Canada has seen one of the most impressive decade-long booms of student visa issuance anywhere in the world. These were few in number until the numbers shot up from 219,000 in 2015 to a shocking high of 681,000 in 2023. This unprecedented increase in new study permit applications has flooded educational institutions. In turn, the government has placed a cap on these applications to give schools the ability to provide sufficient pastoral care for their international students. Consequently, the student visa target for 2025 has been increased to 437,000.
The recent rapid increase in new student visas issued has set off alarms over the ability of Canadian post-secondary institutions to accommodate these new arrivals. The government has noted that schools should only accept students they can “reasonably support,” which includes providing necessary housing and services. Faced with similar challenges, last year, this time without warning, authorities placed a temporary cap on study permit applications. Until recently, applicants needed to get an attestation letter from a province or territory.
Rising Numbers and Government Response
The increase in the number of student visas issued in Canada is particularly dramatic. In 2014, just 219,000 student visas were issued, but by 2023, this number had jumped to 681,000. This trend persisted into 2024, with over 516,000 student visas issued, easily surpassing the government’s target of 485,000. For context, in just the first quarter of 2025, over 96,000 new student visas were issued, showing that the demand is still here.
For all these enrolment numbers, the federal government has shown some willingness to prevent the negative impacts of over-enrolment. In the news Last year, Virginia officials worried that the state’s schools wouldn’t have the capacity to handle that big of an influx of new international students. The cap was meant to address the fact that institutions might have an overwhelming obligation to over-provide housing and other goods and services.
Economic Impacts and Employment Concerns
Perhaps surprisingly, this boom in granting student visas has produced an economic dislocation. And according to recently released reports, the only thing returning students are facing is a monstrous unemployment rate of 20 percent. This represents a three percent rise from 2021. The recent increase in unemployment for recent grads raises alarm bells. It further calls into question whether international education remains a viable route to work in Canada.
Many post-secondary institutions around the country are facing large budget shortfalls this year. The international student enrollment tsunami is beginning to recede due to new immigration restrictions. Consequently, schools are forced to pick up the tab by firing teachers and other staff, slashing academic programs. These measures are indeed warranted considering the severe economic impacts of the shifting terrain of international education in Canada.
Political Reactions and Future Plans
One of the main architectural minds behind the proposal is Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner. Denise Balkissoon Conserving initiative Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner has been making quite the climb. She favors an “immediate and massive” cutting of student visas. This emerging viewpoint points to increasing political pressure for a rethink of Canada’s entire immigration strategy as it relates to international students.
The feds’ five-year immigration levels plan sets targets for admitting new permanent and temporary residents through 2027. But it is too early to say how effective these policy shifts will be at achieving Canada’s wider immigration goals. These changes would be fiscally irresponsible and detrimental to the country’s long-term economic competitiveness and higher education system.
