CIMM – A.1. Q-496 Response - Question Template – March 23, 2026

Date: October 20, 2025
By: Ned Kuruc (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek)

Question

With regard to the number of study permit holders in Canada since January 2016: (a) did the

government conduct any analysis or study to examine the additional costs to Canadian municipalities in relation to, including but not limited to, hard infrastructure needs, police services, transit services, due to the number of study permits, broken down by year; and (b) what is the federal government's estimate of the total cost incurred by Canadian municipalities in relation to persons holding a study permit, broken down by (i) year, (ii) total cost incurred?

Reply

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Reply by: the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Name of Signatory: Peter Fragiskatos
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

(a) did the government conduct any analysis or study to examine the additional costs to Canadian municipalities in relation to, including but not limited to, hard infrastructure needs, police services, transit services, due to the number of study permits, broken down by year?

Setting goals and targets for permanent and temporary immigration is a critical part of how we manage a comprehensive, sustainable immigration system that balances economic objectives, community capacity, and humanitarian responsibilities, while prioritizing the health, safety, and security of Canadians.

While the term “absorptive capacity” can be difficult to define, it can refer to Canada’s ability to accommodate and support population growth, including economic resources such as the labour market and housing, and social factors like integration and cohesion.

Every year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada conducts bilateral and multilateral engagement on levels planning, including temporary resident levels such as international students with a number of partners and stakeholders.When setting immigration levels, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada conducts detailed analysis using updated demographic projections from Statistics Canada, which includes regional and age-based trends, labour force dynamics, and population growth scenarios to assess future labour market

needs and demographic pressures.

Macroeconomic modelling and labour market analysis from other federal departments, combined with input from provinces, territories, and stakeholders nationwide, further strengthen the evidence base that informs recommendations for the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

Immigration is a shared jurisdiction while education is the responsibility of the provinces and territories. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada allocates study permit application spaces under the cap to provinces and territories who are in turn, responsible for distributing their allocation among designated learning institutions. Ultimately, provinces and territories determine which learning institutions can receive international students, and how many spaces each will receive from the province or territory’s allocation envelope, as well as cumulatively the volume of allocations distributed across their municipalities. Provinces and territories are expected to make the allocation decisions based on community capacity in terms of services, infrastructure, housing availability, and healthcare access and they can withhold spaces in municipalities where access to

services or housing would be a concern or where learning institutions have insufficient supports or housing options. Similarly, designated learning institutions are expected to align their recruitment with their capacity to fully support students and to only accept the number of students that they can reasonably support, including providing housing options and respecting community conditions and constraints.

International students can work up to 24 hours per week during the school year and full time during breaks (summer), helping to support themselves and contributing directly to the Canadian economy.

(b) what is the federal government's estimate of the total cost incurred by Canadian municipalities in relation to persons holding a study permit, broken down by (i) year, (ii) total cost incurred?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada does not possess the data requested.