505 162 Study Permit Applications 2025: The IRCC has announced that it will invite roughly 505162 international students under the new cap. The changes were in force from January 22, 2025, to December 31, 2025. Applications for 505 162 Canada study permits will be handled up until the cap is reached, at which point no more will be accepted. The study permit cap does not apply to applicants who are holders of temporary resident permits or who wish to renew their study permit at the same DLI.
Allocations based on the study permit cap have already been made by the provincial and territorial governments of Canada. The IRCC’s cap only covers applications that are presently being processed; it excludes the total number of study permits that must be granted this year.
Who does not have to pay the Processing cap?
The following applicants for Canada study permits are not subject to the processing cap:
- At the same DLI and study level, candidates are seeking to renew their study permit.
- Candidates who have a temporary resident permit with a minimum validity of six months and an unenforceable removal order.
- Individuals applying to a Canadian DLI as exchange students
- Applicants to study at a Department-administered Designated Learning Institution (DLI) or Federal agency
- Applicants for non-Canadian scholarships that are managed and funded by Global Affairs Canada.
- Those chosen to participate in the Student Pilot for Francophone Minority Communities.
- Under public policy provisions, candidates who are already in Canada or who wish to enter as a result of pressure or a crisis
- Under the temporary public policy, certain Indigenous people and their families are exempt from meeting the requirements for temporary residence including candidates who do not need a study permit.
- Applicants who are:
a) Protected individuals
b) Under the in-land sponsorship, have a Canadian family member sponsor you.
c) Have a study permit exemption order and have applied for permanent residence in Canada.
d) Are related to any of the individuals mentioned above?
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The distinction between processed and approved study permit applications
| Processed study permit applications | Approved study permit applications |
| By taking this action, the IRCC hopes to restrict the rise in the number of people applying for study permits and temporary residence. | The recently declared cap of 505,162 will not refer to the number of study permit applications that need to be accepted or approved, but rather to the total number of applications that the IRCC will review. |
| Marc Miller said in a statement last year that the IRCC wants to establish a target for study permit approvals. The objective is established by taking into account the total number of study permit denials as well as the number of Canadian students presently seeking to renew or extend their status. | The department will try to meet the approval target for the following year within the processing cap that the IRCC now sets. |
| The IRCC has not yet disclosed how many applications for study permits were granted in 2025. | The Immigration Levels Plan for 2025-27 states that Canada wants to admit 305,900 new students annually during that time. |
