Shift in Canadian international student caps increases share of secondary school enrolments

Recent data shows a major shift in Canadian international student demographics following federal cap restrictions on post-secondary levels. The overall number of international students in secondary schools or lower remained stable between 115,000 and 125,000 from 2023 to 2025. In contrast, post-secondary international student numbers fell drastically from 544,000 to 263,000 during the same period. Other study sectors also dropped from 47,000 to 21,000, causing the relative share of K-12 students to grow significantly. A Global Affairs Canada study noted that British Columbia and Ontario account for over 80 percent of these primary and secondary enrolments, leading to increased competition for local school board spaces.

#international_students, #study_permits, #student_caps, #secondary_education, #post_secondary, #immigration_refugees_citizenship_canada, #ircc