Toronto: Canada is looking to transition to getting more graduate international students into the country instead of the previous reliance on undergraduates and even those enrolling for certificate courses, according to its immigration department.
As overall international student admissions decrease, the proportion of students arriving to study at universities is increasing, it said, adding that university students accounted for 40% of new study permit holders in 2025, up from 30% in 2024. Overall, there were 28,200 new international student arrivals in Canada between January and July this year, which was 80% fewer than for the same period in 2025.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC ) said, in a post on Thursday, that it is focused on a “shift towards university-level study”. IRCC stated it was looking at “a more targeted and sustainable International Student Program” and in recent years, had taken action to reduce the overall number of international students in Canada “while refocusing the program on attracting the very best students”.
