Study Permits Update — October 12, 2026
Monday, October 12, 2026
Canada set its 2026 international student cap at 408,000 study permits total — 155,000 for new students and 253,000 extensions — down 7% from 2025 and 16% from 2024, as part of a plan to reduce temporary residents to below 5% of Canada's total population by end of 2027.
Starting January 1, 2026, master's and doctoral students at public designated learning institutions (DLIs) no longer need to submit a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL) with their study permit application.
Study permit holders have already dropped from over 1 million in January 2024 to about 725,000 by September 2025, reflecting the impact of the cap introduced in 2024.
What You Should Do
- If you are applying for a master's or doctoral study permit at a public DLI starting January 1, 2026 or later, confirm your institution is on the eligible public DLI list (to be published at canada.ca/study) — you do NOT need to include a PAL/TAL with your application.
- If you are a new undergraduate international student applying for 2026, check your province or territory's allocation and PAL/TAL requirements at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/2026-provincial-territorial-allocations-under-international-student-cap.html before submitting your study permit application.
- If you are a current study permit holder whose permit is expiring, apply for an extension early — 253,000 extension spots are available in 2026, but slots are limited by province/territory. Apply through your IRCC secure account at canada.ca/ircc-account.
- Monitor canada.ca for the upcoming list of public DLIs whose master's and doctoral programs qualify for the PAL/TAL exemption — IRCC has stated this list will be published 'soon' (as of November 2025).
Sources
Topics Covered
International Student Cap Reduction: Canada finalized its 2026 international student cap at 408,000 study permits — 7% lower than 2025 and 16% lower than 2024 — with allocations split between 155,000 new students and 253,000 extensions. Study permit holders have already fallen from 1 million to 725,000 since the cap was introduced in 2024.
Graduate Student PAL Exemption: Effective January 1, 2026, master's and doctoral students at public designated learning institutions are exempt from the PAL/TAL requirement when applying for study permits, in recognition of their contributions to Canada's economic growth and innovation.
More Study Permits Updates
Study Permits Update — October 8, 2026
Oct 8, 2026
Study Permits Update — October 5, 2026
Oct 5, 2026
Study Permits Update — October 1, 2026
Oct 1, 2026
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