Canada’s leading research institutions hailed a ‘critical win’ on 5 November after IRCC confirmed that international master’s and PhD students will be exempt from the new study-permit cap introduced earlier this year. The U15 group argued that graduate researchers fuel innovation and fill advanced-skills gaps that cannot be met domestically.
Under the exemption, offers issued by U15 universities will not count toward provincial study-permit allocations, freeing schools to recruit globally competitive talent despite tighter undergraduate numbers. U15 CEO Robert Asselin said the move “sends a clear signal to the world’s best and brightest.”
![Graduate students exempted from study-permit cap, say U15 research universities]()
The decision balances two federal priorities: reducing overall temporary-resident volumes while protecting high-value segments that drive the knowledge economy. For corporate R&D teams, the exemption should preserve a pipeline of graduate interns and post-doc candidates eligible for the PGWP and, eventually, Canada’s Express Entry system.
Universities must still verify funds and authenticity more rigorously in light of recent fraud scandals, but they no longer face a numeric ceiling—an operational relief ahead of the January admissions cycle.
Under the exemption, offers issued by U15 universities will not count toward provincial study-permit allocations, freeing schools to recruit globally competitive talent despite tighter undergraduate numbers. U15 CEO Robert Asselin said the move “sends a clear signal to the world’s best and brightest.”
The decision balances two federal priorities: reducing overall temporary-resident volumes while protecting high-value segments that drive the knowledge economy. For corporate R&D teams, the exemption should preserve a pipeline of graduate interns and post-doc candidates eligible for the PGWP and, eventually, Canada’s Express Entry system.
Universities must still verify funds and authenticity more rigorously in light of recent fraud scandals, but they no longer face a numeric ceiling—an operational relief ahead of the January admissions cycle.
