Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s latest arrival statistics reveal that Canada admitted 53 % fewer new international students and temporary foreign workers between January and September 2025 than in the same period of 2024. The figures—first reported on 14 December by Vanguard’s Diaspora desk—show 150,220 fewer study-permit arrivals and a sharp month-to-month plunge: only 11,390 students entered in September compared with 45,200 in August.
Ottawa attributes the contraction to deliberate policy choices. In 2024 the federal government introduced a national cap on new study permits and reduced it by a further 10 % for 2025, citing housing and infrastructure strains. Additional measures, such as tougher proof-of-funds requirements and stricter verification of Letters of Acceptance, took effect this summer and appear to have deterred some applicants.
Against this backdrop, prospective students, seasonal workers and sponsoring employers may find it useful to work with VisaHQ, an online visa-facilitation service that offers real-time document checklists, application reviews and secure submission for Canadian study, work and visitor permits. Its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) keeps users abreast of the latest IRCC requirements, fee changes and processing times, helping applicants avoid costly mistakes.
![IRCC Data Show 53 % Drop in New International Students and Temp Workers]()
Universities and colleges—especially those that rely heavily on tuition from India, Nigeria and China—are sounding alarm bells. The Canadian Bureau for International Education estimates that international students contribute CAD 22 billion annually and support 218,000 jobs. A prolonged downturn will squeeze institutional budgets, potentially leading to programme closures and staff redundancies.
For employers, fewer arrivals under the International Mobility Program also mean a tighter pipeline of employer-specific work-permit holders. Sectors such as hospitality and agri-food, which rely on seasonal foreign labour, may need to pivot to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and be prepared for more compliance audits and a 20-day LMIA processing target that rarely materialises in practice.
Policy analysts note that IRCC is expected to publish its 2026-28 Levels Plan in February. If the government maintains lower temporary-resident caps, provinces and school associations are likely to lobby for allocations tied to demonstrable housing capacity and regional needs rather than a blanket national limit.
Ottawa attributes the contraction to deliberate policy choices. In 2024 the federal government introduced a national cap on new study permits and reduced it by a further 10 % for 2025, citing housing and infrastructure strains. Additional measures, such as tougher proof-of-funds requirements and stricter verification of Letters of Acceptance, took effect this summer and appear to have deterred some applicants.
Against this backdrop, prospective students, seasonal workers and sponsoring employers may find it useful to work with VisaHQ, an online visa-facilitation service that offers real-time document checklists, application reviews and secure submission for Canadian study, work and visitor permits. Its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) keeps users abreast of the latest IRCC requirements, fee changes and processing times, helping applicants avoid costly mistakes.
Universities and colleges—especially those that rely heavily on tuition from India, Nigeria and China—are sounding alarm bells. The Canadian Bureau for International Education estimates that international students contribute CAD 22 billion annually and support 218,000 jobs. A prolonged downturn will squeeze institutional budgets, potentially leading to programme closures and staff redundancies.
For employers, fewer arrivals under the International Mobility Program also mean a tighter pipeline of employer-specific work-permit holders. Sectors such as hospitality and agri-food, which rely on seasonal foreign labour, may need to pivot to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and be prepared for more compliance audits and a 20-day LMIA processing target that rarely materialises in practice.
Policy analysts note that IRCC is expected to publish its 2026-28 Levels Plan in February. If the government maintains lower temporary-resident caps, provinces and school associations are likely to lobby for allocations tied to demonstrable housing capacity and regional needs rather than a blanket national limit.
