March was the first month in 2024 to see a year-over-year decline in the total number of new study permits, with only 33,000 of those processed compared to 70,000 in March 2023, according to an ApplyBoard analysis of first quarter 2024 data. . More than 52%.
Following the announcement of the cap in January 2024, IRCC allocated a portion of the limit to each of Canada's provinces and territories, allowing them to further distribute their allocation to each learning institution.
IRCC data reflects the effectiveness of the updated policy, as study permit processing for some programs across the country is paused and states must begin the state certification letter process by March 31, 2024, according to ApplyBoard.
The data also suggested a significant decline in the number of study permits approved between January and April 2024.
Between January and April 2024, IRCC processed more than 152,000 college admissions, of which more than 76,000 were approved. According to ApplyBoard analysis, this is an overall approval rate of 50%, 8 percentage points lower than the 2023 average and 5 percentage points lower than the 2022 average of 55%.
The difference in the number of study permits approved this year compared to previous years may be due to fewer applications being processed this year due to undergraduate and some graduate programs being completely shut down for at least a month and longer processing times for study permits.
The average study permit processing time in Canada increased significantly, from eight weeks in January 2024 to approximately 15 weeks in May.
ApplyBoard said the longer processing time is due to the PAL process, which began throughout March. This may have increased processing times for students who delayed submitting their study permit applications to submit their PALs.
The Apply Board estimates that the increased processing time could be reduced to 12 weeks by mid-June, compared to 14 or 15 weeks in May.
If application numbers and acceptance rates remain constant throughout 2024, the number of approved college admissions is expected to reach up to 229,000.
However, as student interest levels and approval rates increase in the coming months, the final study permit approval numbers for 2024 will more closely match the government's limit of 292,000, ApplyBoard predicts.
The new data also brings bad news for the Indian market, with more than 220,000 students heading to Canada for higher education in 2022.
IRCC processed around 45,000 study permit applications for Indian students in January and February 2024, but this number fell to an all-time low of 4,210 in March 2024.
News of January's caps and application freeze is likely to have had a disproportionate impact on applications for study permits in India compared to others.
Board application
“More than 90% of study permits processed for Indian applicants in 2023 were for study programs that are currently capped, such as college diplomas and college bachelor’s degrees. This is the third highest rate among the top 10 source countries. “Consequently, news of January’s cap and application freeze is likely to have had a disproportionate impact on applications for study permits in India compared to others,” the report suggested.
One comforting prospect for Indian students is that there will be a higher approval rate for Canadian study permit applications in the first quarter of 2024, with the study permit approval rate increasing to 85% in the first quarter of 2024, up from 73% in 2023.
While the number of students in India has declined, other student markets are witnessing significant growth. In the first quarter of 2024, the number of admissions for students from Bangladesh, Ghana, Guinea and Senegal increased compared to the previous year.
Notably, Ghanaian students received the second highest number of admissions, surpassing other popular student groups in Nigeria and China.
Ghana had 3,267 study permit applications approved, while 2,699 applications from Nigerian students were approved between January and April 2024.
Ghanaian and Nigerian students represent the second and third largest student body in Canada so far this year, but their acceptance rates have declined in 2024. The acceptance rate for Ghanaian students decreased from 44% in 2023 to 32% in 2024.
During the same period, the approval rate for Nigerian applicants fell sharply from 32% to 16%.
![](https://thepienews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Red-Pen-300x250-1.jpg)