Study Permit Cap and Online Applications

Summary#

Two new Ministerial Instructions from the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration change how many study-permit applications Canada will accept and how some temporary-residence applications must be submitted. They set a ceiling of 606 250 study-permit applications for a one-year period starting January 22, 2024, 8:30 EST, and require most study-permit applications received on or after that time to include a provincial or territorial attestation letter. Both instructions take effect October 10, 2024.

What it does#

• Study-permit cap and provincial/territorial attestation

  • Limits the number of study-permit applications accepted for processing to 606 250 for the year beginning January 22, 2024, 8:30 EST.
  • Requires most new study-permit applications received at or after January 22, 2024, 8:30 EST to include a provincial or territorial attestation letter showing the applicant has a spot within that province/territory’s allocation.
  • Applications covered by the instructions that arrive without an attestation letter will not be accepted for processing and processing fees will be returned.
  • Several categories are excluded from these requirements (examples: people switching status from student within Canada, primary/secondary students, those entering a graduate master’s or doctoral program, recipients of certain Global Affairs Canada scholarships, participants in specific pilot programs, and persons exempted under certain public policies).
  • Provinces and territories were given allocations (referenced in a Ministerial Statement published April 5, 2024).

• Online submission requirement for applicants outside Canada

  • New applications for temporary resident visas, work permits and study permits from people who are outside Canada must be submitted online (apply online).
  • Exceptions allow non‑online applications for people who cannot apply online (for example, due to a disability), holders of certain travel documents (e.g., some refugee/stateless travel documents), seasonal agricultural workers covered by international agreements, and people covered by a temporary public policy exempting certain Indigenous persons and their family members.
  • Applications received by paper or other non-electronic means after the instructions come into force (except for the listed exceptions) will not be accepted and processing fees will be returned.
  • These instructions repeal the previous online-submission instructions (MI62).
  • Both online-submission rules take effect October 10, 2024.

Who's affected#

• Foreign nationals applying for a study permit whose applications fall inside the scope of these Instructions (many international students).
• Foreign nationals outside Canada applying for temporary resident visas, work permits or study permits (they generally must apply online).
• Provinces and territories, because they issue the attestation letters and have been given slices of the overall 606 250 allocation.
• Designated learning institutions and school programs indirectly, since a cap and attestation process could affect student intake.
• People with disabilities, holders of certain refugee/stateless travel documents, seasonal agricultural workers under international agreements, and Indigenous persons covered by the specified temporary public policy — these groups are explicitly exempted from the online-only requirement and/or from the attestation rule where stated.

Why it matters#

• It limits how many study-permit applications Canada will accept for one year (606 250). That can affect how quickly prospective international students get their applications processed and whether they are accepted into processing at all.
• Requiring a provincial or territorial attestation letter shifts some gatekeeping to provincial governments — applicants will need confirmation from the province/territory tied to where they plan to study.
• The online-only rule for applicants outside Canada aims to streamline processing but may require applicants to have reliable internet access or to rely on the listed exceptions (for disabilities, certain travel-document holders, seasonal worker arrangements, or specified Indigenous exemptions).
• Applications that don’t meet these new requirements will not be processed and applicants will get their processing fees back.