Canada Issued Just 84,000 New Post-Secondary Study Permits in 2025 as Extensions Take Over
Last summer, we flagged that study permit extensions were on track to account for the majority of student visa issuances for 2025¹ Now, full-year data is available for 2025, and it shows that extensions accounted for a much larger percentage of the overall number of study permits issued than we anticipated. Students already onshore accounted for 71% of study permit issuances in 2025².
This trend masks the underlying demand realities which Canada’s academic institutions are facing. As we wrote last year.
“Visa extensions outnumbering new visa issuances risks long-term sustainability in Canada’s education sector. A declining volume of incoming students disrupts the continuity of enrolment cycles, posing challenges for institutional planning, resource allocation, and long-term funding models.”
How Many New Student Visas Did Canada Issue in 2025?
The Canadian government issued just 85,000 new post-secondary study permits to international students in 2025:
New Canadian study permit issuances at the post-secondary level fell 65% in 2025 compared to the previous year to 84,000. In fact, the drop in new permits issued last year was comparable to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, study permit extensions for students already onshore continued their steady year-over-year climb. The number of issued extensions has risen every year since the pandemic, reaching 201,000 in 2025. This was 10% higher than in 2024.
Study permit extension data reflects a variety of onshore student journeys, capturing those who need extra time, shift programs, or advance their degree levels. Since November 2024, these figures also include students transferring between institutions, a move that previously fell under their original permit.
Since the implementation of the international student caps in 2024, study permit extensions have captured a much larger proportion of total issuances:
The proportional difference between new permits issued and extensions essentially reversed in 2025 compared to historical trends. From 2021 to 2023, new student intakes consistently drove overall permit volumes, accounting for at least 70% of issuances in each year, and extensions represented the remaining 30%. This ratio flipped in 2025.
Combined, about 285,000 total post-secondary study permits were issued in 2025. This was 33% below 2024, and a 52% drop from 2023.
How Did Canada’s Shift Toward Study Permit Extensions Impact the Provinces?
Extensions accounted for a larger proportion of study permits issued in every Canadian province in 2025. In fact, onshore students accounted for over 60% of all post-secondary study permit issuances in 9 of the 10 provinces:
PEI had the largest ratio of extensions to new study permits, with onshore students representing three in every four issuances in 2025. Manitoba and Saskatchewan had the next largest extensions to new permits ratio, with extensions accounting for 70% and 69%, respectively, of all issuances.
New Brunswick was the only Canadian province in 2025 to issue more new permits than extensions. 55% of all issuances for post-secondary studies was for new students last year, with 45% accounting for the remainder.
Your Institution Can Leverage Capio to Better Respond to The Latest Trends
Canada's international education sector is operating in a new landscape, defined by smaller incoming student populations and the growing prominence of permit extensions. To find strategic opportunities within these changes, institutions will need to understand evolving student pathways and varied regional impacts.
That is the kind of work Capio is built to support. The Capio Engage agentic AI engagement solution enables teams to connect with prospective students early and maintain consistency amid policy changes. Meanwhile, Capio Admit streamlines application reviews, improving processing and decision-making consistency.
Capio helps admissions & recruitment teams adapt to complex trends by providing the latest available data on study permit issuances, approval rates, and processing timelines across provinces and distinct student populations. By clearly identifying where and when demand is changing, Capio equips institutions to better guide their applicants, ultimately helping more students successfully secure their study permits and focus on their education in Canada.
Key Findings
The total number of post-secondary study permits issued fell to 285,000 in 2025, down 33% year-over-year.
New post-secondary study permits fell by 65% year-over-year, with extensions accounting for 71% of all post-secondary visa issuances.
9 of 10 Canadian provinces saw extensions account for over 60% of post-secondary study permit issuances.
A declining volume of incoming students disrupts the continuity of enrolment cycles, posing challenges for institutional planning, resource allocation, and long-term funding models.
Footnotes
The terms "student visa" and "study permit" are commonly used interchangeably for Canadian international students. Canada issues study permits—documents that allow accepted international students to enroll in classes at Canadian institutions. Accepted students are also usually issued a visitor visa (or Electronic Travel Authorization, where applicable) to permit entry to Canada for their studies. In this article, the terms "student visa" and "study permit" are used interchangeably.
All data is sourced from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) unless otherwise noted.
