Canada's 2026 Study Permit Cap: What 408,000 Really Means for Students

Canada plans to issue up to 408,000 study permits in 2026, but only 180,000 of those are for students who need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL), and IRCC will accept at most 309,670 such applications. The rest go to K-12 students, master’s and PhD students at public institutions, other exempt groups, and students extending permits they already hold.

Key points

• 408,000 total permits for 2026: 155,000 new arrivals and 253,000 extensions (IRCC, November 25, 2025).
• The total is 7% below 2025 (437,000) and 16% below 2024 (485,000).
• 180,000 permits and 309,670 applications for PAL/TAL-required students.
• Master’s and PhD students at public DLIs no longer need a PAL from January 1, 2026.
• Ontario has the biggest share; Nunavut has none.

The 408,000 total, broken down

IRCC splits the 2026 total into four groups:

Group	Permits (new and extensions)	Needs PAL/TAL?
PAL/TAL-required applicants (mostly college and undergraduate)	180,000	Yes
Primary and secondary (K-12) students	115,000	No
Other exempt applicants	64,000	No
Master’s and doctoral students at public DLIs	49,000	No
Total	408,000

The headline number sounds large, but most international students in college diploma or undergraduate programs compete for the 180,000 PAL/TAL-required places.

Why the application cap is higher than the permit target

IRCC does not cap the number of approvals directly. It caps the number of PAL/TAL-required applications it will accept for processing: 309,670 in 2026. IRCC based the gap between 309,670 and 180,000 on each province’s approval rates in 2024 and 2025, so that the expected approvals land near the target.

For applicants, this means two things. First, a PAL does not guarantee approval; you still have to meet every study permit requirement. Second, provinces with lower past approval rates got relatively more application spaces per permit.

Allocations by province and territory

Province or territory	Permit target	Application allocation
Ontario	70,074	104,780
Quebec	39,474	93,069
British Columbia	24,786	32,596
Alberta	21,582	32,271
Manitoba	6,534	11,196
Saskatchewan	5,436	11,349
Nova Scotia	4,680	8,480
New Brunswick	3,726	8,004
Newfoundland and Labrador	2,358	5,507
Prince Edward Island	774	1,376
Northwest Territories	198	785
Yukon	198	257
Nunavut	180	0
Total	180,000	309,670

Source: IRCC notice. IRCC distributed the 180,000 permit target by population. Nunavut gets no application allocation because it has no designated post-secondary institutions.

Each province then decides how to share its allocation among its schools. That is why one college may stop issuing PALs while another in the same province still has room.

Who is exempt from the PAL/TAL requirement

For 2026, IRCC lists these groups as exempt:

• Master’s and doctoral students at public DLIs (from January 1, 2026)
• K-12 students
• Certain Government of Canada priority groups and vulnerable cohorts
• Current study permit holders extending at the same school and level of study

The full list on IRCC’s PAL page also includes exchange students who pay no tuition to the Canadian school, Global Affairs Canada scholarship holders, and some Quebec vocational programs. See our PAL guide for details.

What changed from 2025

	2025	2026
Total permit target	437,000	408,000
Graduate students at public DLIs	Needed a PAL	Exempt
Study permit proof of funds (single, outside Quebec)	$22,895	$23,448 from September 1, 2026

The 2025 numbers come from IRCC’s 2025 allocations notice. The graduate exemption is the biggest practical change: it moves graduate students at public universities out of competition for PALs.

How the cap fits Canada’s wider plan

The cap supports the government’s goal of reducing temporary residents. The 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets a target of 155,000 new student arrivals in 2026 and 150,000 in each of 2027 and 2028, and aims to bring temporary residents below 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027. Those figures suggest the cap is unlikely to loosen in the near term, though IRCC has not yet announced 2027 allocations.

The next Levels Plan is expected around November 1, 2026. We will track any change on our updates page.

What this means for you

• College and undergraduate applicants: Apply early, and confirm your school’s PAL process and timeline before paying deposits.
• Master’s and PhD applicants at public universities: You skip the PAL, but every other requirement still applies, including proof of funds.
• Students already in Canada: Extensions at the same school and level do not need a new PAL. Changing school or level usually does.
• Private college applicants: Graduate programs at private institutions are not covered by the graduate exemption.

What to do next

1. Check whether you need a PAL using our PAL guide.
2. Ask your school how many PALs it has left for this cap year.
3. Prepare your finances using the new proof of funds amounts.
4. Follow every step in our Canada study permit guide, and see the Canada hub for other pathways.