- Overall arrivals were down to nearly 28% as against January 2025. International student arrivals saw a sharper fall of 37% year-on-year, while worker arrivals declined by around 20%.
Canada has recorded a significant decline in the number of international students and temporary workers entering the country, according to the latest data released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In January 2026, Canada received 7,040 new international students and 11,850 temporary workers. Overall arrivals were down to nearly 28% as against January 2025. International student arrivals saw a sharper fall of 37% year-on-year, while worker arrivals declined by around 20%.
Recently, IRCC confirmed the cap will remain in place in 2026. It is expected to issue up to 408,000 study permits, including extensions. From January 2026, master’s and doctoral students at public institutions will be exempt from PAL and TAL requirements, though the overall cap remains.
As of early 2026, over 4.27 lakh Indian students are studying in Canada, continuing to make it one of the top destinations despite declining inflows. The slowdown is being attributed to stricter visa rules, rising rejection rates — which reportedly touched as high as 74% in August 2025 — and ongoing diplomatic tensions in recent years.
The drop comes amid a broader policy shift by the Canadian government to reduce the number of temporary residents and ease pressure on housing, healthcare, and other public services. Authorities have set a target to keep the temporary resident population below 5% of the total population.
The impact of these measures is also visible in seasonal trends. August, typically the peak intake period for international students, saw arrivals fall from nearly 79,725 in 2024 to about 45,010 in 2025.
The government has introduced multiple changes over the past year to curb inflows. These include capping the number of study permits issued, tightening financial requirements for international students, and mandating stricter verification of admission letters to prevent fraud. Authorities have also capped international student numbers through an annual limit introduced in 2024, with further reductions announced for 2025 and 2026. Additionally, work permit rules have been revised, including limits on low-wage hiring and stricter eligibility criteria for spouses of temporary residents.
Despite the decline in new arrivals, the total number of international students in Canada remains high. As of January 31, 2026, there were approximately 460,695 study permit holders in the country, though the growth rate has slowed compared to previous years.
