Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced new restrictions on residence programs and a further reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits.
In a statement on the IRCC’s official X page on Wednesday, it stated that the new changes are in a bid to “better manage the volume of temporary residents.”
The IRCC noted that in order to “ensure the temporary residents we welcome to Canada can be supported adequately, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, today announced additional measures to manage the volume of temporary resident arrivals, uphold the integrity of our immigration system, and protect vulnerable people.”
To this effect, “a further reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025 based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued, and then stabilising the intake cap for 2026 such that the number of study permits issued remains the same as 2025. This means reducing study permits issued to 437,000.”
The IRCC also announced that the new restrictions on international students will limit the work permit eligibility of spouses of Masters students.
It mentioned that Canada is “updating the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program this fall to better align with immigration goals and labour market needs.
“Limiting work permit eligibility, later this year, to spouses of master’s degree students to only those whose program is at least 16 months in duration,” and also “limiting work permit eligibility later this year to spouses of foreign workers in management or professional occupations or in sectors with labour shortages—under Canada’s work permit programs (TFWP and IMP)”
Furthermore, it disclosed that “the proposed reduction of temporary residents from 6.5% of Canada’s total population to 5% will be reflected in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which will be released by November 1, 2024.
“Graduates from programs at public colleges will remain eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) of up to three years if they graduate from a field of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage.
“As part of changes to the PGWP Program, all applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum language proficiency in French or English.
“This will increase their ability to transition to permanent residence and adapt to changing economic conditions. A Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 for university graduates and CLB 5 for college graduates will be required for anyone applying for a post-graduation work permit on or after November 1, 2024.”
The IRCC mentioned that its actions, “as well as the additional steps announced today, will strengthen our immigration system and help address the changing needs of our country.
“We have listened to Canadians, including our provincial, territorial, and municipal partners, and other community leaders. We will continue to seek to protect the integrity of our system and responsibly grow our country.”
