IRCC releases allocation of study permits for all provinces
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released a statement explaining how it has arrived at the final allocation of study permits each Canadian province has received for 2024.
Following the announcement on January 22 that the department would implement a cap on the number of study permit applications that will be processed each year, IRCC clarified that each province would receive an allocation of study permits it could issue to international students and that the number of permits would be based on the province’s population.
Today, Immigration Minister Marc Miller clarified IRCC’s methodology for how it arrived at these numbers, as well as shared the final allocation of study permits for each province.
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How the allocation is distributed
Provinces and territories received their allocation of study permit applications based on their population.
The department notes without adjustments, that this system would result in some provinces and territories getting more international students in 2024 than they did in 2023 while others would have less.
IRCC says it adjusted allocations for provinces that would receive a lower allocation of study permits to lessen any negative impact.
Those provinces that were poised to receive more international students in 2024 than in 2023 had their allocations capped at 10% of their population.
Finally, the department also topped up the allocations for provinces with an approval rate lower than 60%. It says this will help these provinces reach their expected number of approved study permits.
Ontario receives the largest allocation
Ontario received the largest allocation of study permits at 235,000. It is Canada’s most populous province and according to IRCC’s official list, it has 530 designated learning institutions (DLIs). However, the province recently revealed that 96% of its allocated study permits will go to public universities and colleges. This means very few private institutions in the province will be able to accept international students.
Other provinces also received a large portion of the overall allocation. After adjustments for population and approved study permits, Quebec has an allocation of 117,917 study permits.
British Columbia previously announced its allocation of 83,000 study permits in March with almost equal distribution between public and private institutions.
Alberta, which is home to 11.67% of Canada’s population had its allocation capped at 10% resulting in an overall study permit allocation of 40,894.
Nova Scotia earlier reported an allocation of 12,900 study permit allocations. However, IRCC’s new data shows that the province has received a top up of 7,472 permits, resulting in an overall allocation of 20,378 study permits.
The final allocation for each province and territory is as follows:
| Province/Territory | PT Allocations (A) | Projected Study Permits Approved (B) | Change from 2023 (%) | Top-Up (C) | Revised PT Allocations with Top-Up (A+C) | Projected Study Permits Approved (same as B) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 40,894 | 24,537 | +10 | N/A | 40,894 | 24,537 |
| British Columbia | 83,000 | 49,800 | -18 | N/A | 83,000 | 49,800 |
| Manitoba | 15,233 | 9,140 | -10 | 3,420 | 18,652 | 9,140 |
| New Brunswick | 9,279 | 5,567 | -10 | 5,372 | 14,651 | 5,567 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,365 | 1,419 | +10 | 788 | 3,153 | 1,419 |
| Northwest Territories | 333 | 200 | +4900 | N/A | 333 | 200 |
| Nova Scotia | 12,906 | 7,744 | -10 | 7,472 | 20,378 | 7,744 |
| Nunavut | 333 | 200 | +6567 | N/A | 333 | 200 |
| Ontario | 235,000 | 141,000 | -41 | N/A | 235,000 | 141,000 |
| Prince Edward Island | 2,004 | 1,202 | -10 | 308 | 2.312 | 1,202 |
| Quebec | 72,716 | 43,629 | +10 | 45,202 | 117,917 | 43,629 |
| Saskatchewan | 12,043 | 7,226 | +10 | 3,011 | 15,054 | 7,226 |
| Yukon | 417 | 250 | +205 | N/A | 417 | 250 |
| Total | 486,523 | 291,914 | -28 | 65,572 | 552,095 | 291,914 |
IRCC caps permits processed, not issued
The cap on study permits issued and the cap on study permits that IRCC will process are not the same.
In previous weeks, the immigration minister clarified that IRCC does not have the authority to cap the number of approved study permits. However, the department can cap the number of study permit applications that are processed.
So, basing the cap for study permits on a national approval rate of 60%, IRCC says that the estimated cap of study permits issued is derived from the number of study permit applications it will process. In this instance, the department says it will process 606,000 applications.
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