Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published the Immigration Levels Plan 2027–2029 on 5 November 2026, alongside Budget 2026. It sets the target for newly arriving international students at 150,000 a year in each of 2027, 2028 and 2029.
What the plan says about students
The "Students" row of IRCC's temporary resident table shows 150,000 new arrivals for 2027, and the same figure again for 2028 and 2029. Unlike most other rows in the plan, the students row is given as a single number with no low–high range. IRCC notes that the 2028 and 2029 figures are notional and "will be confirmed or adjusted by November 1 of next year".
That is a reduction from the 155,000 new student arrivals targeted for 2026 — a cut of just over 3%. It is unchanged from the provisional 2027 figure already pencilled in by the previous 2026–2028 plan, so the new plan confirms the direction of travel rather than deepening the cuts.
How students fit into the wider targets
Total new temporary resident arrivals are set at 370,000 a year (range 355,000–385,000) across all three years, down from 385,000 in 2026. Within the 2027 figure, workers account for 220,000 (170,000 under the International Mobility Program and 50,000 under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program) and students for 150,000. Permanent resident admissions are set at 380,000 a year (range 352,500–422,000).
Two points matter for applicants. First, these targets count new arrivals only — they exclude study permit extensions, asylum claimants and most applications made from inside Canada. Second, IRCC defines a study permit here as covering foreign nationals studying for six months or more at a designated learning institution (DLI).
What has not been announced yet
The plan does not set a 2027 study permit cap, and it does not publish provincial or territorial PAL/TAL allocations for 2027. Those are issued separately — the 2026 allocations were published in a standalone notice — so applicants planning a 2027 start should watch for that release. The plan also announces no change to the post-graduation work permit (PGWP), the study permit application fee, or the 24-hour off-campus work limit.
For context on how far actual arrivals sit below target: IRCC data reported by Moving2Canada puts new student arrivals at 114,920 in 2025, about 37.5% of that year's target, and 65,240 from January to August 2026, roughly 42% of the 2026 target with four months still to run. Demand, not just the cap, is now the binding constraint.
What it means for you
A 150,000 target is a ceiling on arrivals, not a queue you can be shut out of on arrival day — but it keeps provincial attestation letters scarce for undergraduate and college applicants, and it keeps approval standards tight. Apply early in the intake cycle, confirm your institution is a public DLI with PAL capacity, and prepare financial documents to the current proof-of-funds level rather than an older figure.
Compare Canada-focused consultancies and verified reviews before choosing an agent, see our student visa approval tracker for how Canada compares with Australia, the UK and the USA, and use the study cost calculator for a full cost estimate.
Sources: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Supplementary Information for the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan (5 November 2026); CIC News (5 November 2026); Moving2Canada (5 November 2026).