The Canadian government has announced it will maintain its target of welcoming 150,000 international students annually in 2027, 2028 and now also in 2029, following the release of its Immigration Levels Plan 2027-2029.
This extension, revealed on November 5, is part of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) department’s wider goal of welcoming 370,000 new temporary resident arrivals to Canada in each of the next three years.
This target includes up to 150,000 international student arrivals and 220,000 workers annually.
The targets that were set out in last year’s Immigration Levels Plan, which had already set out the 150,000 target for 2027 and 2028, will go unchanged.
The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) “welcomes” the new plan, saying it “provides the stability and predictability” that the bureau and its member institutions “have long been advocating for after years of upheaval and rapid-fire changes to Canada’s immigration policies”.
Larissa Bezo, CBIE’s president and CEO, said the “stable targets” set out in the plan “will allow institutions to plan for the future, establishing recruitment strategies and program offerings guided by the targets”.
She added that it “provides institutions with the longer-term certainty needed to work closely with government, industry and local communities to develop strategies and approaches to ensure Canada can actually meet its target of 150,000 new international students per year.”
According to the most recent data from 2026, we are far from meeting our current targets, making this type of cross-sectoral collaboration key to achieving the targets set out in this year’s level plan
Larissa Bezo, CBIE
“According to the most recent data from 2026, we are far from meeting our current targets, making this type of cross-sectoral collaboration key to achieving the targets set out in this year’s level plan,” said Bezo.
The announcement follows a series of restrictions on international education in Canada, including caps on study permits and tighter eligibility requirements for post-graduation work permits, as the government seeks to reduce temporary immigration.
Universities Canada also welcomed the government’s decision to maintain the 150,000 target through 2029.
In a statement, the organisation said predictable immigration policies were essential to rebuilding confidence in Canada’s international education system and attracting global talent.
Gabriel Miller, president and CEO of Universities Canada, said: “Canada has set ambitious goals for its economic future. Universities are helping to achieve them through the talent they develop, the research they advance and the partnerships they build with businesses and communities.”
He added that universities were working with the federal government to build on these strengths and deliver more for Canadians.
