Program directory · Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
International Students
- Program code
- BGD02 (CI)
- Core responsibility
- Visitors, International Students and Temporary Workers
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
IRCC facilitates the entry of students who wish to study at a designated Canadian educational institution. Before the student’s entry into Canada, IRCC verifies eligibility by confirming that the individual has been selected by the institution; that the proper documentation has been submitted; that financial requirements have been met; and that the student’s credentials and intentions are legitimate. If approved, IRCC issues a study permit. Study permit holders who are engaged in full-time studies are eligible to work on and off campus, as well as under co-op or internship programs. IRCC issues a work permit to approved applicants. Following graduation from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution, former international students may also be eligible to work in Canada under a post-graduation work permit. International students may be required to apply for a visa or an electronic travel authorization. IRCC may also impose terms and conditions on the international student’s stay, such as restricting the student from engaging in unauthorized work and identifying a prescribed period of stay.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Students | This program | 2018-19 – 2028-29 | $399M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Employees (FTEs) 269, against 220 in 2018-19 (+22%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Spending $39M, against $30.1M in 2018-19 (+30%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2021-22 | Employees (FTEs) 428, against 257 in 2020-21 (+67%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Employees (FTEs) 541, against 428 in 2021-22 (+26%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Spending $61.6M, against $47.5M in 2021-22 (+30%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Spending $78.9M, against $61.6M in 2022-23 (+28%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Employees (FTEs) 730, against 544 in 2023-24 (+34%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2024-25 | Spending $104M, against $78.9M in 2023-24 (+32%). | Actual spending (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Planned employees (FTEs) 891, against 669 in 2025-26 (+33%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators added: Percentage of new study permit applications that were processed by IRCC within the established service standards; Percentage of study permit holders who enter Canada in relation to the Levels Plan target (% above or below) | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2026-27 | Indicators dropped: Number of study permit holders who enter Canada; Total monetary contribution of international students to Canada’s economy | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | ≥ 250,000 | 2018 | 356,876 In 2018, over 356,000 study permits were issused to international students for the purposes of studying at a designated learning institution. The International Student Program is demand-driven, and has seen a 13% increase in permits issued since 2017. International students contribute to the cultural, social and economic landscape of Canada. They also address demographic and labour market needs a… | Met |
| 2019-20 | ≥ 250,000 | 2019 | 402,427 In 2019, IRCC issued over 402,000 study permits. The Program is demand driven and has seen an 84% increase in permits issued since 2015. The Program saw significant gains at the post-secondary level. Permits issued for college level studies has seen nearly 180% growth since 2015, compared to a 56% increase in permits issued for university level programs during the same time frame. IRCC works clos… | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 325,000 | 2020 | 256,740 Canada’s International Student Program has seen significant growth over the past few years. The COVID-19 global pandemic has temporarily interrupted the growth trends, but given its size and importance, the international student program and international students will play an important role in Canada’s economic recovery from COVID-19 moving forward. Prior to the pandemic, Canada continued to see… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 325,000 | 2021 | 445,776 In 2021, numbers of study permit holders returned to pre-pandemic levels despite ongoing restrictions to international travel. This could be attributed in part to the temporary facilitations IRCC put in place allowing international students to complete 100% of studies online. | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 325,000 | 2022 | 550,187 In 2022, the number of study permits holders for the purposes of studying at a designated learning institution (DLI) in Canada not only exceeded pre-pandemic levels, but reached an all-time high. The number of international students has been growing steadily since the early 2000. Numbers went down during the height of the pandemic, but have since recovered and continued to grow thanks to distance… | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 400,000 | 2023 | 682,889 In 2023, the number of study permit holders who entered Canada exceeded the target. The government is moving forward with measures to stabilize the number of international students in Canada over the next two years. