Canada Faces Sharp Drop in International Student Enrolments Nationwide

Canada is seeing a major drop in international student arrivals this year.
New data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows a sharp fall in both new arrivals and the total number of international students.

In August 2025, 45,380 new students arrived in Canada. That’s down from 79,795 in August 2024 — a 43.1% decrease. Between January and August 2025, there were 132,505 fewer new student arrivals compared to the same period last year.

IRCC says the decline follows federal efforts to lower temporary resident numbers to under 5% of Canada’s population.

Government Targets Far From Reach

From January to August 2025, Canada welcomed 89,430 new international students.
This is only 29.24% of the federal target of 305,900 set for the year.
To meet that goal, Canada would need to issue over 216,000 new study permits before year’s end — an unlikely task given the current pace.

Temporary Worker Arrivals Also Drop

Canada also saw fewer new temporary foreign workers this year.
In August 2025, 16,890 new workers arrived, slightly down from 18,450 in July.
However, the year-over-year drop is larger.
Between June and August 2025, Canada welcomed 59,365 new workers — 35% fewer than the 91,695 seen in the same months of 2024.

From January to August 2025, the total number of student and worker arrivals reached 243,945.
That’s 278,900 fewer than the same period last year.
To hit the government’s midpoint target of 673,650 temporary resident arrivals in 2025, IRCC would need to issue 429,705 more permits in the last four months of the year.

International Student Population Shrinks

The total number of international students in Canada is also falling fast.
As of August 2025, there were 514,540 study permit holders — down from 651,230 in August 2024.
That’s a 26% decline in just one year.
The student population usually rises slightly in the fall, but overall numbers continue to trend downward.

Work Permit Holders Show Mixed Trends

The number of people holding work permits has dropped slightly in recent months.
In June 2025, there were 1,504,575 work permit holders.
By August, the number fell to 1,489,645.
Still, this figure shows a 4.37% increase from August 2024, when there were 1,427,235 workers.

IRCC explained that this is due to older applications still being processed under earlier rules.
“More significant effects of the new measures will only start to appear a few months after they begin,” the department said.

Many work permit holders are international students who switched to Post-Graduation Work Permits after completing their studies.

Fewer Dual Permit Holders

The number of people holding both a work and study permit also dropped.
In August 2025, there were 288,885 such individuals, down from 368,815 in August 2024.
While numbers rose slightly from July to August, the overall decline remains clear.

Political Debate Over Temporary Residents

Canada’s temporary resident levels have become a hot political topic.
The opposition leader has called for the end of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
Earlier this year, a senior government official said the program needs a “focused approach” that serves specific sectors and regions.

However, the TFWP accounts for a smaller share of work permits than the International Mobility Program (IMP), which continues to bring in most foreign workers.
New immigration targets for 2026–2028 are expected soon, outlining future plans for both workers and students.