Study permit holders with valid permits on December 31st. Growth from 122K (2000) to 1.04M peak (2023), declining in 2024 due to new permit caps.
Source: IRCC Open Data — year-end stock by country of citizenship, 2000-2024
India's dominance grew from 40K (2015) to 426K (2023), then declined. China peaked at 142K in 2018.
Nigeria, Philippines, and Nepal saw explosive growth. Nepal grew 1,809% since 2019.
Annual flow of new permits. Peaked at 700K in 2023, dropping sharply in 2024-2025 under new caps.
Post-secondary permits grew from 142K (2015) to 519K (2023) before the 2024 cap. Below-secondary permits also nearly doubled — international high-school enrollment is a meaningful slice.
Source: IRCC Open Data — study permit holders by province × study level, 2015-2025
Yearly issuance of post-graduation work permits — the bridge from study permit to permanent residency in Canada. Quebec and Alberta dominate.
Source: IRCC Open Data — IMP work permit holders under post-graduation employment by province/CMA
Total International Mobility Program (IMP) work permit holders on Dec 31 by country. India grew from 5K to 580K — a 116x increase. Ukraine spiked from 4K to 235K after the 2022 invasion.
Source: IRCC Open Data — IMP work permit holders on December 31st by country of citizenship, 2000-2024
| Country | 2015 | 2018 | 2020 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Change 2015-2024 |
|---|