Canada

Canada’s new study permit approval rating dropped to 36% last year, as the number of first-time students coming to the country plunged well below Covid-era levels, recent IRCC data has revealed.

EC English Language Centres has decided to close two of its language hubs following a strategic review of the business.

The Canadian government has announced international students undertaking work placements as part of their studies will no longer be required to secure separate work visas in addition to their study permits.

Following the Auditor General's exposure of federal shortcomings, Philipp Reichert asks what's next for Canada's International Student Program and whether policymakers are capable of setting targets, measuring outcomes and collaborating with provinces and territories.

Canada's Auditor General report has laid bare the failings of International Student Program Reforms – driven largely by policy design and implementation failure rather than market forces, writes Philipp Reichert, in the first of a two-part series.

Canada’s auditor general has given a failing grade to the Mark Carney government’s attempt to improve the International Student Program, citing plunging study permit approval rates and poor relations with the provinces.

The Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy, focusing on exchanges, hybrid campuses, scholarships and AI partnerships, places education and research at the centre of efforts to rebuild ties after a two-year diplomatic rift.

Under the new pathway, students can transition from Canadian language education into a degree or diploma across public and private partner institutions while remaining on the same study permit.

Canada is looking to the Asia Pacific region for partnerships and collaboration as it deals with what sector leaders describe as a national “policy vacuum”.

University of Guelph president Dr. Rene Van Acker said greater system-wide oversight and coordination would have been beneficial, as Canadian universities expand transnational education in India amid falling international student arrivals.

New student arrivals to Canada saw a 61% year-on-year decline in 2025, as two years of study caps and falling approval rates continue to wreak havoc on the sector.

A new initiative linking Canada's McGill University, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia is set to expand professional training and research capacity across key sectors in Indonesia.

The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) is the first public post-secondary institution to announce it is closing in the wake of Canada’s cap on student permits.

After a year of record lows in Canada, charting a path towards stability in 2026 will depend on visa processing reform and shifting political discourse, say experts, entering the year with a cautious sense of hope.

From continued caps and cuts to political shakeups and reputation rebuilding, 2025 was another turbulent year for Canadian international education – here are the stories that sum it up.