IRCC says new student and worker arrivals to Canada fell by 67% between January and June 2026 compared with the same period in 2024. The department reported declines of 102,520 new student arrivals and 146,865 new worker arrivals over that comparison period.
Student arrivals declined by 82%
According to the IRCC Newsroom data page, new student arrivals between January and June 2026 were 82% lower than in the first six months of 2024.
IRCC counts a student arrival when a person is issued a study permit in a given month. A person issued both a study permit and a work permit in the same month is counted in the study permit group.
The department says its annual student-arrival target aligns with the international student cap, which limits the number of new study permits and extensions issued. It also notes that student-arrival volumes can be affected by changes to the International Student Program, recruitment by learning institutions and the number of prospective students who apply.
New worker arrivals were 60% lower
New temporary worker arrivals were 60% lower between January and June 2026 than during the same months in 2024, IRCC reported.
IRCC said it counts temporary worker arrivals based on people issued work permits in that month. The department said changes to some work permit streams in 2025 caused demand to drop.
The department cited measures including limits on low-wage hiring under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, changes to Post-Graduation Work Permit Program eligibility and tighter work permit eligibility for some spouses of temporary residents. It also said the Immigration Levels Plan includes further planned reductions in new worker arrivals for 2026 to 2028.
Permit-holder totals as of June 30, 2026
IRCC reported that 632,535 people held a study permit in Canada as of June 30, 2026. The department also reported 1,554,470 people who only held a work permit on that date.
The work-permit total included 252,795 permit holders in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and 1,301,675 in the International Mobility Program. IRCC says its figures are approximate, subject to change and rounded to protect privacy.
The department cautioned that the full effect of newer measures may take time to appear because existing application inventories continue to be processed under the rules in place when applications were submitted.
Who is excluded from the arrival data
The student and worker arrival figures do not include asylum claimants, permit extensions or seasonal agricultural workers. IRCC says extensions are excluded because applicants are already in Canada and are not new arrivals.
For temporary worker arrivals, the data also excludes agricultural workers and certain Temporary Foreign Worker Program participants who are in Canada for 270 days or less when their start and end dates fall within the same calendar year.
Source: IRCC Newsroom