The data shows an overall decrease in study permits from January – June 2024, with the bulk of the decline occurring from April – June after a lag period from when the caps were announced in January.  

“My take, after talking with others, is that it is meeting the federal government’s objectives,” former IRCC citizenship and multiculturalism director general Andrew Griffith told The PIE News.  

“As the caps are implemented at the provincial level, we don’t yet have a comparative analysis of whether the cap is being more stringent with universities or community colleges although it appears to having a greater impact on private post-secondary institutions,” he added. 

The IRCC data, collated by Griffith, includes study permit applications, issuances, and web interest.

From January to June 2024 the number of student applications had decreased by 32%, with the second half of this period highlighting the impact of the cap announcement, seeing applications decline by 47%. 

As compared to 2023 Q1 and Q2 figures, study permit applications have decreased by 32%.

With respect to post-secondary study permits issued, while the overall number decreased by only 1.7% compared to the previous year, during April – June that figure declined by 21.4%, a sharp contrast to the increase of 34.3% from January to March 2024.  

A surge in study permits issued in the March / April period is reflective of seasonal changes dictated by school calendars, Griffith explained. 

Web interest in “get a study permit” has fallen by 26% in 2024 compared to 2023. 

The data signals that the cap – announced on January 22, 2024, took roughly three months to be reflected in the data, “likely reflecting some processing of earlier applications”, with application levels and web interest declining prior to this, said Griffith.