Study Permits Update — September 24, 2026
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Canada set its 2026 international student cap at 408,000 study permits total — 155,000 for new arrivals and 253,000 for in-Canada extensions — a 7% drop from 2025 and 16% below 2024 levels.
Most applicants must obtain a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) or Territorial Attestation Letter (TAL) before IRCC will process their study permit; once a province's allocation is exhausted, IRCC stops accepting applications from that province's designated learning institutions and refunds fees.
The cap is part of Canada's broader goal to reduce its temporary resident population to below 5% of the total population by end of 2027; study permit holders have already fallen from over 1 million in January 2024 to roughly 725,000 by September 2025.
What You Should Do
- If you plan to apply for a Canadian study permit in 2026, contact your intended Designated Learning Institution (DLI) immediately to confirm they still have PAL/TAL spaces available in their province — once provincial allocations run out, IRCC will not accept your application.
- Check your province's PAL/TAL allocation status and application process on the IRCC official page at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit.html before submitting any study permit application or paying fees.
- If you are a graduate student or applying through a joint programme, verify whether you qualify for a PAL/TAL exemption by reviewing the updated IRCC compliance guidance — exemptions have been extended to new applicant categories for 2026.
Sources
Topics Covered
International Student Cap Reduction: IRCC confirmed the 2026 study permit cap at 408,000 — down 7% from 2025 and 16% from 2024 — split between 155,000 new arrivals and 253,000 in-Canada extensions, with PAL/TAL requirements still in place.
Graduate Student PAL Exemption: Graduate students and joint programme applicants have had PAL/TAL exemptions moved from announcement to active workflow for 2026, according to updated IRCC compliance guidance.
Study Permit Financial Scrutiny: The PAL/TAL system continues to act as a gatekeeping mechanism, with IRCC refunding processing fees when provincial caps are hit, adding financial and timing risk for applicants who apply without confirming space availability first.
More Study Permits Updates
Study Permits Update — October 1, 2026
Oct 1, 2026
Study Permits Update — September 17, 2026
Sep 17, 2026
Study Permits Update — September 14, 2026
Sep 14, 2026
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