Canada has officially announced its 2025 study permit allocations, providing a detailed provincial and territorial breakdown along with the implementation of new Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) requirements. This update highlights the country’s strategic adjustments to balance international student intake with its economic and infrastructure capacities, such as housing, healthcare, and other services.

Study Permit Allocations: Provincial and Territorial Breakdown

The federal government has set a cap of 437,000 study permits for international students in 2025, marking a 10% reduction from the previous year. This decision follows an initial cap introduced in 2024, aiming to mitigate challenges arising from rapid population growth due to immigration.

Below is the province-by-province breakdown for 2025:

Province or territoryExpected study permits
for graduate degree students
Expected study permits for remaining students requiring PAL/TALTotal expected number of study permits to be issued to all PAL/TAL-required students
Alberta3,88728,77332,660
British Columbia20,05333,53653,589
Manitoba1,2248,79710,021
New Brunswick1,4005,0306,430
Newfoundland and Labrador1,4563,2084,664
Northwest Territories0220220
Nova Scotia1,9546,3438,297
Nunavut0220220
Ontario21,84194,899116,740
Prince Edward Island2051,0451,250
Quebec19,68353,29472,977
Saskatchewan1,5787,2918,869
Yukon1338339
Total73,282242,994316,276

New Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) Requirements

A significant update for 2025 is the introduction of the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) requirement. The PAL serves as proof that a province or territory has assessed and approved the admission of an international student into its jurisdiction.

To comply with the new regulations, most study permit applicants must now submit a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL or TAL) along with their application. This requirement, which previously applied to certain categories, has been expanded to include master’s and post-doctoral students. The PAL serves to confirm that the student is included within the federal government’s international student cap.

These measures reflect Canada’s efforts to balance the benefits of international education with the need to manage resources and infrastructure effectively.

The department has confirmed that this new requirement is in effect as of January 24, 2025.

It also announced a new exemption: Exchange students will join the group that do not need to submit a PAL or TAL.

Other groups exempted from PAL or TAL requirements include:

  • – Primary and secondary (kindergarten to grade 12) students;
  • – Certain Government of Canada priority groups and vulnerable cohorts; and
  • – Existing study permit holders applying for an extension at the same designated learning institution (DLI) and at the same level of study.

The study permit application cap aligns with the federal government’s goal of decreasing the proportion of temporary residents in Canada’s population.

The Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-2027, unveiled in October 2024, was the first to set targets for temporary resident numbers, including both new study permit holders and work permit holders under the International Mobility Program (IMP). This cap supports the 2025 target of 305,900 student arrivals.

The reduced target for international student admissions, along with stricter regulations on family open work permits and Post Graduation Work Permits (PGWP), aims to curb the inflow of foreign nationals under the IMP. For 2025, the IMP admission target is set at 285,750, with a further reduction to 128,700 for 2026.

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