CIMM – International Student Population – October 24, 2023

Study Permit Applications Received (Excluding Extensions)

2018	345,661
2019	425,679
2020	316,400
2021	556,755
2022	714,872

Student Permit Applications Processed (Excluding Extensions)

Student Permit Applications Processed	2018	343,948
Refused	34%	114,995
Withdrawn	0%	1,061
Approved	66%	227,892

Student Permit Applications Processed	2022	745,279
Refused	43%	318,387
Withdrawn	1%	6,186
Approved	56%	420,706

Transitions to PGWP and Permanent Residence

**New PGWP Holders**
2018	74,482
2019	95,726
2020	120,583
2021	128,944
2022	132,367

**PR Admissions Who Ever Held Study Permit**
2018	53,784
2019	58,516
2020	40,915
2021	157,296
2022	94,552

Profile of Study Permit Holders

2018
China	24%	171,474
India	29%	207,944
Other	47%	338,329
2022
China	12%	128,265
India	39%	396,809
Other	49%	502,594

**Study Permit Holders by Citizenship**
2018		2022
Total (All Countries)	717,747	Total (All Countries)	1,027,668
India	207,944	India	396,809
China	171,474	China	128,265
Korea	33,303	France	38,185
France	31,346	Philippines	37,710
Vietnam	22,069	Iran	26,319
Brazil	19,524	Nigeria	25,913
United States	18,286	Korea	22,795
Nigeria	14,196	Vietnam	21,442
Japan	13,119	Mexico	19,453
Iran	12,403	Brazil	19,452

**Study Permit Holders by Level of Study**
2018		2022
Language	55,258 = 8%	Language	31,535 = 3%
University	294,538 = 41%	University	406,468 = 40%
College	248,172 = 25%	College	428,079 = 42%
K-12	112,136 = 16%	K-12	134,738 = 13%

**Study Permit Holders by PT**
2018		2022
Other	51,658 = 8%	Other	87,228 = 9%
MB	24,127 = 3%	MB	29,169 = 3%
AB	39,341 = 5%	AB	54,385 = 5%
QC	92,506 = 13%	QC	132,497 = 13%
BC	168,782 = 24%	BC	217,323 = 21%
ON	352,051 = 49%	ON	516,180 = 50%
Total	717,747	Total	1,027,668

Ontario accounts for half of all study permit holders in Canada.
Despite the number of study permit holders increasing by over 300,000 in the last five years, the distribution across PTs remains nearly the same.
College has overtaken university as the level of study with the highest number of study permits issued.
In 2022, 28% of study permit holders were studying at a college in Ontario compared to 23% in 2018.

Emerging Trends

**Study Permit Approval Rates for Applicants with a Country of Residence in Africa by Destination Province**
	Quebec (EN)	Quebec (FR)	Rest of Canada (EN)	Rest of Canada (FR)
2019	30%	28%	23%	26%
2020	34%	21%	22%	21%
2021	39%	26%	33%	30%
2022	44%	35%	38%	34%

**Study Permit Holders by Private and Public Institutions**
2018		2022
Public	525,625 = 73%	Public	752,260 = 73%
Private	87,755 = 12%	Private	150,625 = 15%
Not Stated	104,365 = 15%	Not Stated	124,130 = 12%

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Date modified:: 2024-02-05