Fewer foreign students and workers entered Canada in first half of 2025, Ottawa says

New data released by the federal government show that the number of international students coming to Canada dropped significantly in the first half of the year.

Figures show there were 214,520 fewer arrivals in Canada between January and June of 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year.

Of those, 88,617 represented a reduction in the number of new student arrivals, while the remainder, 125,903 fewer arrivals, was a drop in new foreign workers.

For the month of June, there were 4,185 new student arrivals this year, compared to 11,287 last June. Those numbers tend to climb with the start of the new school year — last August saw an influx of almost 80,000 international students — but July and August numbers for 2025 when they are calculated are likely to continue the trend of fewer arrivals.

In 2024 the government announced a cap of approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35 per cent from 2023. For 2025 a further 10 per cent reduction was announced.

“We have committed to returning immigration to sustainable levels, including reducing Canada’s temporary population to less than 5 per cent,” the government said in releasing the latest figures.

It noted that the numbers only include new study and work permits. They do not cover asylum claimants, permit extensions, seasonal agricultural workers, or workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program who are in Canada for fewer than 270 days in the same calendar year.

“These workers meet immediate labour needs, often in industries like tourism or construction,” the government said in its release.

In 2023, stories of foreign students being unable to find proper housing and sometimes turning to food banks caused widespread discussion about whether Canada was letting in too many people, with negative effects on housing costs and availability.

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