Students

A Statistics Canada report reveals that nearly one in four study permit holders in Canada in 2019 were not enrolled in public post-secondary institutions. In 2019, a total of 717,300 students held Canadian post-secondary study permits. Of this number, 24% (172,152 students) did not enrol in post-secondary institutions.

The time that international students spend studying online from outside Canada now counts toward a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

Ontario’s public colleges are facing major financial pressure following a sharp drop in international enrolment caused by the federal cap on study permits and new Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) rules.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has launched the Regional Economic Development through Immigration (REDI) pilot program, aimed at addressing labor shortages in four rural and northern regions: Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Sarnia-Lambton, and Thunder Bay. Running from January 2 to December 31, 2025, the program will bring up to 800 highly skilled immigrants to Ontario.

The province of Ontario on July 20, 2017 announced that applications for the Employer Job Offer Stream for Foreign Workers and International students are now being accepted.

The Canadian province of Ontario has reopened two popular immigration streams for international post-graduates who studied in the province:

The Masters Graduate Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program reached its intake limit in less than an hour in the most recent intake period on April 5, 2018.

Ontario has announced its plan to prioritize public universities and colleges for 96% of its international study permits in 2024, leaving the rest for private universities and other institutions. This strategy aims to support the provincial labor market by focusing on postsecondary programs that prepare students for high-demand jobs in sectors like skilled trades, healthcare, STEM, hospitality, and childcare, while also emphasizing French-language skills.

Ontario has made room for 6,000 health care workers to fill labour shortages by the end of March.

Starting in 2026, Ontario will reserve 95% of medical school seats for provincial residents and 5% for other Canadians, effectively limiting international student admissions to cases where seats go unfilled. Previously, about 88% of medical school spots were held by Ontario residents, with 12% allocated to other Canadians and international students. Under the new policy, 95% of seats will go to Ontario residents, with 5% to students from other provinces.

Five provinces have issued invitations in the most recent round of draws through provincial immigration programs.

More than 300 immigration candidates managed to register successfully in the recent opening of Ontario’s Masters Graduate Stream before a technical error brought it to a premature end.

Spouses, partners, and dependent children who accompany an international student or foreign worker can get open study permits that are not tied to a specific DLI and are PAL-exempt. This means they do not need:

The strong effect of parental education on child’s education has policy implications. By selecting highly educated immigrants, Canada is able to maintain strong educational outcomes among the next generations.

Starting November 1, international graduates applying for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) must meet new field of study requirements, except for those with bachelor's, master’s, or PhD degrees. Eligible fields align with Canada’s labour market needs and follow the occupation-based Express Entry categories introduced in 2023. These include agriculture, healthcare, STEM, trade, and transport.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that it will not change the list of Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligible fields of study in 2026. The update was posted on January 15, 2026.

Canada's Federal Court announced a Study Permit Pilot Project starting October 1, aimed at reducing the time to review rejected study permits from up to 18 months to under five months.

The Canadian government is looking at ways to ease the immigration process for foreign students in Canada and more straightforward. Minister John McCallum stating that "We should be doing everything we can do to court them,” he added these foreign graduates are “the cream of the crop”.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced his intention to curtail Canada's population growth if elected, arguing that the Liberal government has undermined the immigration system. He criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's approach, claiming it has led to a "radical" increase in international students and temporary foreign workers, disrupting public consensus on immigration.

As part of today’s press conference, Minister Miller also made two Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) related announcements.