Canada Reveals 2026 Student Cap and Allocation Details

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced the finalized provincial and territorial allocations under the international student cap for the 2026 calendar year, confirming a continued strategy to slow the growth of Canada's temporary resident population.

The overall national target for Canada study permit issuance in 2026 is 408,000 permits. This represents a notable 7% reduction from the 2025 target (437,000) and a 16% reduction from the 2024 target (485,000), as Canada works toward its goal of ensuring sustainability in the immigration system.

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New Exemptions in Canada Enrollment Strategy

A key policy change introduced for 2026 aims to prioritize high-skilled talent:

Effective January 1, 2026, Master’s and Doctoral degree students enrolled at public Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) will be exempt from the requirement to submit a Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL). This change is intended to support the attraction of talent crucial to Canada's economic growth and innovation sectors.

Other groups remaining exempt from the PAL/TAL requirement include K-12 students, certain government priority cohorts, and existing study permit holders applying for extensions at the same DLI and level of study.

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Provincial Allocations for 2026 of Application Spaces

The national target for permits requiring a PAL/TAL is set at 180,000. To meet this issuance target, IRCC has allocated a total of 309,670 application spaces across the provinces and territories, taking into account expected refusal rates.

The allocations are distributed based on population, resulting in the following jurisdictions receiving the largest number of application spaces for PAL/TAL-required students:

Each province and territory is now responsible for distributing its assigned allocation of spaces to its designated learning institutions. IRCC stated it will continue to Canada work permit closely with these jurisdictions to ensure the International Student Program aligns with Canada's broader economic and social priorities.

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Source: canada.ca

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