Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has officially published the provincial and categorical breakdown of study permit allocations for 2025. As part of ongoing efforts to manage international student intake, Canada plans to issue 437,000 study permits next year — a 10% reduction from 2024 levels.
To effectively implement this cap, the government introduced the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) system. Under this requirement, most new study permit applicants must obtain a PAL from their destination province or territory to support their application, unless they are in exempt categories such as graduate programs or primary/secondary education.
According to newly released data, IRCC has reserved 73,282 study permits (about 17% of the total allocation) for graduate degree students, including master’s and PhD applicants. This marks a notable increase from the 12% reservation initially announced by the government in September 2024.
An additional 72,200 permits will go to students entering kindergarten through grade 12 — a category that remains exempt from the PAL requirement. Another 48,524 permits are allocated to other PAL-exempt applicants, including some exchange students and those in certain training programs.
The largest share — 242,994 study permits — will be issued to applicants who must obtain a PAL. This group includes most post-secondary students applying for college or undergraduate programs, as well as those in non-degree graduate streams like graduate diplomas and certificates.
The government’s revised approach aims to protect the integrity of the international student program while ensuring that spaces remain available for high-priority applicants such as advanced-degree students.
Provincial Attestation Letters are a core component of this strategy, serving as a mechanism to help provinces and territories manage the number of international students they host each year.
Maple News will continue to monitor policy developments affecting international students and post-secondary institutions across Canada, particularly as provinces begin clarifying their individual PAL processes.