Canada Sees 60% Drop in New International Students in 2025

In the first nine months of 2025, Canada saw a big drop in new international students.

There were 60% fewer students compared to the same time in 2024.

This means 150,220 fewer students came to Canada.

In September 2025, only 11,390 new students arrived, compared to 28,910 in September 2024.

The drop is even bigger for August, with 45,200 students in 2025 compared to 79,770 in 2024.

The Canadian government is giving out fewer study permits this year, 437,000 instead of 485,000 last year.

They also made it harder to get a study permit by requiring an attestation letter from a province or territory.

Additionally, some international students can no longer get a post-graduation work permit, and open work permits are only for spouses of students in master's and doctoral programs.