Temporary residents arriving in Canada continue to decline

The number of temporary residents arriving in Canada fell sharply in July 2025, with worker arrivals down 37% and student arrivals down 55% compared with July 2024.

According to the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), 18,500 new workers arrived in Canada in July 2025. This marks a significant drop from the 29,595 who arrived in the same period last year.

Student arrivals also fell sharply. Only 7,685 new international students entered Canada in July 2025, down from the 17,140 who arrived in July 2024.

Overall, Canada received 20,550 fewer new workers and students in July this year than last year.

These figures reflect the federal government’s efforts to reduce the temporary resident population to below 5% of the total population through policy changes and tighter regulations.

Throughout this article, temporary resident refers to the issuance of a new study permit or a new work permit.

The continuing decline in temporary resident levels in 2025

Last month, IRCC published temporary resident data showing that new student arrivals had fallen by 70% and new worker arrivals by 50% over the period from January to June 2025 (compared with the same period in 2024).

These trends have continued, according to the latest data published by IRCC. In total, there was a fall of 235,070 in new student and worker arrivals from January to July 2025, compared with the same period in 2024.

In July there were 26,185 new students and workers arriving. This is a fall of 7.29% on the 28,245 new students and workers who arrived in Canada in June 2025.

Current temporary resident population levels

The international student population has fallen considerably, while the number of foreign workers has risen slightly.

Foreign nationals holding a study permit

In July, the number of foreign nationals in Canada holding a study permit fell by 119,705 compared with July 2024.

Month	July 2025	July 2024
Number of study permit holders	499,365	619,070

Meanwhile, comparing the number of foreign nationals in Canada in July 2025 with the previous month (June 2025) shows a fall of 47,195.

Month	July 2025	June 2025
Number of study permit holders	499,365	546,560

Foreign nationals holding a work permit

The population of foreign nationals holding a work permit has changed only modestly over the past few months.

The number of foreign nationals in Canada as at July 2025 rose by 71,360 (5%) compared with July 2024.

Month	July 2025	July 2024
Number of work permit holders	1,494,905	1,423,545

Meanwhile, the number of foreign nationals in Canada holding a work permit in July 2025 fell slightly compared with the previous month (June 2025).

Month	July 2025	June 2025
Number of work permit holders	1,494,905	1,504,575

The fall in study permit numbers and the rise in work permit numbers is to be expected, as many international students graduate, obtain a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) and remain in Canada as work permit holders.

Because a typical university programme lasts four years, PGWP issuance can lag the issuance of the initial study permit by four years or more.

The federal government began scaling back study permit issuance from January 2024, so the full effect on work permit issuance is still to come.

Individuals holding both a study permit and a work permit

The population holding both a study permit and a work permit fell considerably in July 2025 – both compared with the same month in 2024 and compared with the previous month (June 2025).

Month	July 2025	June 2025	July 2024
Number of foreign nationals holding both a study permit and a work permit	286,465	312,010	356,380

Canada’s temporary resident population peaked in August 2024 at 2,446,523 individuals and has been trending downwards since, with July 2025 seeing a 3% fall on the previous month.

Canada’s temporary resident levels are under close scrutiny

Over the past few years, temporary resident numbers have been the subject of considerable political debate.

Earlier this month, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to be scrapped and for all new permits issued in Canada to be ended.

Poilievre claimed that the federal government had failed to meet the immigration targets it had set, with 105,000 TFWP work permits issued from January to June 2025, against the government’s annual target of 82,000.

Poilievre’s claim is incorrect. The figure of 105,000 includes extensions and renewals of permits for foreign workers already in Canada, whereas the target of 82,000 is a target for new arrivals under the TFWP.

Of the 105,000 permits issued from January to June, new arrivals accounted for only 33,700, or 41% of the government’s annual target of 82,000.

In practice, the TFWP is not the main driver of the temporary foreign worker population in Canada.

The majority of work permits are issued under the International Mobility Program (IMP) rather than the TFWP. Canada’s 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan sets a target of 285,750 new arrivals through the IMP and 82,000 through the TFWP for 2025.

The target for new arrivals under the IMP has been set 55% lower for 2026 (from 285,750 down to 128,700), while the target for new arrivals under the TFWP for 2026 has been kept unchanged at 82,000.

According to data published by Statistics Canada, the changes in immigration policy since the start of 2024 have curbed population growth. From 1 January 2025 to 1 April 2025, the number of temporary residents in Canada fell by 61,111 compared with 1 January 2025, and Canada’s total population rose by only 20,107 (or 0.0%).