Canada tightens study permit rules for international students, requiring stronger financial proof

Effective July 24, 2026, the Ministry of Immigration updated its assessment guidelines, making the examination of the origin and amount of financial resources mandatory for all applications. This change eliminates previous limitations that restricted in-depth verification to "very high-risk environments." Immigration officers now have the authority to request additional financial and professional documents for any study permit application.

The new directives also mandate that applicants provide six months of bank statements, an increase from the previous four months, with agents instructed to scrutinize both the total amount and the exact origin of the funds. These measures are part of a broader immigration reform aimed at reducing the number of international students, following the identification of 153,000 suspicious student applications between 2023 and 2024. This policy shift has already led to a 29% drop in the number of foreign students in higher education, according to Statistics Canada.