Canada Tightens Financial Checks for International Student Permits

OTTAWA — Canada's immigration department has tightened financial-sufficiency checks for study permit applicants, part of a broader crackdown that has already cut international student arrivals by 70% in 2026 compared with 2024. The update follows a March 2026 Auditor General report that found immigration officials had flagged over 153,000 students for non-compliance but had funding to investigate only 2,000 cases a year.

In June 2026, the department also issued new instructions for assessing language test results, including cross-referencing photographs to catch fraudulent submissions. Canada capped 2026 study permits at 408,000 — 7% lower than 2025 and 16% lower than 2024 — while shifting more approvals toward graduate-level students, whom officials want to prioritize for research and innovation contributions.