By Ghazal Fatima
Canada has significantly reduced study permit approvals, dropping from 681,390 in 2023 to 518,125 in 2024. This move is part of the government’s effort to manage the increasing number of international students, addressing issues like housing shortages and rising tuition costs.
The new study permit cap mainly affects private colleges and institutions with limited student support. Provinces like Ontario and British Columbia, which host the most international students, are feeling the biggest impact. Additionally, students now need a formal approval letter from their chosen province or territory to ensure schools can properly support them.
This cap has caused financial struggles for many colleges, leading to program cuts and job losses. Centennial College in Toronto, for example, has suspended 49 programs for the 2025-26 academic year, including journalism, tourism, construction project management, and fashion business and management. Centennial’s president, Craig Stephenson says that the college expects a 43% drop in new international students, meaning nearly 5,000 fewer enrollments. He explained that these cuts are necessary for the college’s long-term survival, even though they affect faculty and staff. Students currently enrolled in the impacted programs, like financial planning, technology foundations, journalism, and community development work, will continue to be supported to graduation, said Craig Stephenson, Centennial’s president and CEO. “We are doing what we must to position the college for long-term sustainability, so that we can keep producing job-ready graduates aligned with labour market needs and continue to serve our communities,” Stephenson said in a statement to Global News.
Other colleges are also making changes. Sheridan College suspended 40 programs, and Seneca Polytechnic temporarily shut down its Markham campus due to fewer expected students.
Many international students are now rethinking their plans. Ayesha Khan, a business student from Pakistan, said, “I worked so hard to get here, and now I’m scared my program might shut down before I graduate.” Similarly, Rohan Patel, a student from India, shared, “I feel stuck. Canada was my dream, but now I don’t know if I should stay or look at other countries like Australia or the UK.”
Despite the challenges, Canada still offers pathways to permanent residency for international graduates. Immigration officials assure that students from recognized institutions who contribute to the economy will still have strong opportunities to stay. However, with stricter policies in place, students and colleges must now adapt to an uncertain future.
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