Significant decline in international students in Canada

New data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows a decline in new international student arrivals and the total international student population compared to the same period last year.

In August 2025, there were 45,380 new international student arrivals in Canada, compared to 79,795 in August 2024. This represents a 43.1% decrease.

In this article, “arrivals” refers to the issuance of a new study or work permit.

Year-over-year, there were 132,505 fewer new international student arrivals from January to August 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

The decline in arrivals follows a series of federal government policy changes aimed at reducing Canada’s temporary resident levels to below 5% of the total Canadian population.

Continued decline in temporary resident levels in 2025

Decline in new international student arrivals

From January to August 2025, there were 89,430 new international student arrivals in Canada.

According to IRCC, which is a decrease of 132,505 new international student arrivals compared to the same period in 2024.

Trong Last year’s Immigration Levels Plan, the federal government announced a target of 305,900 for new international student arrivals in 2025.

The number of new international student arrivals up to August 2025 is only 29.24% of the IRCC’s target for the year.

The IRCC will need to issue 216,470 study permits in the remaining months of 2025 to reach the midpoint target for new international student arrivals outlined in last year’s Immigration Levels Plan.

Decline in new worker arrivals

In August 2025, Canada recorded 16,890 new temporary worker arrivals.

This figure is slightly lower than the previous month’s total of 18,450.

Year-over-year, the decline is much sharper. From June to August 2025, the total number of new worker arrivals in Canada was 59,365.

This is a 35% decrease compared to the same period last year, which saw 91,695 new worker arrivals.

Total

From January 1 to August 31, there were 243,945 international students and temporary workers who arrived in Canada.

This is 278,900 fewer arrivals compared to the same period last year.

In last year’s Immigration Levels Plan, the federal government announced a target for total temporary resident arrivals in 2025 of 673,650.

The department will need to issue 429,705 new permits in the remainder of 2025 to reach the midpoint target.

Current temporary resident levels

Study permit holders only

From August 2024 to August 2025, the international student population in Canada decreased by 26%.

Month / Year	August 2025	August 2024
Number of study permit holders	514,540	651,230

The international student population has declined steadily throughout 2025, with a slight increase in August reflecting the typical influx of students for the autumn semester.

Work permit holders only

The latest IRCC data shows a steady decline in the temporary worker population in Canada over the past few months.

	August 2025	July 2025	June 2025
Number of Work permit holders	1,489,645	1,494,905	1,504,575

However, when compared to 2024, the total temporary worker population increased by 4.37%.

	August 2025	August 2024
Number of Work permit holders	1,489,645	1,427,235

The IRCC states that this is because the existing application backlog continues to be processed under the rules that applied when they were submitted.

“As a result, the more significant impacts of the new measures [IRCC has introduced to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada] will only begin to appear several months after they were initiated,” the department stated.

The increase in work permit holders may also be attributed to international students transitioning. Post-graduation work permits.

Work and study permit holders

Finally, the IRCC noted that the number of dual permit holders increased slightly from July to August, but still saw a significant decrease compared to August 2024.

	August 2025	July 2025	August 2024
Number of foreign nationals in Canada with both study and work permits	288,885	286,220	368,815

This data can also help calculate the total number of temporary residents in Canada, which peaked in August 2024.

Canada’s temporary resident levels under scrutiny

Over the past few months, Canada’s temporary resident levels have been a major topic of political discussion.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has called for the elimination of Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

Earlier this year, Mark Carney stated that the government is working on changes to the TFWP.

He added that the programme “must have a focused approach targeting specific strategic sectors, and needs in specific regions.”

It is worth noting that the TFWP is not the primary driver of the temporary worker population in Canada. A larger proportion of work permits are issued under International Mobility Program (IMP).

According to the latest Immigration Levels Plan, the target for the IMP is significantly higher than for the TFWP.

Category	2025	2026	2027
Total TR arrivals and Scope	673,650 (604,900 – 742,400)	516,600 (435,250 – 597,950)	543,600 (472,900 – 614,250)
Workers	367,750	210,700	237,700
International graduates	305,900	305,900	305,900

Canada will announce the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan in the coming weeks, which is expected to include targets for temporary resident immigration for 2026, and nominal targets for 2027 and 2028.