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 360,000 | 2024 | 516,275 A cap on study permit applications was introduced in Jan. 2024 to manage unsustainable growth, with an issuance target of 485,000. Since the cap applied only to new applications, IRCC subtracted extensions (~97,000) and added a buffer, resulting in a revised target of 364,000 issued permits. The indicator target “≥ 360,000 SP holders who enter Canada in 2024” was set before the cap and will be re… | Met |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ $15B | 2019 | $21B In 2019, the international student population participating in Canada's economy grew to over 828,000. Most recent estimates indicate international students spend approximately $21.6 billion in Canada annually. This surpasses the International Education Strategy goal of attracting more than 450,000 international students to Canada, and $16.1 billion in expenditures by this population (by 2022). | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ $15B | 2020 | $22.3B Data collected from 2018 indicate that international students spend approximately $22.3 billion in Canada annually including tuition. As this data represents economic contributions prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC will review 2020 data (once available) for any insights related to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this indicator and how facilitation of temporary residents’ entry… | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ $15B | 2021 | $23.5B In 2019 GAC estimated that international students contributed $23.5 billion to Canada's economy. This pre-pandemic figure represents growth over 2018. Note: GAC commissions a report on the economic impact of international students periodically. The 2019 figure represents an internal estimate prepared by GAC during a year in which the external report was not produced. | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ $15B | 2022 | $15.4B Given the lag in data availability for this indicator, data corresponds to 2020 and as such falls outside of the reporting period for this Report. In 2020, international students contributed an estimated total of $15.4 billion to Canada’s economy. A GAC study, which assessed the economic impact of Covid-19 on Canada’s international education sector in 2020, showed a significant negative economic… | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ $20B | 2023 | $37.3B After accounting for Canadian scholarships and bursaries, the total annual expenditures of international students, including their visiting families and friends, contributed $37.3 billion to economic activities in Canada in 2021. Note: Due to the two-year lag in data availability for this indicator, the most current data is for 2021. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ $22B | 2024 | $37.3B International students contribute significantly to the economy and help support the Canadian education system. According to a study commissioned by Global Affairs Canada, in 2022, international students: o Total annual expenditures, including their visiting families and friends, contributed $37.3 billion to economic activities in Canada in 2022, translating into a $30.9 billion contribution to Ca… | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 80% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≤ 10% | 2026 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $24.7M | $30.1M |
| 2019-20 | $27M | $39M |
| 2020-21 | $36.3M | $38.2M |
| 2021-22 | $32.1M | $47.5M |
| 2022-23 | $38.8M | $61.6M |
| 2023-24 | $56.2M | $78.9M |
| 2024-25 | $84.7M | $104M |
| 2025-26 | $79.8M | — |
| 2026-27 | $74.2M | — |
| 2027-28 | $69.1M* | — |
| 2028-29 | $70.7M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 174 | 220 |
| 2019-20 | 170 | 269 |
| 2020-21 | 215 | 257 |
| 2021-22 | 281 | 428 |
| 2022-23 | 238 | 541 |
| 2023-24 | 430 | 544 |
| 2024-25 | 782 | 730 |
| 2025-26 | 669 | — |
| 2026-27 | 891 | — |
| 2027-28 | 886* | — |
| 2028-29 | 873* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $24,682,459 | $28,052,755 | $28,444,601 | ||||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $27,033,515 | $27,353,614 | $27,298,487 | ||||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $36,320,302 | $29,704,670 | $29,109,766 | ||||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $32,110,129 | $31,500,053 | $30,776,496 | ||||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $38,806,007 | $37,736,853 | $34,888,278 | ||||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $56,176,096 | $55,712,843 | $57,796,306 | ||||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $84,679,301 | $86,896,149 | $72,001,703 | ||||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $79,764,103 | $53,770,415 | $48,067,258 | ||||||||
| 2026-27 plan | $74,188,302 | $69,146,733 | $70,660,005 | ||||||||
| Actual | $30,089,450 | $38,996,147 | $38,169,129 | $47,493,536 | $61,615,428 | $78,900,684 | $104,043,059 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
