Canada Halves Student Visas, Slashes Temporary-Resident Caps Through 2028

Canada’s 2025 budget cements a sweeping immigration pullback on temporary entrants: foreign student visas are cut to 150,000 per year through 2028, and total temporary-resident visas fall to 385,000 next year and 370,000 thereafter. Permanent-resident admissions are held around 380,000 annually. Ottawa cites strains on housing, health care, and schools and targets reducing non-permanent residents below 5% of population by 2028. The plan includes a modest 20,000 increase for temporary worker visas and $1B over 13 years to recruit top researchers.