By Shaden Aly

Applications for international students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) have increased by 20 per cent from 2025, particularly students from the United States, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, according to data presented at the Jan. 21 Board of Governors meeting. 

In 2025, the federal government capped the number of study permits issued at 437,000, about 10 per cent lower than 2024. In Dec. 2025, 9,665 new students arrived in Canada, a striking decline from the 95,320 students who arrived in Dec. 2023—an 89 per cent decrease—according to data published by Statistics Canada.

Even as federal restrictions remain in place, international student interest in Canada remains strong.

A fall 2025 survey of future international students conducted by Applyboard, a Canadian application platform for international students, showed that 58 per cent of students surveyed said they were “extremely interested” in studying in Canada. Only five per cent said they had no interest in studying in Canada.

For Jaewon Lee, a second-year mechanical engineering student from South Korea, safety was the main deciding factor. He described the country as a more peaceful alternative to the United States.

 “I chose Canada over the States because I thought Canada is a safer place, especially in terms of guns and shootings,” he said. 

Following the Ontario government’s 2019 domestic tuition freeze, many post-secondary institutions turned to international students as a source of revenue. At TMU, undergraduate international fees have increased by five per cent for all programs since the 2021-22, the last year for which the university’s annual budget reports are publicly available. The only exception is engineering, where fees did not increase in 2022-23.

Sheridan College, one of Ontario’s major destinations for international students, announced it would suspend around 40 programs and restructure its administration following significant revenue losses tied to reduced international intake.

On Feb. 12, the provincial government announced they were lifting the tuition freeze, cutting the maximum of OSAP grants down to 25 per cent and giving $6.4 billion in new funding to universities and colleges. 

The federal government also announced a decrease in the number of study permits issued for master’s and doctoral students last November—down from 73,000 in 2025 to 49,000 in 2026.

Ashika Niraula, a senior research associate at Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) in Migration, explained that Canada still has an appeal, relative to other countries, that helps interest among future international students remain high.

“Canada has long been perceived as offering high-quality education and a relatively safe environment,” she said. “Even as the federal government introduced strict caps in 2024, there is still demand or attraction towards coming to Canada.”

For Mariam Abdelaziz, a third-year interior design student from Saudi Arabia, having relatives in Canada helped ease the transition.

“I would rather be somewhere where I have someone to help me get adjusted than go somewhere completely new,” she said. Abdelaziz expressed that her experience in Canada exceeded expectations, citing academic opportunities and personal growth.

“I feel like Canada gave me a lot of opportunities to meet new people and learn new things,” she said. “It actually went beyond what I was expecting.”

According to research conducted by Choosing Canada Initiative, 61 per cent of highly skilled migrants said the quality of life mattered in their decision to move to Canada.

Niraula noted that other study destinations like the U.S., U.K., and Australia have also introduced similar international student caps. 

Idil Atak, an associate professor at TMU’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law who specializes in migration and human rights law, said recent changes reflect federal control over immigration levels.

 “The federal government has the discretion and jurisdiction to decide how many international students it would like to admit,” she said. 

“It’s mostly the immigration things about permanent residency and post-graduate work permits that I’m worrying about now,” she said, adding that finding employment within required timelines feels increasingly stressful.

While some students describe positive outcomes, others point to gaps between academic programming and immigration requirements. 

Abdul Aziz El Shoushany, a fifth-year creative industries student, said a mandatory internship completed during his degree was not formally recognized as co-op credit by the university, which resulted in complicating his work permit eligibility.

“It was only recognized inside the program, but not outside,” he said. “It wasn’t even reflected on my transcript, and that’s how it affects my future work permit application.”

Nikua added that students find it challenging to plan for the future due to the quick changes in policies. “It has created a lot of uncertainty among international students,” she said. “They do not know what the future holds in Canada, so it’s difficult to plan.”