Study Permits Update — July 20, 2026
Monday, July 20, 2026
Canada set its 2026 international student cap at 408,000 study permits — 7% lower than 2025's target of 437,000 and 16% lower than 2024's target of 485,000 — as part of a broader effort to reduce the temporary population below 5% of Canada's total population by end of 2027.
As of January 1, 2026, master's and doctoral students enrolled at public Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) no longer need a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL) to apply for a study permit, and doctoral students are now eligible for expedited processing (as fast as two weeks).
Undergraduate international students are still subject to tighter provincial quotas, with provinces like Ontario and BC facing more selective admissions under the cap.
What You Should Do
- If you are applying for a master's or doctoral study permit at a public DLI for 2026, confirm your school is on IRCC's list of eligible public DLIs (to be published at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship) before submitting your application — you do NOT need to obtain a PAL/TAL.
- If you are a doctoral student, check IRCC's website at canada.ca/express-entry or the study permit portal to confirm eligibility for expedited processing (as little as 2 weeks), which took effect January 1, 2026.
- If you are an undergraduate international student planning to apply for Fall 2026, contact your target province's DLI directly to confirm PAL/TAL availability and quota space before paying any deposits, as caps are tighter in Ontario and BC.
- If you are a current study permit holder seeking an extension, note that 253,000 of the 408,000 permits are reserved for extensions — apply for your extension well before your current permit expires at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/extend-study-permit.html.
Sources
Topics Covered
International Student Cap Reduction: Canada officially set the 2026 study permit issuance target at 408,000 — down 7% from 2025 and 16% from 2024 — with the goal of reducing the temporary population to under 5% of Canada's total population by end of 2027. The number of study permit holders has already dropped from over 1 million in January 2024 to about 725,000 by September 2025.
Graduate Student PAL Exemption: Effective January 1, 2026, master's and doctoral students at public DLIs are permanently exempt from the PAL/TAL requirement, removing a key cost and processing barrier. Doctoral students also gain access to expedited study permit processing in as little as two weeks.
2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan: The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan targets 155,000 newly arriving international students and 253,000 permit extensions in 2026, with an overall issuance ceiling of 408,000 study permits as part of broader temporary population stabilization efforts.
More Study Permits Updates
Study Permits Update — July 16, 2026
Jul 16, 2026
Study Permits Update — July 13, 2026
Jul 13, 2026
Study Permits Update — July 9, 2026
Jul 9, 2026
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