 7,744 |
Nunavut | 333 | 200 | +6567 | N/A | 333 | 200 |
Ontario | 235,000 | 141,000 | -41 | N/A | 235,000 | 141,000 |
Prince Edward Island | 2,004 | 1,202 | -10 | 308 | 2.312 | 1,202 |
Province/Territory | PT Allocations (A) | Projected Study Permits Approved (B) | Change from 2023 (%) | Top-Up (C) | Revised PT Allocations with Top-Up (A+C) | Projected Study Permits Approved (same as B) |
Quebec | 72,716 | 43,629 | +10 | 45,202 | 117,917 | 43,629 |
Saskatchewan | 12,043 | 7,226 | +10 | 3,011 | 15,054 | 7,226 |
Yukon | 417 | 250 | +205 | N/A | 417 | 250 |
Total | 486,523 | 291,914 | -28 | 65,572 | 552,095 | 291,914 |
Processed IRCC limits permits, not issued:
There is a difference between the cap on awarded study permits and the cap on study permits processed by the IRCC.
The minister of immigration has made it clear in recent weeks that the IRCC lacks the power to limit the quantity of study permits that are granted. The department may, nevertheless, set a limit on the quantity of study permit applications it accepts.
According to the IRCC, the expected cap on the number of study permits awarded is determined by the number of applications it will handle, with the cap being based on a 60% national approval rate. The department claims that it will handle 606,000 applications in this case.