Canada keeps international student arrivals capped at 1.5 lakh per year through 2029

Canada has set its new international student arrival target at 1.5 lakh per year for 2027, 2028, and 2029. Released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the plan means Indian students will continue to face a restricted study permit environment. The target shows that Canada will not immediately return to the higher student intake levels seen before its immigration curbs.

Target Details

The plan sets an overall target of 3.7 lakh new temporary resident arrivals annually. International students will make up 40 per cent of these arrivals, while temporary foreign workers will account for the remaining 60 per cent. The 1.5 lakh student target extends a figure already set for 2027 and 2028 in the previous plan. The target for 2026 is slightly higher at 1.55 lakh, meaning the annual allocation drops by 5,000 from 2027 onwards. The government also maintains its target of 2.2 lakh new temporary workers each year.

Permanent Residents And Indian Students

Permanent resident admissions will stay at 3.8 lakh annually between 2027 and 2029. Economic immigration will make up 64.4 per cent of these admissions, family reunification will account for 21.3 per cent, and refugees will make up 13 per cent. Study permits issued to Indian students fell from 2,78,045 in 2023 to 1,88,465 in 2024, a drop of 32 per cent. The fall continued in 2025, with IRCC data listing 94,025 Indian study permit holders whose permits became effective that year. India remained the largest source country, accounting for 24.6 per cent of all study permits that year. Between January and August 2026, Canada recorded 65,240 new international student arrivals across all nationalities, compared with 2,21,680 during the same period in 2024, representing a 71 per cent decline. The 1.5 lakh figure is a national target and not a separate quota for Indian students.

Context

Canada has long been one of the top destinations for higher education among Indian students seeking global degrees and post-study work opportunities. Recent policy changes reflect growing domestic pressures regarding housing and public infrastructure tied to rapid population growth from temporary residents.